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Post-settlement landscape evolution
Pupils 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 erosion...
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GeoSleuth Schoolyard
Middle schoolers 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...
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PATTERNS IN TIME
Students build a realistic sense of geological time, seek clues of transition fossils and find them. In this investigative lesson students complete several activities and worksheets on fossils.
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Rocks in our Backyard
Learners examine igneous and sedimentary rocks. They observe and identify geological formations in their community, analyze igneous and sedimentary geological layers using a geological map, and use GPS to locate geological formations.
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Field Research Project: Comparing the Parent Rock Material of the San Francisco Terranes With Local Soil Types
Students investigate rocks and minerals and take a field trip to sample soils. They analyze rocks and soil, research the geological terrenes of the topology of San Francisco, and produce a lab research report.
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Geology of Connecticut
Students examine the geology of Connecticut, including plate tectonics, glaciation, and fossil formation.
After reviewing past lessons, they write essays about what life may have been like in the Mesozoic Period. Following a field...
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Rock Cycle: The Story of a Rock
Students examine the rock cycle by watching videos and then use creative storytelling techniques to tell the story of a rock as it undergoes geologic changes.
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Volcanoes A-Z
Young scholars examine terminology related to the study of volcanoes, geology, or the ecosystems that surround them. They make note of key words while reading exhibits, interpretive signs, or labels, or hearing them from each other,...
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What is the Rock Cycle and Its Processes?
Geology beginners examine three different rock samples and determine their origin by their characteristics. By making and recording observations, they become familiar with features of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types....
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How Does Your Soil Stack Up?
Young scholars examine the soil in their local area and create a soil profile. They record observations in the field and the classroom. They create their own display of the soil profile as well.
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Antarctica
Learners explore why Antarctica is so important to the planet. They investigate the physical characteristics. Students create their own unique treaty of governance for Antarctica and discuss how laws are enforced in Antarctica.
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Virtual Field Trip
Fifth graders are introduced to the concepts of weathering and erosion. In groups, they rotate between different stations to discover how each process effects different landforms. To end the lesson, they discuss each change in the...
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Studying Aquifers in Outcrop
Students describe two or more different rock types found in outcrop. Students look specifically at the hydro-geologic properties of the rocks and complete the lab with a paper explaining a scientific phenomenon in layperson terms.
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Model Professionals
Students learn about one scientist's quest to make her field of canopy ecology accessible to a wider audience and to synthesize their knowledge by developing toy figures that could potentially educate children about different scientific...
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GPS Treasure Hunt
Students practice using a GPS receiver and reading directions in an on-campus field trip. Students can identify a building stone, tree, or plant at each stop depending on which area of science is being studied.
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Discover a Pond Food Web
Students study the biodiversity of animal life in a pond. They investigate the interdependence between pond organisms by completing a pond dipping activity and completing a checklist.
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Time and Cycles - Dendrochronology
Students investigate the lives of trees by examining ring cycles. In this plant life lesson plan, students identify the field of study known as dendrochronology and discover its history. Students investigate a simulated tree ring and...
It's About Time
Environmental Impacts and Energy Consumption
As scientists prove environmental impacts of using coal as an energy resource, do you think Santa regrets giving out so much of it? Through a demonstration of acid rain, pupils learn what makes it, where it occurs, the impact of it, and...
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The Five Life Zone Research Project
Students study five of the seven life zones in North America. In this journalism lesson students use the Scientific Method working in teams. They use lab equipment and technology to create a presentation on five of the seven life zones...
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My Time - Lesson Plan
Students discuss time, organize events like geologists do, become familiar with format of time scale used to organize information about Earth history, create list of 20 major events in their lifetimes, and add information about exactly...
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Cemetery Geology
Pupils examine the chemical and physical weathering process of different rocks in a cemetery based on dates on the stones. Students discover the susceptibility of different rock types to weathering.
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Ape Cave
Students prepare for a field trip to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and exploration of Ape Cave (see also Ape Cave Exploration). In the absence of a field trip, students become acquainted with lava tubes in general.
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Scientific Inquiry
Students investigate the general geology, biology, and chemistry of Seneca Lake. They study how to use scientific instruments on the research vessel. They explain how the data they gather will be used by scientists and develop a hypothesis.
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Fossil Hunt
Students ask questions about the nature of science as they experience a 'Fossil Hunt'. They reconstruct a book that has been literally destroyed, just as the fossil record has been changed by billions of years of geological processes.