Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Shake it up with Seismographs!
Shake things up in your STEM or earth science classroom when you have small groups construct their own seismographs. A reading assignment on the history of seismographs, the Richter scale, and current technology sets the stage for the...
Carnegie Mellon University
How Power Plants Work 3
Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble! Find out what drives a turbine to generate electricity and whether or not it has an impact on the environment. A discussion and lecture is divided by a hands-on activity in...
Curated OER
Tsunami
Students explore tsunami through various hands-on activities. In this earth science lesson, students explain how they are formed. They create tsunami and earthquake models in the lab to observe how they are generated.
DiscoverE
Shake It Up with Seismographs
Shake up your lessons on earthquakes. A simple seismograph lets scholars record "earthquakes" in the classroom. These earthquakes occur when classmates drop balls from different heights. Young scientists measure these with seismographs...
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 9
Here's a workshop for teachers that rocks the academic world! Using earthquakes as a medium for instruction, educators learn about crosscutting engineering with science. Fun, hands-on, collaborative exercises encourage participants to...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Utah Open Textbook: 5th Grade Science
How do Earth's changes affect humans? Pupils learn about physical and chemical changes on Earth and how they lead to erosion, earthquakes, and volcanoes. Using the text, they also explore the concepts of electricity and magnetism by...
Carnegie Mellon University
How Power Plants Work 2
In this second of three lessons on power plants, future engineers find out how we generate electricity and how coal-powered plants operate. They work in small groups to make electromagnet generators to light LED bulbs. A set of...
Curated OER
Forces in Earth
For this Earth's forces worksheet, students will review the characteristics of earthquakes, including types of faults. Students will interpret a seismograph read-out from an earthquake. Students will complete 10 fill in the blank...
Curated OER
Mercalli Scale Illustrated
Students study the Mercalli Scale and analyze how it is used to rate earthquakes. They construct a booklet with drawings that represent each rating of the scale. They study why engineers develop rating scales for earthquakes.
Curated OER
Forces of Change
Second graders discuss various ways in which landforms change over time. They, in groups, research and create a reference book about landform change including tsunamis, earthquakes, weathering, erosion and volcanic eruptions.
Curated OER
The Humanitarian Side of Architecture
Students explore the role that architects play in rebuilding communities after natural disasters. They investigate the aftermath of the 1906 California earthquake and fires, and current day efforts to rebuild communities after natural...
Curated OER
Hazards: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
After comparing earthquake and volcanic hazards to one another, fifth graders take a closer look at damage associated with a volcanic eruption. They then create a simulation of mudslides due to a volcanic eruption. Using different...
Curated OER
The Haitian Crisis: Thinking Historically
Students analyze the 2010 earthquake's effects on Haiti. In this Economics activity, students brainstorm the problems caused in Haiti by the earthquake. Students listen to interviews with scholars to identify additional answers to focus...
Carnegie Mellon University
How Power Plants Work 1
First of three lessons, this is a great start to a unit on energy. As you demonstrate, learners discover different types of energy and how it is converted from one form to another. They then focus in on the generation of electricity by...
Curated OER
Seismology in the Classroom
Students work together to use a sample seismograph. They role play the position of an engineering firm that is to analyze the machine. They discover how engineers develop new machines to take measurements.
Curated OER
Drifting Continents
Students, through teacher-led demonstration, explore the idea of continental drift. They complete a worksheet involving the calculation of continental drift over time.
Curated OER
Volcanoes
Second graders review the characteristics and aspects of volcanoes. Using this information, they write a creative story and draw illustrations to accompany the words. They use geographical terms to describe a location and the physical...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Utah Open Textbook: Earth and Space Science
From the vast universe to natural disasters, Earth and Space Science studies phenomena near and far. A complete textbook offers informational resources for a high school Earth and Space Science course. Chapters include topics such as the...
Science 4 Inquiry
Edible Plate Tectonics
Many people think they can't observe plate tectonics, but thanks to GPS, we know that Australia moves at a rate of 2.7 inches per year, North America at 1 inches per year, and the Pacific plate at more than 3 inches per year! Scholars...
NASA
Erosion and Landslides
A professional-quality PowerPoint, which includes links to footage of actual landslides in action, opens this moving lesson. Viewers learn what conditions lead to erosion and land giving way. They simulate landslides with a variety of...
NASA
Hurricanes and Hot Towers with TRMM
Take cover because a wild presentation on hurricanes is about to make landfall in your classroom! An outstanding PowerPoint presentation is the centerpiece of this lesson. Not only does it provide information and photographs, but several...
Curated OER
TE Lesson: Tsunami Attack!
Learners examine how earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides can trigger tsunami waves. They determine how engineers use sensors to detect the dangerous wave, and how they help design building that will survive the wave force and water.
Federal Reserve Bank
Natural Disasters: From Destruction to Recovery
What are the major economic implications, both good and bad, of natural disasters? Discover the effect that natural disasters can have on labor market conditions, capital, household incomes, and opportunities for reconstruction in local...
Curated OER
Disaster Victims and Relief Efforts
Students examine the challenges faced by relief workers. In this earth science lesson, students brainstorm on things they want to find out about relief agencies. They research the answer to these questions and write a reflection journal.