Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquakes And Fault Lines

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss major causes of earthquakes and identify famous fault lines, access and map information about ten largest earthquakes in world from 1989 to 1998, and theorize about location of these earthquakes as they relate to Earth's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students identify and describe rocks that contain records of the earth's history and explain how they were formed. They formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to objects and events in the environment, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polishing the Petoskey

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students select a stone and polish it. Throughout the process they demonstrate an understanding of rocks and fossil formation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polishing the Petoskey

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students polish a Petoskey stone to show how to make an attractive rock display. In this polishing rocks lesson plan, students use sand paper and polishing materials to polish a rock and remove the rock dust. This is to display a nice...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eureka! You've Struck

For Teachers 4th
While incomplete, this lesson could provide ideas for a lesson on the California gold rush. Learners look at a chart to analyze population growth in San Francisco after the discovery of gold, analyze political changes that occurred, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Fault Line

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students use cardboard models of the North American and Pacific plates and sand to investigate what happens when there is an earthquake or movement along the boundaries of the plates.
Lesson Plan
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Rock of Ages

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use a video, the Internet and hands-on activities to explore how to determine the age of rocks and fossils based on radioactive decay data.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dell House Dig

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students experience an archaeological dig exploring off the shore of Black Hawk Island and Wisconsin River. They study in the same place where the infamous Dell House once stood. Dell House and its historical significance is reviewed...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Magic School Bus Rocks and Rolls

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners participate in a science experiment to show them the power that water erosion has to sculpt stone. They explore how running water moves earth and creates new landforms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Moving Continents from Pangaea to the Future

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine how the movements of the Earth contribute to fossil distribution.  In this fossils lesson students make maps of the placement of the continents. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate Tectonic - Volcanoes Pre Lab

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders draw and compare parts of volcano. They investigate parts of a volcano and distinguish between magma and lava.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can You Find...on the "Progression of Life" Poster?

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students examine and analyze a poster that presents various types of animals throughout the ages. They determine biological classification with fossils and earth history in a game.
Lesson Plan
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Impressions in Clay

For Teachers K - 8th
Students examine how fossils are created. They make impressions of different objects in clay and compare them to examples of fossils.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Candle-Wax Fossils: Casts, Molds, and Impressions

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars examine and define fossils. They create their own impressions and molds in clay and candle wax, making external and internal molds.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

White Glue Fossils: Casts, Molds, and Impressions

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students make impressions and molds in clay and them make casts with glue. After the glue dries students remove their fossils.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Groundwater and Ecology

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Learners are presented a problem concerning an aquifer which may be in danger from overuse by agriculture/industry. They compile data and consult online data and experts in creating a proposal to rectify the situation.
Lesson Plan
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Agents of Erosion

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the agents of erosion. They observe rocks that are rough and unweathered and record observations. They investigate rocks rubbed with sandpaper and ones that are not and the effects that the sandpaper has on the...
Lesson Plan
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The Making of a Coat

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Pupils read the story A New Coat For Anna and discuss their knowledge on how to make a coat. In this reading and coat making lesson plan, students discuss coat making and listen to a speaker that spins thread to make coats.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Down Home Dinosaurs

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
students participate in hands-on activities to discover the different types of fossils. Using teacher-provided materials, they make models of cast and trace fossils. After writing essays describing how traces are formed, students plan a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Lake to Lake

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate the formation of the Great Salt Lake. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used to construct a timeline of the history. Each phase of history should include facts and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Insects Preserved in Amber

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students examine and discuss amber and fossils in amber. They simulate the preservation of an insect in amber using glue, a dead insect, and food coloring, listen to a poem about amber, and view real amber under a magnifying glass or...
Lesson Plan
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Timeline of Yellowstone History

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research important dates and events in the history and development of Yellowstone National Park. They create a timeline that denotes the events after watching the associated video clips.
Lesson Plan
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Fenwick Island, Maryland And Beyond: Who Owns the Sand?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine beach processes and complex beach systems. They study the human efforts to stabilize an unstable environment can lead to complex problems.
Lesson Plan
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The Nebraska Brochure

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the physical attributes of Nebraska. They work together to create a brochure highlighting the topic of their choice. They share their brochure to the class.