Science Matters
Wave Watching
Seismologists use the direction and arrival times of p waves and s waves to determine the distance to the source of an earthquake. The engaging instructional activity has students line up to form human waves. Through different movements...
NOAA
Satellite Communications
How do satellites communicate? What types of satellites orbit Earth? Discover and mimic the way satellites communicate between two points in a hands-on activity that has pupils using mirrors, flashlights, and marbles.
Curated OER
Getting Fired Up
Students explore first-person accounts of volcanic eruptions throughout time and use second-hand information about volcanoes. They use both types of accounts to write news articles covering the events of a historic volcanic eruption as...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonic - Volcanoes
Students examine how all mountains are not volcanoes by dramatizing how volcanoes erupt.
Curated OER
Volcano Demonstration
Young scholars watch a demonstration on how volcanoes work. In this volcano demonstration, students watch the teacher demonstrate a volcanic eruption. The teacher will change variables used to create the eruption and the young scholars...
Curated OER
Volcano Vocabulary
In this volcano worksheet, students do a crossword puzzle using the vocabulary for the types of volcanoes, the types of lava, the slopes of the volcanoes and the movement of the lava.
Curated OER
Hazards: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
After comparing earthquake and volcanic hazards to one another, fifth graders take a closer look at damage associated with a volcanic eruption. They then create a simulation of mudslides due to a volcanic eruption. Using different...
Curated OER
Hazards: Third Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Learners discover hazards related to volcanoes and predict the effects these hazards have on people and land. As blossoming geologists explore various volcanic eruptions, including the hazards associated with them, they...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics: Fourth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
The pre-lab portion of the lesson introduces emerging geologists to the various layers that make up Earth. After completing a sheet on the identification of the layers, class members simulate plate boundaries and their...
Science Matters
Up and Down Fault Blocks
The Sierra Mountains in Nevada and the Tetons in Wyoming originally formed as fault block mountains. In order to visualize these fault blocks, pupils use construction paper to create layers of earth. They cut the paper models and form...
Curated OER
Hazards: Kindergarten Lesson Plans and Activities
The last unit in the series allows kindergarteners to see the dangers and hazards associated with each of the natural disasters learned so far in the series—earthquakes and volcanoes. They listen to sounds associated with the...
Curated OER
Theory of Plate Tectonics
In this plate tectonics worksheet, student answer 15 multiple choice questions about plate movement, types of boundaries, collision of plates, continental plates, and the lithosphere.
Curated OER
Volcanoes
Fourth graders complete a WebQuest about volcanoes. They study vocabulary, label diagrams, list volcano types and benefits. They write an essay telling where volcanoes are located and why.
Curated OER
Name That Volcano
Students research volcanoes. In this volcanoes lesson, students visit websites with worksheets about the terms for volcanoes and volcanic eruptions in the world. Students complete the work online and play a game for volcano names.
Curated OER
Iceland
Fourth graders discover the country of Iceland. They investigate Iceland's history, culture, and geography using hands-on materials. They engage in a multi-day lesson. Each day focuses on a different aspect of Iceland. A most-impressive...
Curated OER
Layers of the Earth
In this earth science instructional activity, students read about the characteristics of the Earth's layers such as the mantle, core, and crust. They answer 10 mixed type questions using the online application.
Curated OER
Why Are Volcanoes Dangerous?
Students investigate the causes and characteristics of volcanic eruptions including pyroclastic eruptions. They study the effects of natural disasters.
Curated OER
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
In this earthquakes and volcanoes worksheet, students will review how volcanoes are formed and where they are found. Students will describe earthquakes and their magnitudes. Students will use a table to answer questions about tsunamis....
Curated OER
The Geology of a Snicker’s Bar: Tectonic Plates
Students explore the layers of the Earth using a Snicker's bar. In this science lesson, students identify the parts of the Snicker's bar and identify which layer of the Earth the parts of the candy bar would represent. Students discuss...
Curated OER
Igneous Rocks/Volcanoes
Young scholars differentiate between the two types of igneous rock and designate the area the rock comes from.
Curated OER
Volcanoes!
Students define what a volcano is. They discover where and why volcanoes occur. They study effects of volcanoes on the Earth system.
Curated OER
Moving Continents
In this moving continents worksheet, students review the different types of plate boundaries, what causes earthquakes, and where volcanoes are formed. This worksheet has 10 fill in the blank and 9 short answer questions.
Science Matters
Slip Sliding Along
The San Andreas Fault is the largest earthquake-producing fault in California. In the seventh lesson in the 20 part series, pupils create maps of California, focusing on the San Andreas Fault system. The comparison of where...
Science Matters
Spaghetti Fault Model
Does increasing the pressure between two moving plates provide a stabilizing force or create more destruction? The hands-on instructional activity encourages exploration of strike-split fault models. The sixth instructional activity...