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Plate Tectonics
Help young scientists piece together the theory of plate tectonics with this comprehensive collection of materials. Whether your are looking for worksheets, hands-on activities, or assessments, this resource has everything...
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Remote Sensing and Landsat Satellite Imagery
Middle schoolers comprehend how satellites use remote sensing to produce images. They use supervised classification with Landsat images. Students recognize that the earth's surface has different basic land surfaces that reflect/emit...
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What is the Earth's Surface Like?
In this Earth's surface worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer by writing in 1 main idea and 4 supporting details describing the Earth's surface.
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Weather History
Students study how weather is measured. In this climate lesson plan, students research how samples of the ocean floor reveal facts about the climate thousands of years ago. Students use clay samples to create layers that simulate real...
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Wild Arctic
Students explore key terms, including food web and food chain. They discuss Arctic plants and animals, devise at least three Arctic food chains and create a food web showing connections among Arctic life.
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Mud Fossils
Students observe real fossils. In this science lesson, students make their own mud fossils by pressing material into the mud and letting it dry in the sun for 3-4 days. Students then get the fossils out displaying their mud...
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Plankton / Phytoplankton
Students discuss the importance of plankton in the ocean ecosystem. For this biology lesson, students identify the different types plankton by observing them under the microscope. They explain how plankton population affect global climate.
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I, Robot, Can Do That!
Students describe the three types of underwater robots and the advantages and disadvantages of using them. In this underwater lesson students are given a task and identify the best robot for the job.
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I, Robot, Can Do That!
Students describe underwater robots. In this robot lesson, students describe and contrast three types of underwater robots used for scientific exploration. This lesson includes several activities, a handout, background data, and multiple...
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Sonar Mapping
Students use a shoe box to create a seafloor model and use cardboard for layering inside of the shoe box to simulate the ocean floor. They probe the ocean floor to simulate sonar echoes. Finally, students graph their data to get a...
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Volcano!-Is That a Volcano on Your Plate?
Students explore how and where volcanoes form. They also explore how the interactions between oceanic and continental crust create volcanoes and other mountains and earthquakes in a simulation activity using cardboard of two thicknesses.
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Water in the Environment
In this water in the environment worksheet, students match 10 terms related to water to their definitions. They identify 10 sentences as true or false related to groundwater, layering and landfills. They fill in the blanks for 2...
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Tomography
In this tomography worksheet, students read about how tomography is used to help oceanographers learn more about the Earth's surface below the ocean. Students complete 3 short answer questions based on the reading.
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Exploring Plate Tectonics
In this plate tectonics worksheet, students complete 8 fill in the blank questions on plate boundaries, 9 short answer questions on the Earth's crust and 5 fill in the blank on continental drift. There are 3 follow questions at the end.
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What's the Difference?
Students discover how volcanic processes differ at convergent and divergent tectonic plate boundaries. They identify three geologic features that are associated with most volcanoes on Earth.
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Cold Fronts
High schoolers determine its' direction of movement, and list at least five weather conditions associated with the specific front, given animations of several atmospheric variables during a cold front passage. They list at least three...
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Science Surprises: Penguins
In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students read a 3 paragraph selection about penguins and then respond to 3 short answer questions.
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How Volcanoes Grow
Pupils study volcanoes including rock fragments, ash, aerosols and gases. In this volcano lesson students divide into groups and build models of the three major types of volcanoes.
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Keep it Complex
Students consider the importance of biodiversity in the ocean layers. In this oceanography lesson, students use the Shannon-Weaver diversity index to analyze data. Students analyze the information collected and write a report...
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Graham Cracker Plate Tectonics
In this plate tectonics worksheet, students use Graham crackers, frosting, water and a paper plate to simulate tectonic processes such as convergent, divergent and transforming plate boundaries.
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Cruising the Mantle
Students explore the plate boundaries of the earth. Through the use of video, internet and hands-on activities, students examine the types of plate boundaries. They create a model to illustrate the movement and interaction of the...
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Oil and Natural Gas Formation
Students complete a narrative paper and a drawing depicting how the formation of oil and natural gas taken from the Earth's crust were once plants and animals millions of years ago. In this oil and natural gas lesson plan, students read,...
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The Rocks Under Illinois
Students examine the rock layers in Illinois. They draw the many rock layers using the Geology website. They discover the arrangement of strata of rocks.
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Understanding Salinity
Students discuss why the ocean is salty. They discuss what salinity is. Students are told that is they want to know how much salt is in a body or water, they would use a special scientific tool. They complete an Estuarine Layers science...