Curated OER
Water Erosion and the Effects of Earthquakes
High schoolers participate in an activity in which they simulate geological events such as earthquakes and erosion. For a fifteen to twenty minute time period, they shake a jar with 100 grams of marble chips and water. They measure the...
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Schoolyard Geology
Discover that maps show information about an area and that they have common features like scales and legends. View an aerial map of your school and find features on the map such as the playground, roads, and trees. Trace the outline of...
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How Old Is Illinois?
Students use fossils found in rocks to determine the age of rock in Illinois. They use a chart to identify the fossils and then identify the periods of rock.
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Geology of Connecticut
Learners examine the geology of Connecticut, including plate tectonics, glaciation, and fossil formation.
After reviewing past lessons, they write essays about what life may have been like in the Mesozoic Period. Following a field...
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Contain Yourself: Changes Over Time in the Use of Containers by Native Americans
Students examine the types of containers used by Native Americans. They discover how their form and function has changed over time. They create their own container based on the Native American examples.
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Activity 4: Alvin Dive, A Mysterious Encounter and Change Over Time
Students receive copies of the Time Series Observations to use for note-taking. They work in small groups to discuss what they see when the outside lights of Alvin are turned on, and off, where the bacteria may have come from. They view...
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Mud Fossils
Students create their own fossils in an activity using plaster of paris and a variety of objects which can be fossils, e.g. chicken bones, twigs, shells, etc. After making their fossils, they allow them to dry and discuss time and its...
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The Roving Robotic Chemist
Junior oceanographers and underwater geologists describe the four major steps of mass spectrometry. They compete in small groups to simulate the tracking of a deepwater methane plume using imaginary autonomous underwater vehicles. Give...
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Wreck Detectives
Junior archaeologists examine types of artifacts from the Bronze Age on the internet. In collaborative groups, they create a story about a ship from this period and then construct a model of the ocean floor after their ship has sunk....
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Mystery of the Megaplume
Read through the extensive background information and then lead your geology or physical oceanography class through an investigation of actual temperature anomaly data from the Juan de Fuca ridge. They translate the data onto a plot,...
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Find the Epicenter
Eighth graders visit the Virtual Earthquake Web site and complete activities that demonstrate how geologists locate the epicenters of earthquakes. The site uses actual data from historic earthquakes.
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Earthquake Depth
Students research and locate earthquake epicenters on a map using latitude and longitude. They determine if the depth of an earthquake has any relationship to the distance from a plate boundary.
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Earth's History
Sixth graders investigate how fossils are formed. They analyze a photo of the Grand Canyon, and create a fossil cast and mold using plaster of paris and shells.
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Environmental Risk Analysis
Young scholars complete a survey and enter the responses in a spreadsheet. The spread sheet is used to create a bar graph. Students complete spreadsheets listing types of hazards in their community.
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Dinosaur Detectives
Students examine amphibian evolution by comparing fossils with a modern-day skeleton. They experience the scientific thought process of drawing conclusions from limited paleontological data. Student groups align the figures with the...
Channel Islands Film
Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 1
How do scientists provide evidence to support the theories they put forth? What clues do they put together to create these theories? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation class members engage in a series of...
BBC
Walking with Dinosaurs
Breath new life into your class's study of dinosaurs with this extensive collection of materials. Offering everything from a printable T-rex mask, word searches, and connect-the-dots activities to informational handouts, hands-on...
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The End of an Era
Students explore the American-Mongolian paleontology expedition of Cretaceous fossil beds at Ukhaa Tolgod in the Gobi Desert. They present information about the life forms, tectonics, climate and geology of this time.
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Glaciers
Seventh graders summarize how Earth processes today are similar to
those that occurred in the past. They read excerpts from John Muir's "Yosemite Glaciers" and explain how slow geologic processes have large cumulative effects over long...
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Modeling Earthquake Data
Students evalute evolutionary theories and processe of Geology. They examine evidence that the movement of continents has had signicicant global impact, major geological events. Students evaluate the forces which shape the lithosphere...
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Exploring the Rock Cycle
An understanding of the rock cycle is essential in geology and earth science classes.
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Alaska Purchase Debate
Students examine the benefits and the challenges Alaska has presented to the United States. They research what the government and the people of the United States considered at the time of the purchase of Alaska in order to debate the...
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Feudal Japan and the Geography of Japan
Students recognize that the feudal times of Japan changed the lives of its people.In this Japanese history and geography lesson, students understand how Japan's geography in the ring of fire and its strong feelings of honor and duty have...
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The Mystery Box
Students design a mystery box to hold an object related to the timeline of life studies. For this timeline of life lesson, student play a game with fossils and other remnants of past times and guess the era it comes from.