Curated OER
Convection in a Pan
Students explore convection. In this lesson on heat and energy, students investigate how heat moves in convection currents. They use their finding to better understand how convection currents effect the movement of tectonic plates.
Science Matters
Spaghetti Fault Model
Does increasing the pressure between two moving plates provide a stabilizing force or create more destruction? The hands-on lesson encourages exploration of strike-split fault models. The sixth lesson in a 20-part series asks scholars to...
Curated OER
Earthquakes: Getting Ready For The Big One
Learners devise a plan to prepare a city for an earthquake. For this lesson on earthquakes, students differentiate between the different types of earthquakes, examine the impact they can have on a city, and write a proposal on how to...
Curated OER
Volcanic Violence
Students complete activities to study volcanic activities. For this volcanic activities lesson, students read an article about violent volcanoes. Students complete discuss questions and volcano projects for the lesson. students also take...
Curated OER
Earthquakes: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
After learning about P waves and S waves, fifth graders view the intensity of earthquakes by examining seismographs and images of earthquake damage. Young scientists then forecasting future quakes by analyzing data about earthquakes...
NOAA
Ocean Geologic Features
Sediment samples from the ocean bottoms tell scientists about climate change, pollution, and changes in erosion for the area. Groups of learners focus on sediments and their movement through water. During a hands-on activity, they...
Curated OER
Continental Drift
Young scholars simulate convection waves using a model. In this earth science instructional activity, students explain the effect of plate movements to Earth's geography. They use the internet to find answers to graphic organizer questions.
Curated OER
Earthquake Machine
Young scholars explore plate tectonics by conducting a class experiment. In this earthquake lesson, students utilize scrap wood, sandpaper, rubber bands and a sanding belt to create a model earthquake experiment which shakes a nearby...
Curated OER
Which Boundary Am I?
Sixth graders find 12 statements which describe the characteristics of the three boundary types, arranged in random order. Their task is to read each statement, and then CUT and PASTE it to the the appropriate boundary icon.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Action at Plate Boundaries
Students diagram the spreading of the ocean floor. For this earth science lesson plan, students read an article on plate boundaries of the ocean. Students are expected to diagram the oceanic convergent boundary, and give a written...
Curated OER
Tic-Tac-Toe for Layers of the Earth
Eighth graders identify the different layers of the earth. In this earth science lesson, 8th graders choose a project to do from a given list according to their learning style. They present their finished project in class.
Curated OER
A Model of Three Faults
Learners investigate faults. In this science lesson, students explore the many stresses and strains in the earth's layers and research the types of faults in their state.
Curated OER
Convection Currents
Students explain and understand the circulation of air in the atmosphere. They identify that energy can be carried from one place to another by heat flow or by waves, including water, light and sound waves, or by moving objects. ...
Curated OER
Fossil Fuels (Part III), The Geology of Coal
Do not overlook this set of lessons just because your school does not have a data analysis system. There is plenty of material here to administer a complete mini unit on the formation, distribution, and properties of coal. Since it...
Curated OER
Volcano Live
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....
Curated OER
Islands, Reefs, and a Hotspot
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.
Curated OER
Earthquake Patterns
Learners 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...
California Academy of Science
Measuring Earthquakes
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...
Curated OER
Glaciers As Indicators of Global Climate Change
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...
Curated OER
The Robot Fisherman
Students examine the use of robotic vehicles for fish surveys. In this ocean life lesson, students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using underwater robots and the requirements an underwater robot must meet in order to observe...
Curated OER
8th GRade SCience End of the Year Flip Video Review
Learners explore video taping. For this science review lesson, students create a video of an assigned science unit as a peer study tool.
Curated OER
Rain Forest
Students study the Amazon tropical rain forest. In this rain forest lesson, students discuss the Manu Biosphere reserve and watch a video about conserving the rain forest. Students create mobiles for the rainforest that includes research...
Curated OER
Tsunami! Examining Earth's Most Destructive Waves.
Students discover what creates a tsunami In this earth science lesson plan, student research using the Internet how tsunami's develop. Students read accounts of first responders to the Sri Lanka tsunami.
Curated OER
Geology with Peanut Butter and Jelly
Students will enjoy smashing the two tectonic sandwich plates together in faulting and compression fashions! They may even desire to capture their instructional destruction in a slideshow.