Scholastic
Lesson One: The Earth, Background and Glossary
How much do you really know about our planet? Middle schoolers build up their prior knowledge about Earth, its placement in the solar system, its composition, and important geological vocabulary with an introductory earth science lesson.
Oregon State
World Map of Plate Boundaries
Young geologists piece together the puzzle of plate tectonics in an earth science lesson. Given a physical map of the world, they search for land formations that indicate the location of different types of plate boundaries.
K-State Research and Extensions
The Crusty Earth
Geology rocks — literally! A geology chapter offers eleven activities at four different levels. Scholars enjoy completing hands-on experiments before applying critical thinking skills following a share, process, generalize, apply,...
Scholastic
Lesson Five: The Earth, Rocks and Minerals
Apply the principles of geology to a series of collaborative, hands-on class activities. Young earth scientists learn more about igneous, metamorphic, and sedentary rocks before classifying and weathering rocks that they find....
It's About Time
The Changing Geography of Your Community
Lead your class in exploring their local communities as well as the general environment. As they determine continental distributions by investigating minerals, rocks, and fossils located in their local region, pupils construct...
American Museum of Natural History
Start a Rock Collection
Rocks hold evidence of Earth's past. A three-step guide describes the process of creating a rock collection. It provides a data collection sheet to make notes about each sample.
Science & Plants for Schools
Photosynthesis - A Survival Guide
Young scientists learn what it takes for life on Earth to survive with this series of photosynthesis resources. Offering twelve different activities ranging from independent practice worksheets to in depth scientific...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Finding the Crater
A mass extinction event caused by an impact usually leaves a crater. Scholars use data from 10 different sites around the world trying to determine where to look for the crater. They use data, listing the amount of various minerals to...
California Academy of Science
What Kind of Geologist Am I?
Transform your class into young geologists as they learn about six different branches of geology. Using the included geology career descriptions and picture cards, learners work in small groups deciding which tools and locations fit...
NOAA
Climate Is Our Friend…Isn’t It?: Make an Extinction Polyhedron
Climate affects populations in different ways. Scholars research extinct organisms and mass extinctions in part three of the 10-installment Discover Your Changing World series. They create graphic organizers, then fill in the...
Forest Foundation
Waste Not - Want Not
Recycling is the focus in the sixth of a nine-lesson series devoted to forest ecosystems. Class members read an article about the responsible use of natural resources and ways to reduce land fill.
American Museum of Natural History
Finding Fossils
How does one go about finding fossils? Find out with an informative webpage that looks at the digging process, showcases rocks and common fossils, helpful tips, and a list of archeological do's and don'ts.
Teach Engineering
Rocks, Rocks, Rocks: Test, Identify Properties and Classify
Time is growing short. Teams work together to identify physical properties of rocks in order to determine the properties that would best suit their cavern shelter design.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: What's Under My Feet? Learning to Use a Geologic Map
Students use geologic maps to learn about rocks and minerals.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: The Earth Trek Gravestone Project
The Gravestone Project, part of the global citizen science program called EarthTrek, seeks volunteers to visit cemeteries around the world and collect scientific data on how marble gravestones are weathering.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Soil Color and Redox Chemistry
Students use chocolate candies to simulate the process that occurs in saturated soil when Fe3+ is reduced to Fe2+ due to a microbial mediated redox reaction.
![Fossweb: Pebbles, Sand, and Silt [Pdf] Activity](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Fossweb: Pebbles, Sand, and Silt [Pdf] Activity")
University of California
Fossweb: Pebbles, Sand, and Silt [Pdf]
This PDF resource provides four sequential activities for children in first and second grade which introduce concepts in earth science.
Oregon State University
Oregon State University: An Amazing Crystal Garden .And So Easy to Make!
This resrouce presents instructions for using nine easy to obtain materials for making crystals. The lab takes about 24 hours and it contains a brief explanation of how crystals form.
Read Works
Read Works: What Is a Rock?
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the elements that rocks are made of. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Hard Rocks
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about hunting for gem stones including diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and more. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in cause and effect.