Curated OER
Plate Tectonic - Volcanoes Post Lab
Second graders discover volcanoes that occur around the world. They identifying volcano parts.
Curated OER
Geology Rocks
Students discuss information relating to Illinois geology. They examine top mineral resources in Illinois to find detailed information about geodes and where they can be found. Students complete geode lab to explore external structure of...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonic - Volcanoes Post Lab
First graders draw an erupting volcano. They learn the components of an erupting volcano.
Curated OER
Plate Tectonic - Volcanoes Pre Lab
Second graders draw and compare parts of volcano. They investigate parts of a volcano and distinguish between magma and lava.
Science Matters
Fault Formations
The San Andreas Fault moves about two inches a year, approximately the same rate fingernails grow—crazy! The third instructional activity in the series allows for hands-on exploration of various fault formations. Through the use of a...
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...
Curated OER
The Dynamics of Plate Tectonics
Simple lab and modeling activities can help your students understand the movements of the Earth's crust.
Curated OER
Pangaea Puzzle
Students explore plate tectonics and the formations of the Earth's surface and why maps are distorted. In this Earth's surface lesson students complete a lab and answer questions.
Science 4 Inquiry
Layers and Laws: The Law of Superposition and Index Fossils
What can layers of rock teach us about the climate? Young scientists solve a mystery about who stole a cookie by applying the law of superposition. Then, they apply the same concept to solve a more difficult mystery, trying to determine...
Curated OER
Hazards: Third Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Learners discover hazards related to volcanoes and predict the effects these hazards have on people and land. As blossoming geologists explore various volcanic eruptions, including the hazards associated with them, they...
Curated OER
Build It With Lincoln Logs!
Students use primary sources to analyze advertisements, prices, and styles of Lincoln Logs from Carson Pirie Scott catalogs from 1952 to 1960. Students then compare modern-day toy to Lincoln Logs of the 1950s by analyzing differences in...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
DNA Profiling Activity
Everyone loves a good mystery ... can your class actually solve one? Partnered pupils take on the role of forensic investigators during a three-part activity focusing on DNA evidence processing. Learners discover the methods used to...
Curated OER
Electricity
The presentation begins with a circuit building activity and two data tables for young scientists to copy and complete. Full of clever animations, it will definitely spark student interest! However, the information is incoherent. You may...
Curated OER
The Slope of Land in Your Community
Learners participate in finding the slope of a sand pile and then other materials. In this geology lesson, students describe what happens to the piles of materials when they are poured through a funnel. Learners measure the slope using a...
Curated OER
Watch Out for Landslides
Students conduct an experiment. In this landslides lesson, students learn about landslides and discuss how they could minimize the risk of landslides. Students complete an experiment to see if changing the slope of the land...
Curated OER
Branches of Science Lesson Plans
Teachers can use branches of science lesson plans to get students excited about science careers.
Curated OER
Paper Bridge
Learners view a video about bridges. They create their own bridge out of paper and share it with the class. They create an advertisement for a bridge shown in the film.
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics
Students reinforce their knowledge of plate tectonics from what they have already learned on the subject. In this science lesson, students watch a small clip from the movie "Ice Age" which engages the students to participate throughout...
Curated OER
Forces, Loads, Materials, Shapes
Students investigate forces, loads, materials and shapes as they relate to science. For this science lesson, students differentiate between the basic definitions required to perform a scientific experiment. They answer questions dealing...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: An Earthquake Lab for Physical Geology
This article from the Journal of Geological Education describes an activity in which students locate the epicenter of several earthquakes, plot the trends of the two faults involved, and determine the sense of motion along the plane of...
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Buildings and Earthquakes
Do you think you can build a house that can withstand the shaking from an earthquake? In this activity, students design and construct model building that will be tested on a shake table with a force sensor. Activity includes questions...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Earthquakes Living Lab: Geology and Earthquakes in Japan
Using the online resources provided through the Earthquakes Living Lab, students investigate reasons why large earthquakes occur in Japan, drawing conclusions from tectonic plate structures and the locations of fault lines.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Earthquakes Living Lab: Locating Earthquakes
Students use U.S. Geological Survey real-time, real-world, seismic data from around the planet to identify where earthquakes occur and look for trends in earthquake activity.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Earthquakes Living Lab: P Waves, S Waves and More
Students learn what causes earthquakes, how we measure and locate them, and their effects and consequences.