Curated OER
Earth Forces
High schoolers use geological techniques such as plate tectonics, mountain building, earthquakes, and volcanoes, in order to explain the earth.
Curated OER
The Magma Also Rises
Convection is thoroughly demonstrated using a model of Earth's mantle. Detailed background information is provided for the teacher, as well as a list of materials. Although a colorful and detailed worksheet is available for the class,...
Channel Islands Film
Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 2
Why are Torrey pines only found in La Jolla, California and on Santa Rosa Island? Class members examine images of Torrey pines from these two locations, noting the similarities and differences, and then develop a demonstration model that...
Curated OER
Earthquake Formation
Students explore earthquakes. In this natural disaster and engineer career education lesson, students identify features of the earth's surface that increase the likelihood of an earthquake. Students use visual aids to locate the earth's...
Curated OER
Puzzle of the Plates
Students research tectonic plates and their movement. In this plate instructional activity, students describe the motion of these plates and the boundaries between them. They look into the San Andreas Fault and explore the earthquakes...
Curated OER
Science: Plate Tectonics, Faults, and Volcanoes
Eighth graders conduct Internet research on plate tectonics, faluts, and volcanoes. In groups, they compile information related to teacher-provided questions. Students write papers detailing their findings and make oral presentations...
Curated OER
The Volcano Factory
Collaborative groups work together to report on the volcanic activity leading to island formation and construct models to demonstrate the process. Consider having each group present their project to the rest of the class. There are many...
Curated OER
The Volcano Factory
Learners examine the process of tectonic plates and why the Mariana Arc is active with volcanoes. They create a model of the Mariana Arc out of clay.
Curated OER
Earthquakes And Fault Lines
Students discuss major causes of earthquakes and identify famous fault lines, access and map information about ten largest earthquakes in world from 1989 to 1998, and theorize about location of these earthquakes as they relate to Earth's...
Scholastic
Lesson Four: The Earth, Layers of Earth
Get your hands dirty with a set of earth science activities! Class members delve into a hard-boiled egg to find the similarities to the earth's layers, create a papier-mâché model of the earth, craft a simulation of the earth's...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics Day 3 Sea Floor Spreading: Evidence for Continental Drift
Young scholars are introduced to Sea Floor Spreading and how it provides evidence for Hess's and Deitz's theory of Continental Drift. They use paleomagnetic data to calculate the rate of Sea Floor Spreading.
Curated OER
Stressed to a Fault!
Eighth graders describe how stress builds up in the Earth's crust by the movement of tectonic plates. In groups, they relate the three types of stresses to the types of plate movements and explain how the stress causes faults to form. ...
Curated OER
My Science Box: Seafloor Spreading
Pupils examine the movement of plate tectonics. In this lesson on the spreading of the seafloor, students use maps and models to observe how the sea floor spreads.
Curated OER
Mantle Motions
Students define vocabulary words associated with lithospheric plate motions. They create and write down a motion to act out each vocabulary word, and participate in a game of demonstrating the actions associated with each word.
Curated OER
A Model of Earth's Tectonic Plates
Students build a model of the Earth showing tectonic plate boundaries. The pattern for the model is provided in the lesson. This is a very useful hands-on component for a lesson about geology or earthquakes.
Curated OER
Earth's Plate Tectonics
Students identify the different layers of the Earth. In this earth science lesson, students create a model of the crusts and continents. They explain how plates movement cause earthquakes and volcanoes.
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...
Science Matters
Up and Down Fault Blocks
The Sierra Mountains in Nevada and the Tetons in Wyoming originally formed as fault block mountains. In order to visualize these fault blocks, pupils use construction paper to create layers of earth. They cut the paper models and form...
Curated OER
Journey Through Earth
Students study plate tectonics. In this plate tectonics lesson students build a cutaway scale model of the Earth.
Curated OER
Earthquakes- An Introduction
Sixth graders investigate the concepts related to creating an understanding of how earthquakes occur. They participate in a variety of activities that are tied to each other and focus upon the principle of plate tectonics. Then students...
Curated OER
A Hydrothermal Adventure
Students analyze hydrothermal vents. In this hydrothermal vents instructional activity, students discover the effects of hydrothermal vents on tectonic plates. Students make model hydrothermal vents to understand how they form and operate.
Curated OER
Whole Lotta Shakin Going On
High schoolers study how tectonic plates can produce earthquakes. In this earthquake instructional activity students use a model earthquake machine to explore hypotheses about earthquakes.
Curated OER
Pass the Plate
Students define constructive forces. They describe how landforms are created as a result of constructive forces. Students recognize active volcano areas in the United States. They demonstrate an understanding of Panagea.
Curated OER
Volcano!-Thar She Blows!
Middle schoolers describe how volcanoes are formed. They name the types of boundaries where volcanoes occur. They utilize models to illustrate the occurence of volcanoes and earthquakes along plate boundaries. They compare and constrast...