Middle schoolers write a report about a paleontologist. In this paleontology lesson plan, students research and write a report about a noted paleontologist. They discuss the importance of technology to paleontologists and how...

Students examine types of aquifers and make a model landfill. For this water usage lesson, students determine the difference between confined and unconfined aquifers. They build a model landfill, observe it for two weeks, and analyze...

Students study the 'Marine Protected Areas' process.  In this ocean lesson students work in groups, conduct research and present it to the class.

Students study earthquakes, monitor seismic activity using the Web, and plot real-time activity. They examine movement of the Earth's tectonic plates. They create an earthquake preparedness project.

Students tour a cave and observe fractures in the cave's ceiling. They record characteristics of the fracture. They locate three major passages in the cave and ten major fractures.

Students discover how fossils are found and how they help scientists reconstruct the past. They examine how they shed light on what kinds of animals and plants lived over the years, when they lived, and under what environmental conditions.

Students examine human impacts on the water cycle. They compare/contrast the permeability of various materials for the purpose of engineering landscape drainage systems, and answer discussion questions.

Students examine the causes of tsunamis and observe a table top wave making machine. They make model houses while working in groups so that the can see how different construction types work. They discuss how engineers can design and...

Learners discover the way geologists collect information about past hurricanes to determine patterns that may help with storm prediction. They then research the history of natural disasters in different regions of the United States and...

Students understand the basic properties of plate motion. They demonstrate what happens to a plate while faulting while using manipulatives. They demonstrate the Nature of Scientific Inquiry to solve scientific issues.

Students identify and interpret the type of evidence found at a typical dinosaur dig and mimic a paleontologist by taking crayon rubbings of simulated bone impressions. After the rubbings are taken, the students reconstruct the complete...

Students conduct Internet research about different types of fossils, the animals they are from, and some famous paleontologists. They also participate in some interactive activities and hands-on lessons in which they create their own...

Young scholars study Africa's diverse landscape and investigate how these features impact the available water supply, food sources, and population distribution of the continent. They compare topographical features and their affect on...

Biodiversity in some areas is more diverse than one might think. Using a two-day lesson plan, pupils consider the biodiversity of the Hudson Canyon and the characteristics of one organism. They begin with an analysis of the common...

Eighth graders compare their local ecological zone to the tropical rainforest. In this natural ecology lesson, 8th graders complete an activity about the differences in ecological zones. They compare their biome to the Guatemalan...

Learners examine GIS technology as it is used to locate energy sources. In this GIS lesson, student access an assigned website to locate a series of lessons using the GIS software. They use the maps that are located on the primary lesson...

Learners experiment with locating oil reserves. In this conservation lesson, students use a cardboard box to create sand, rocks, and an oil reserve (water balloon). They use a probe to dig around in the box to find the oil reserve and...

Students conduct an experiment.  In this oil and natural gas lesson, students learn how geoscientists identify and explore reserves of petroleum.  Students make a model of an oil reserve, record how much it would cost to drill...

Students research and design an educational earthquake Web site, using the current disaster in Afghanistan as a starting point. They begin by reading and discussing As Many as 2,000 Feared Dead in Afghan Earthquakes which is imbedded in...

Fifth graders compare and evaluate the rate of erosion from water and wind on three type of landscape: bare land, land with sparse vegetation, and land covered by dense vegetation.

Young scholars familiarize themselves with the interconnectedness of species within an ecosystem, and to use this knowledge to evaluate how the removal or decimation of one species can have far reaching effects.

Students role-play as villagers, the governor, volcanologists, or the press in a simulation about the possible threat of a nearby volcanic eruption.

Students research Bowen's Reaction Series and recreate the process in an experiment which details the crystallization sequence of minerals that can be observed in nature.

Learners study the biodiversity of animal life in a pond. They investigate the interdependence between pond organisms by completing a pond dipping activity and completing a checklist.