Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Earthquakes and Volcanoes InteractiveEarthquakes and Volcanoes Interactive
Publisher
PBS
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
6th - 8th
Subjects
Science
1 more...
Resource Type
Interactives
Audiences
For Teacher Use
1 more...
Duration
45 mins
Instructional Strategies
Case Study
2 more...
Technology
Internet Access
Usage Permissions
Fine Print: Educational Use
Interactive

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Earthquakes and Volcanoes interactive also includes:
  • Teacher Reference
  • Informational Text
  • Join to access all included materials

Earth's surface constantly changes thanks to a variety of geological forces; in fact, Australia currently moves faster than GPS technology. Scholars connect the idea of continental drift to earthquakes and volcanoes with the help of an interactive map. They observe patterns in the locations of volcanoes, earthquakes, and plate boundaries. Discussion questions challenge individuals to apply higher order thinking skills in an engaging lesson.

86 Views 88 Downloads

Concepts

earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, the lithosphere, mountain ranges

Additional Tags

science

Instructional Ideas

  • Find the volcano, earthquake, and plate boundary located closest to your location
  • Add the full map to science journals

Classroom Considerations

  • Relies on prior knowledge of plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes

Pros

  • Connects to more in-depth lessons on earthquakes and volcanoes individually
  • Provides background reading for the teacher or to share with students

Cons

  • None

See similar resources:

Activity

World Map of Plate Boundaries

Oregon State
Young geologists piece together the puzzle of plate tectonics in an earth science lesson. Given a physical map of the world, they search for land formations that indicate the location of different types of plate boundaries.
4th - 10th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Edible Plate Tectonics

Science 4 Inquiry
Many people think they can't observe plate tectonics, but thanks to GPS, we know that Australia moves at a rate of 2.7 inches per year, North America at 1 inches per year, and the Pacific plate at more than 3 inches per year! Scholars...
6th - 8th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Landforms from Volcanoes

Science Matters
Three major types of volcanoes exist: cinder cone, composite/strata, and shield. The 18th activity in a 20-part series covers the various landforms created from volcanoes. Scholars work in pairs to correctly identify the three...
6th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Handout

QuakeFeed Earthquake Map, Alerts and News

Artisan Global
Amateur seismologists explore Earth's earthquakes in real time using a variety of map styles and parameter selections.
6th - 12th Science
Instructional Video

Miss Selle's Science Songs - Plate Tectonics

Curated OER
Middle school scientists will think you're the coolest teacher on the planet when you use this video to help them understand the basics of plate tectonics. The lyrics, compiled by science teacher Sue Selle, are played to the music from...
4 mins 5th - 8th Science
Instructional Video

Plate Tectonics Explained

MinuteEarth
Ready to teach plate tectonics but not sure where to begin? Start with a short video that is long on learning! Junior earth scientists discover the basics of plate tectonics, complete with colorful analogies and explanations. The...
3 mins 6th - 12th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Plotting Earthquakes

Curated OER
Students plot earthquakes on a map. For this lesson on earthquakes, students will explore recent earthquake activity in California and Nevada. Students will plot fault lines and earthquake occurrences on a map.
4th - 7th Science
Interactive

Plate Tectonics Interactive

NOAA
Here is a plate tectonics interactive that will really move your class! The first of a 13-part series introduces young geologists to the fundamental concepts and vocabulary they need to understand the interactions between...
6th - 12th Science
Lesson Plan

Volcano Contour Models Activity

Curated OER
Students experiment with water levels and plastic topographic volcano models to determine the contour lines that would be used to create a topograpohic map of a volcano. They use the traced lines to actually develop the map.
7th - 12th Science
Interactive

Study Jams! Earthquakes

Scholastic
Have a seismic moment with your class as you show this animated video on earthquakes. Viewers find that quakes occur on faults and are caused by shifting of continental plates. They learn what properties are studied by seismologists and...
4 mins 5th - 9th Science
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use