Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcano Live

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students discover the inevitable threat of volcanoes as they identify the ring of fire. In this natural disasters lesson, students examine the tectonic plate theory and discuss how magma works it's way to the surface of the Earth....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roots of the Hawaiian Hotspot

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain the processes of plate tectonics and volcanism that resulted in the formation of the Hawaiian Islands. They describe, compare, and contrast S waves and P waves. They explain how
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Journeys: Right Place, Right Time

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders measure distances on a map using string and a ruler. They complete mathematical word problems about measurement.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Jigsaw Puzzle

For Students 5th - 6th
In this social studies worksheet, students solve a jigsaw puzzle of the Earth's plate tectonics. Students work in small groups to solve the puzzle.
PPT
Curated OER

The Oceans, Waves, Tides & Currents

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Your introductory lesson to oceanography can be outlined with this apropos presentation. It touches on the physical features of the ocean floor, waves, tides, and currents. One small issue is that some of the graphics are not of the...
Organizer
Curated OER

Identifying Text Structure

For Students 8th - 10th Standards
Work on identifying text structure with this thorough activity. After studying a diagram depicting six different text structures (compare/contrast, spatial, chronological, problem and solution, cause and effect, and order of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Islands, Reefs, and a Hotspot

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students describe eight stages in the formation of islands in the Hawaiian archipelago. They examine the movement of tectonic plates in the Hawaiian archipelago region, and describe how plate movement produced the Hawaiian archipelago.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquakes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars explore the causes of earthquakes and the impact they have on the geology of an area.  In this geology lesson plan students view video footage of earthquakes, get into groups and study plate tectonics. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquake Patterns

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students identify and interpret the cyclical nature of the Parkfield, California earthquakes. They then investigate and graph earthquake occurrences on the Mojave segment of the San Andreas fault and then on the Hayward fault in order to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building a Better Sentence

For Teachers 1st
Sentence construction is both a science and an art. This bare bones lesson plan ties an analysis of earth's geology to sentence formation. Although referenced as a major part of the activity, there are no links to the technology or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ring of Fire

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students locate some of the 1,500 active volcanoes on a world map. Then by comparing their maps with a map of the world's tectonic plates, they discover that volcanoes occur because of the dynamic nature of the Earth's lithosphere.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquake

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students view a video and conduct a problem solving activity to explain the effect different waves have on the earth's structure and what effect they have on different structures.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Volcanoes

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners create a model volcano in groups, and discuss what each part of the model represents as they go along.  In this volcano lesson, students come back together as a whole group and discuss what group did the best work,...
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Measuring Earthquakes

For Teachers 4th - 8th
After a brief discussion on earthquakes, make a makeshift seismograph to record the shaking of the table that it sits upon. While the background information will be useful to you as a teacher, the seismograph does not seem like it would...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life of An Island

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars identify the steps in the life cycle of an island. They label islands in the correct stage of their life cycle and illustrate the process themselves. They also review the concept of plate tectonics.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glaciers As Indicators of Global Climate Change

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students research about glacial ice melting on the four major spheres of the Earth. For this earth science lesson, students explain how this process relates to global warming. They create a presentation and share their findings with the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Impact Craters: Holes in the Ground!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students simulate crater formation through a lab activity. In this space science lesson plan, students calculate how much energy is transferred during meteorite impact. They identify different factors affecting the size and depth of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Robot Fisherman

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine the use of robotic vehicles for fish surveys. In this ocean life instructional activity, students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using underwater robots and the requirements an underwater robot must meet in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geology of Connecticut

For Teachers 8th - 9th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

8th GRade SCience End of the Year Flip Video Review

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore video taping.  In this science review instructional activity, students create a video of an assigned science unit as a peer study tool.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Give me Food!

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Young scholars study the food guide pyramid and use it to create their own eating program.In this health lesson students visit websites to calculate their BMR, activity level and weight then create a nutrition plan
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's In A Name

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders read Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. They then discuss where various names come from. They create a individualized biopoem and publish it on word processing software. Their poems are compiled into a class book and presented...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquakes

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explain that earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults. They list the major geologic events including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and mountain building, which are the result of crustal plate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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.