Students count the number of varves (annual layers of sediment) in shale billets, taken from the Green River Formation in Wyoming. The count is then extended to reflect the entire 260 meters of sediments where the billets originated.

Students are taken on a simulated "voyage" backward in time, to the beginning of our planet. They "witness" that beginning, the origin of life, and a number of key events from then to the present.

Students investigae using radioactive decay to determine geologic age.

Third graders practice typing in a web address to find a specific web page and how to use a search engine to locate specific information. They access a search engine to locate information about geology to answer the questions on a quiz.

Opening with background information on copper use and mining, this worksheet assesses junior geologists' reading comprehension. A map activity is available, but the map is not. There is a useful set of vocabulary matching cards and a...

Students label fossil imprints. In this Geology instructional activity, students view fossil imprints of several items. Students explain what a fossil is.

Acquaint your class with the 4 branches of earth science with this visual representation of the different branches. Using 4 different colors, learners categorize the provided words into the separate branches of earth science:...

Beyond the phases of the moon, this comprehensive lesson plan covers geologic history and geology. Amateur astronauts examine photos of the lunar landscape, experiment with the creation of craters, and delve into information about the...

Students research national parks. In this geology lesson, students identify the geological features of selected national parks and create PowerPoint presentations that feature their findings.

Students are assigned significant geologic events in Earth's history. They convert the date of the events into distances and then space themselves (on an outside playing field) away from other groups, to represent time between various...

Not going into depth on any one topic, this Earth science presentation skims the crust. It touches on the materials that construct the crust and then moves into plate tectonics. This is a useful and colorful note-taking guide for your...

Students research the geologic time scales and the appearance of animals and plants during these eras. They complete a chart indicating the era, period and major events.

These lessons produced by the Illinois State Museum are quite good. In this one, third and fourth graders are introduced to the three basic types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. They perform activities which help them...

Explore caves with your class! Your scholars will participate in scientific observation, research, inference and deduction, reading, vocabulary, and writing activities about caves with this lesson plan. This resource contains five...

An exceptionally creative approach is taken to assessing your biologists' grasp of natural selection concepts. They are to imagine hosting Charles Darwin for dinner and having, to their surpise, a few other noted scientists crash the...

High schoolers will identify the factors that contribute to erosion and weathering. They will start by differentiating between chemical and mechanical weathering. They then apply what they learned by playing the online jeopardy game. Key...

You may not be able to take a field trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean your class can't study moon rocks. Using graham crackers as the moon's bedrock and powdered donuts as micrometeorites, young scientists simulate...

Students create geologic maps of the Gettysburg battlefield. In this geologic skills instructional activity, students consider the variations of Earth's surfaces and explore strategies employed by the North and South in the Battle of...

Students study the geological makeup of the West.  In this geological maps lesson plan students creat a map that includes a key and present it to the class. 

Students create a geologic map and cross-section of an area of horizontal sedimentary rocks, exposed in several locations. Map must include a complete key or legend with rock descriptions of the various formations.

Students examine a geologic time line on the Internet. They preview questions they are looking for before visiting the "Understanding Geologic Time" website. They browse through the site to find their answers and complete their worksheet.

Students identify and interpret photographic details of a Martian surface image, design, and create a simple features map. They identify and interpret the geologic history of a part of Mars' surface and then, analyze and discuss the...

Students view geologic time lines and discuss how old the Earth and solar system is, when dinosaurs roamed Earth, and when humans first appeared. They review the four major eons and life that was present in each before creating a time...

In this coastal geology worksheet, high schoolers use Google Earth to locate and identify different types of landforms and phenomena that occur along a coast. This worksheet has 2 short answer questions.