Students investigate how government legislates the protection of citizens from natural disasters such as earthquakes in California. They read the Alquist-Priolo Special Studies Act and debate its pros and cons. They discuss how much...

Learners are introduced to the geological development of the state of Indiana. Using the internet, they visit the U.S. Geological Survey and locate the earthquake zones in the state. In groups, they locate and identify the energy...

Students explore structural engineering through three design challenges. They examine information about some architectural features that work and those that don't during an earthquake. Students build and test their structure and record...

Students discuss the different kinds of faults in the earth's crust and examine photos of the San Adreas Fault. Working in groups, they experiment with fault making by placing fabric in a pan and filling the inside with wet dirt. When...

Second graders discover volcanoes that occur around the world. They identifying volcano parts.

Sixth graders study the characteristics of volcanoes in this unit. They apply the research to the study of three volcanoes in Japan. They complete mapwork, identify indicators of impending volcanic activity, and describe the dangers...

Students use outline maps to become acquainted with Costa Rica. They see how it was formed and how its origin has created very diverse environments. Students then use atlases and compare their physical maps with maps of climate and the...

Students interpret phase diagrams and explain the meaning of vocabulary words.  In this ocean explorer activity students describe two uses of super-critical carbon dioxide. 

High schoolers identify geologic features that are associated with volcanoes.  For this volcanic exploration lesson students compare and contrast convergent and divergent volcanoes and are able to explain why some erupt more...

Pupils describe the effects of temperature and pressure on solubility of gases and other materials.  In this investigative lesson students read an article and answer questions about it. 

Students describe the positive impacts of volcanic activity on marine ecosystems. In this volcano lesson plan students explore the process that causes volcanic activity along the Mariana and Kermadec Island Arcs.

Students explore the Ring of Fire. In this volcano lesson, students discuss active volcanoes in the world and explore viscosity as they participate in a hands-on classroom activity.

Students investigate the planet Earth's infamous ring of fire and the life that thrives from it.  In this ocean environment lesson plan, students investigate hydrothermal vents and how organisms thrive off their heat.  Students...

Students identify marine animals that could become stranded due to coastal features and currents. They plot data on worksheets for locations of sea turtles actually beached or stranded. After plotting their points, they hypothesize...

Students discuss plate tectonics and the layers of the earth's interior. They use eggs as models of the earth and answer questions regarding which part of the egg would represent which part of the earth.

Students identify the layers of the Earth. They discover the properties and minerals in each layer. They answer questions about the minerals found to end the lesson.

Students observe what happens as crayon shavings are melted and/or pressed together. They compare this to the process some rocks go through as they are heated and compressed naturally on earth.

Pupils discover the principles of solubility and phase state and their influence on chemical phenomena observed around deep-sea volcanoes. They describe the effect of temperature and pressure on solubility of gasses and solid materials.

Students use the image processing software, NIH Imageto view images of Earth taken from the space shuttle. They use NIH Image to determine the length of the visible portion of the fault, where it has ruptured the Earth's surface.

Students simulate the effects of erosion on rocks. Students smash cookies into smaller pieces to simulate how sandstone is created from larger rocks. Students hypothesize the types of things that could break up rocks and whether sand...

Students explore the issues of rebuilding after the Indonesian tsunami. In this reconstruction lesson, students investigate the reconstruction that followed the devastating event.

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...

Students evaluate the impact climates have on the building of structures. They research the different types of materials used to build houses in various climates and build small models of houses which are tested against different climates.

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 plan. Not only does it provide information and photographs, but...