Lesson Plan
Curated OER

King of the Mound

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate water as an agent of change. They conduct an experiment involving a mound of soil, observe and record any changes that occur when ice melts on the mound of dirt, and create a drawing of the changes that take place...
Lesson Plan
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Scale Model of the Earth

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners work together to create a model of the Earth. They label and identify each layer and describing its properties. They discover how engineers use models to test different concepts.
Lesson Plan
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Graham Cracker Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 7th - 10th
For 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.
Lesson Plan
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The Layered Earth

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students role play plate tectonics by creating a "plate statue" made up of students. In this earth science lesson, students describe how Earth's movement cause earthquakes and volcanoes. They draw and name the different layers of the Earth.
Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Hazards: Second Grade Lesson Plans and Activities

For Teachers 2nd Standards
Equip learners with safety knowledge in the case of an earthquake. After coloring the places to go to get help after a quake, and label places that wouldn't be safe to go after a quake, young geologists simulate three levels of...
Activity
Worksheet Web

Learning about Volcanoes

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
There's something about the classic volcano demonstration that can grab any learners' attention. Scholars begin with a reading and grand conversation about volcanoes, construct an erupting volcano using vinegar and baking soda, then...
Lesson Plan
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Stressed to a Fault!

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders describe how stress builds up in the Earth's crust by the movement of tectonic plates. In groups, they relate the three types of stresses to the types of plate movements and explain how the stress causes faults to form. ...
Lesson Plan
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Making & Breaking : The Rock Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the rock cycle and how rocks can change over time.  In this geotechnical engineering lesson students draw a diagram of the rock cycle.
Lesson Plan
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Earth Movers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners read an online article about an earthquake and follow up with a series of discussion questions about earthquakes. They answer questions in their science journals about continental drift, plate tetonics, and their influence on...
Worksheet
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Curated OER

Earth In Space Vocabulary Sheet

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this space science vocabulary worksheet, students read the definitions for 6 common terms. Students then look up 4 words and write the meanings. Students alphabetize the vocabulary words on another piece of paper.
Lesson Plan
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Plotting the Ocean Floor

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders plot points on a graph, connect the dots to make the ocean floor profile and label the topographical features. They utilize a worksheet and a website imbedded in this plan to plot the ocean floor.
Lesson Plan
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What in the World?

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders plot points of longitude and latitude on a world map. In groups, they create a model of the earth's interior and label the parts,
Lesson Plan
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The Distance Between Us and Them: Sea Floor Spreading in the Atlantic Ocean

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine how geologists determine rates of sea floor spreading between two tectonic plates. They apply mathematical concepts such as the calculation and use of velocities and conversion from one set of units to another.
Lesson Plan
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Striking Earthquake!

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners simulate strike slip faults using CEENBoTs. In this earth science activity, students identify the fault lines and tectonic plates on a world map. They label the different parts of a fault line.
Lesson Plan
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Graph Both Crusts

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders calculate the angles and construct a pie graph of the percentages of the elements in the continental and oceanic crusts. Then they analyze the results. They can be assigned the task of researching the percentages.
Worksheet
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Plate Tectonics Study Guide

For Students 7th - 10th
In this plate tectonics worksheet, students answer questions about plate tectonics including topics such as the lithosphere, the asthenosphere, rising and sinking convection currents, continental drift and the types of boundaries.
Worksheet
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Volcano Study Guide

For Students 7th - 9th
In this volcano learning exercise, students answer fourteen questions about the types of volcanoes, the types of magma and the types of lava. They label the parts of a volcano.
Lesson Plan
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Different Minerals

For Teachers 7th - 9th
For this minerals worksheet, learners read about the relationship between elements, rocks and minerals. They experiment using 6 different colored gumdrops to represent 6 common elements. Students construct gumdrop and toothpick models of...
Lesson Plan
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Volcano! Is That a Volcano on Your Plate?

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students investigate where volcanos come from. In this volcano lesson, students watch videos do Internet research and participate in experiments to discover the cause of volcanos.
Lesson Plan
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Earthquake Waves And Their Destructions

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate primary and secondary waves and how to measure the magnitude of waves. They discover how to find the epicenter of earthquakes. They examine why waves are more destructive in some areas than others through these...
Worksheet
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Volcano Vocabulary

For Students 4th - 6th
In this volcano vocabulary instructional activity, students match vocabulary words on the left with definitions on the right. Worksheet is labeled as a quiz but may be used as practice or review.
Lesson Plan
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Seafloor Block Model

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers construct a 3-D block model of the ocean floor to study fundamental earth processes. This is a preconstructed cut out that allows the students to put it together but then to add their own colors as well. There is an...
Lesson Plan
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Volcano!-Is That a Volcano on Your Plate?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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.
Lesson Plan
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Exploring Rocks

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students collect and examine rocks. They record information about the rocks they have collected in their notebooks. They compare and contrast different rocks and complete a class chart at the end of the lesson.