Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Earth Science: Lithosphere and Asthenosphere

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] The lithosphere is made of the brittle crust and uppermost mantle and lies on the plastic asthenosphere. Read about the properties of the lithosphere and asthenosphere.
Lesson Plan
The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute: Earth Bowl

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This activity from The Franklin Institute demonstrates the layers of the earth using gelatin, pudding, graham crackers, and a few other items. The students actually construct a representation of the earth that they can eat.
Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: The Four Main Layers of the Earth

For Students 4th - 8th
Gives short descriptions of the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core.
Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Rock Cycle

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Through five lessons, students are introduced to all facets of the rock cycle. Topics include rock and mineral types, material stresses and weathering, geologic time and fossil formation, the Earth's crust and tectonic plates, and soil...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Earth Science Pangaea

For Teachers 5th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about Pangaea, the one continent that became the current seven continents. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Website
Treehut

Suzy's World: Earth

For Students 3rd - 5th
At this site from Suzy's World and Suzy Cato, you can find out what the earth is made of and try an experiment.
Lesson Plan
NC State University

North Carolina State University: The Earth's Interior

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Improve understanding of word processing and knowledge of the layers of Earth's interior. Links to North Carolina State Standards.
Article
US Geological Survey

Usgs: The Interior of the Earth

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a detailed discussion of the Earth's interior. Facts about the crust, mantle, and core are given along with diagrams of each. Also presents a table that lists the thickness and types of rock found in each part of the...
Lesson Plan
Purdue University

Purdue University: Earth's Interior Structure

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Purdue University provides a great lesson plan for learning about the Earth's interior structure. Focuses on the crust, mantle and core. Also includes examples and great charts that students will enjoy looking at.
Interactive
The Tech Interactive

Tech Museum of Innovation: Inside the Earth

For Students 3rd - 8th
As an overview of the online exhibit on earthquakes, this site discusses the various sections inside the Earth. The crust, the mantle, and the core are each individually discussed.
Handout
US Geological Survey

Usgs: Inside the Earth

For Students 3rd - 8th
This is a website to learn not only about the inner and outer core, but also about the crust and the mantle of the interior of the earth.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Origins: Earth Is Born

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Collect micrometeorites from space -- remnants of the time when the solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago. Create a sky dust collector, sort particularate matter according to attributes and identify micrometeorites by their...
PPT
Other

Impact Tectonics: Earth's Interior, Gravity, and Magnetism [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Topics covered in this slideshow include the Earth's interior, seismic S- and P-waves, the crust and mantle, phase boundaries encountered by seismic waves, the Earth's internal heat, gravity and density, gravitational anomalies, the...
eBook
Libre Text

Libre Texts: Geochemistry: The Earth and Its Lithosphere

For Students 9th - 10th
The Earth has been in a state of continual change since its formation. The major part of this change, involving volcanism and tectonics, has been driven by heat produced from the decay of radioactive elements within the Earth. The other...
Interactive
Other

Face of the Earth: Matching Game

For Students K - 1st
Matching game on the earths core and crust. Students test their knowledge and learn what is below the earth's surface.
Interactive
PBS

Pbs: Scientific American Frontiers: Earth on the Move

For Students 9th - 10th
The interactive resource examines the plate tectonics, magnetic reversals, and continental drift of the Earth. An animation of the Earth's continental drift over the last 750 million years is included.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Scale Model of the Earth

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this activity, students gain an understanding of the layers of the Earth by designing and building a clay model.
PPT
Other

University of Texas Arlington: Isostasy, Gravity, Magnetism, and Internal Heat

For Students 9th - 10th
An in-depth look at how isostasy works and the processes taking place during glaciation and the melting of glaciers. Looks at gravity and the effects of density differences within the crust and mantle, and at Earth's magnetic field and...
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Paleobiology: Geologic Time: Hadean Eon

For Students 9th - 10th
Journey into the past while reading this comprehensive overview of the Hadean Eon that covers topics such as the formation of the earth, its surface and atmosphere, fossil evidence, erosion and plate tectonics.
Handout
National Geographic

National Geographic: Encyclopedia: Mantle

For Students 9th - 10th
An in-depth look at the structure and composition of Earth's mantle, with lots of visuals. Covers lithosphere, Mohorovicic discontinuity, asthenosphere, transition zone, lower mantle, the d double-prime region, mantle convection, mantle...
Activity
The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute: Land Mass Formation

For Teachers K - 1st
The Franklin Institute has provided a demonstration that theorizes how the earth's crust was formed. This is a lesson plan that needs only a few materials.
Handout
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Earth at Work

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from PBS provides a description of the mechanisms behind the plate movements, types of movements, and the resulting earthquakes, faults, and images and animations of several of the topics presented.
Unit Plan
Vision Learning

Visionlearning: Earth Science: Plate Tectonics Ii: Plate Boundaries and Forces

For Students 9th - 10th
Instructional module focusing on plate tectonics. Discussion includes plates, plate boundaries, and driving forces. Site also includes an interactive practice quiz and links relating to the topic.
Website
The Franklin Institute

Franklin Institute Online: Earthforce in the Crust

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn more about earthquakes as well as plate tectonics. Site offers links to current quakings as well as earthquake science, teacher lessons, interactives, and earthquake history.