Curated OER
Minerals, Rocks, and Fossils
Kick off your science lesson with this PowerPoint about minerals, rocks, and fossils. This presentation clearly defines key vocabulary, including: luster, sediments, erosion, and more! This is an eye-catching slideshow that students...
Virginia Department of Education
Weathering of Limestone
We all know limestone weathers, but what affects the rate of weathering? Young scientists investigate the physical and chemical weathering of limestone (chalk) through experimentation. First, they conduct trials with different-size...
Curated OER
Reconstructing a Fossil Pterosaur
Students reconstruct the skeleton of the fossil Scaphognathus crassirostis. In this fossil lesson plan, students discuss the Kingdoms of life, geologic history and the history of the skeletons of species. Students are given 20 minutes to...
Curated OER
Common Gemstones and Fossils
In this science worksheet, 4th graders respond to questions pertaining to gems and fossils. Students answer ten questions which give clues and visual aids to assist in answering.
Curated OER
Bermuda: Search for Deep Water Caves: Living Fossils
Students explore relict species. In this anchialine cave instructional activity, students identify relict species associated with anchialine caves, and explain the importance of preserving anchialine caves and species.
Curated OER
LESSON PLANS (print version) pdf What is a Fossil?
Students can better explain how mould and cast fossils occur when they make their own cast fossils using plaster of Paris and objects such as shells, bone or even their own hand or footprint.
Curated OER
Fossil Inferences
Fourth graders use their knowledge about fossils to arrange fossil pictures in sequence from oldest to youngest. They explain how fossils can be used to make inferences about past life, climate, geology, and environments and discover...
Curated OER
Energy Resources: Where Are They and How Do We Get Them?
Future energy engineers visit several stations, each one dedicated to a different alternative source of energy. They describe how solar energy is converted into other forms of energy, the patterns of distribution of energy resources in...
Curated OER
Edible Rock Layers
Students use edible food items to conduct an experiment that simulates the movement, folding, and faulting of rock strata like sandstone, siltstone, limestone, and shale. Students then get to eat the experiment when completed.
Curated OER
Making Sedimentary Rocks
Students make models of sedimentary rock layers to explain how rocks form layers and represent ancient environments. Layers of sediment and fossils are added together to simulate the environment and connections to sedimentary rocks are...
Curated OER
Rocks Worksheet #3
Here is a worksheet in which junior geologists determine where the igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks might be found on a diagram of rock layers in Earth.s crust. They show what they know through a series of five multiple choice...
Curated OER
Fossil Impressions of Ancient Life
Students make a mold using Plaster of Paris and then make a cast using that same mold. They pick a fossil and describe how it looks. They write a fictionalized story about its life, or burial. (
Curated OER
Acid Rain
Simulated acid rain, a dilute sulfuric acid solution, needs to be prepared for this demonstration. After a condensed lecture on acid rain, you will apply the solution to a sample of granite and a sample of limestone. Your young...
Curated OER
Science: Down Home Dinosaurs
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...
Curated OER
Introduction to Paleontology Lab
Pupils engage in a lab which introduces them to fossils and paleontology. They examine eleven numbered boxes containing fossils which are related to the questions on this lab then answer questions on a lab sheet imbedded in this plan.
Curated OER
Reading Follow-up Activity
Pupils color a worksheet while discussing characteristics and composition of caves.
Curated OER
What Contains Carbon?
Young scholars explore elements by analyzing everyday objects and materials in class. In this carbon lesson, students define several vocabulary terms such as carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon, and carbonate. Young scholars view a group of...
Virginia Department of Education
Three Types of Rocks
Rock out with the second installment of a five-part series on earth materials and processes. Your budding geologists make observations of given rock samples and posit classification systems for rocks. They then learn about the accepted...
Curated OER
The Delicate Balance - Iowa's Natural Resources
Discover the natural resources in Iowa by studying it's history. For this environmental lesson, your students will observe a topographical map of Iowa and identify where its most valuable resources are. They complete an Iowa name...
Curated OER
Relative Ages of Rocks
In this ages of rock worksheet, students will review the processes and techniques of determine the age of rocks. Then students will use a rock layer diagram to determine what rock materials are older or younger. This worksheet has 16...
Curated OER
Climate Change: Carbon Cycle
Students explore the carbon cycle. In this carbon cycle lesson, students discuss the four main reservoirs where carbon is stored and then discover the process through which each reservoir absorbs and releases CO2. This lesson includes a...
Curated OER
Who Was Here First? Relative Dating
Students read about and complete question activities for the topic of relative dating. For this relative dating lesson, students read information for the topic and then complete two activities to further their understanding of geologic...
Curated OER
Pyrites
Learners examine the mineral pyrite and discover the differences between it and gold. In this mineral lesson students identify minerals using their common properties.
Curated OER
Geology Quiz- Common Rocks
In this earth science quiz worksheet, students attempt to guess the name of the rocks based on the descriptions that are given on the page. They determine the names of 10 rocks that are igneous or sedimentary, and check their work with...