Get your classroom rocking with this four-lesson earth science unit. Through a series of shared reading activities and hands-on investigations, young geologists learn about the three types of rocks and the unique properties of each.

Give young geologists an up close and personal look at volcanoes with a series of hands-on earth science lessons. Whether they are investigating the properties of igneous rocks, building their own volcanoes, or making...

Time to rock out! Discover the "life" cycle of the average rock using an illustrative stations lab and stimulating pairs game. Roll the dice to determine your fate: will it be melting in magma or chilling out to form igneous rock? The...

Get earth science students excited about the formation of rocks with an engaging interactive resource. Learners analyze the composition of granite, then study the various processes that work together to make igneous, sedimentary, and...

Five short answer questions follow an informational reading passage that details the three different types of rocks—sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic—and their rock cycle.

Take young geologists on an exploration of the rock cycle with this six-lesson earth science unit on rocks and minerals. Through a series of discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on investigations your class will learn...

Students complete a unit of lessons on rocks and minerals. They conduct research, write e-mail questions to geologists, write daily journal entries, label maps demonstrating types of rocks/minerals found, and create a web page that...

Young geologists discover the important role that rocks and minerals play in our everyday lives through this series of hands-on activities. Starting off with a lesson that defines the difference between plants, animals, and...

Geology scholars test their rock identification skills in an interactive that examines the rock cycle from the three main nodes of rocks. Other topics include visual clues to rock identity and the conditions needed to make rocks change...

Get a detailed look at plate tectonics with a 14-slide presentation that highlights the Earth's layers, continental drift, seafloor spreading, the theory of plate tectonics, and boundary types. Each slide provides thorough...

In the pre-lab, kindergarteners mimic the movements of the eruption of a volcano and discover various volcanoes around the United States. Then, pupils sort different types of volcanic rocks in the lab before learning how volcanoes grow...

This unit focuses primarily on plate tectonics and plate boundaries surrounding continents. It contains pre- and post-lab sections that walk young geologists through plate movements in order to visualize what's going on inside Earth.

Ready for a change? Give a comprehensive collection of metamorphic materials a try! With the assortment of printables and lab activities, you won't be under pressure to keep things lively. The unit culminates by having...

How well do pupils play the role of geologist? Test their abilities in the first installment of a two-part series. Presented with a series of rock formation diagrams, learners write stories to match what they see in the diagrams. The...

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes the features of intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks that cool slowly and rapidly, respectively.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Presents igneous rocks, which form from magma, and the two types: dense, dark mafic and less dense, light felsic. Also covers Bowen's Reaction Series.

A slideshow, a karaoke song to sing along to, and a short multiple-choice quiz on the topic of igneous rocks, how they are formed, and some different types.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Presents the classifications of igneous rocks based on silica content.

[Free Registration/Login Required] An interactive animation demonstrating how the mineral crystal in an igneous rock formed due to the cooling magma. Site also includes a short quiz on the formation of the crystal.

The minerals that make up igneous rocks crystallize at a range of different temperatures. The sequence in which minerals crystallize from magma is known as the Bowen reaction series. An explanation of the reaction series is provided...

Test your knowledge of different types of rocks by taking a quiz. Determine if each picture shows an igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary rock.

Students use chocolate in this activity to model sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks, mimicking what happens during transformations in the rock cycle.

Looking for more information about plate tectonics and what happens at plate boundaries? This site gives definitions of all plate boundaries as well as animations to help visualize what is happening.

This tutorial explains the rock cycle--from beginning to end! It is full of activities, assessments, games, slideshows and all kinds of interactive material. Learn what rocks are made of and how they change from one form to another....