Varve: a deposit of cyclical sediments that help scientists determine historical climates. Individuals analyze the topography of a region and then study varve datasets from the same area. Using this information, they determine the...

Ready to roll up those sleeves and get your hands dirty? Dirty with soil science content, that is! Overcome those "But it's just dirt" objections with a trip outside to collect soil samples for some in-class analysis. Use the...

How did Charles Darwin support his controversial theory of evolution with evidence? Use an excerpt from his 1859 work On the Origin of Species to reinforce the importance of making inferences within an informational text, and to...

Students discuss the terms exploration and technology. They read about the MESSENGER, Mission to Mercury, and answer questions. Next, they design and plan the technology for a space mission using an online interactive activity.

Fifth and sixth graders are introduced to the primary landforms of Illinois and discover how they were created. Landform cards are made for each pupil. They use the twenty-questions format until they have identified each one. Then,...

Explore genre, subgenre, and author's purpose in this helpful worksheet. Middle schoolers read several summaries of books and short stories, and identify the genre and subgenre. They also determine if the author's purpose is to...

Explore the surface of Mars without leaving the comforts of your home or classroom! Learn about volcanoes, missions to the red planet, view the topography, and more. 

Discover Ancient Egypt! Learn about mummification and gods, visit pyramids and temples, examine cliff carvings and paintings, take quizzes and engage in activities. Colorful, interactive, and easy to use, this app is not just for kids!

Introduce your language learners to Arabic. The most useful portion of this resource is the detailed information on the Arabic alphabet. Each letter is placed in a grid that shows the various ways to write it based on the situation...

It is recommended that you conduct this fabulous experiment as a whole-class demonstration. Collect air samples from the environment, human exhalation, and car exhaust, then compare them for carbon dioxide content using bromthymol blue...

Go deep in your paleontology unit with this spectacular set of slides! It introduces viewers to the types of fossils, a few famous fossils, and the geologic eras. This is done with easy-to-read text, diagrams, photos, and even videos. 

How much do you really know about our planet? Middle schoolers build up their prior knowledge about Earth, its placement in the solar system, its composition, and important geological vocabulary with an introductory earth science lesson.

Ginkgo trees existed for more than 350 million years, and, at this time, only one species still remains. While plant diversity generally increases over geologic time, some interesting exceptions occur. Young scientists learn about plant...

Learners discover that geology is something that is all around them. In groups, they participate in an activity in which they collect evidence and make observations. They solve a "murder mystery" in examining the history of a landscape.

Students create a scale model time linen of the Earth's 4.6 billion year history. They calculate a scale that can fit on a very long register tape then label each geologic era. They use text books to annotate each era with major geologic...

Students measure a topographic and geologic cross-section across a floodplain by simple surveying and auguring techniques. They consider the spatial context of the field observations, use GPS measurements, and desktop GIS analyses.

Students listen to an explanation of the science of the mining industry and create a geological map of Africa. They discuss the uses of minerals and resources and research a natural mineral resource in their part of the world.

Students use a digital atlas, geologic maps, and topography maps to explore geologic regions of Yellow Stone National Park. They locate evidence that support the theory of hot spots. Students research and explore the movements of Hot...

Students use this example, a field laboratory in introductory geology becomes a test of a hypothesis: Does the model proposed by Stanley Trimble for Coon Creek, Wisconsin adequately describe the history of post-European-settlement...

Students are asked to explain the sequence of rock and sediment types and to devise an experiment to test this hypothesis. It is intended for students with some prior knowledge of oceanography, sedimentary geology, and plate tectonics...

Young scholars examine two images of rocks, make their own observations of individual rocks through drawing, and explain how the same observation skills can be used in the study of geology.

Students are introduced to the concept of stratification as a historical and geological process. Students will read about the Richard Beene archaeological site, which lies near San Antonio, Texas on the Medina River, and watch a short...

Students explore basic methods of GPS data collection, uploading the data to a computer, and making simple maps of their data using GIS software. They create a map of the data using GIS software (or Excel)

Students analyze and plot the coordinates for several recent earthquakes on a world map. They learn not only about research and geology, but about map-making and data analysis. They think of other ways to analyze the data given.