Build a bridge to learning in a STEM-aligned unit about urban infrastructure. Young engineers explore the many aspects of civil planning and design in a five-day unit. Content includes the challenging aspects of balancing building with...

Students understand the movement of tectonic plates. For this tectonic plates lesson, students access prior knowledge of convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries.  Students discuss energy transfer involved in plate...

Students research geological forces that create the Ring of Fire and its effects on cultures. They write reports on how natural disasters influence societies.

Students define terms and watch a segment from a film.  In this scientific theory lesson students work in small groups and draft a theory that was discussed in the program. 

Ninth graders explore the process of different volcanoes and how plate tectonics plays a role. In this volcanic activity students complete several assignments on plate tectonics.

Students examine the formation of seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska. In this seamount lesson, student focus on how the Axial-Cobb-Eikelberg-Patton chain was formed. They learn the associated vocabulary, and watch a teacher demonstration of...

Students research volcanoes. In this volcanoes instructional activity, 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...

What causes earthquakes? What are the effects and impacts of earthquakes? How are earthquakes measured? If there was an earthquake on Mars, would it still be considered an earthquake? Class members will find the answers to these and...

Young scholars plot earthquakes on a map. In this lesson on earthquakes, students will explore recent earthquake activity in California and Nevada. Young scholars will plot fault lines and earthquake occurrences on a map.

Young scholars research the evolution of a volcanic island from origin to erosion. They determine the relative ages of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands given their position in the archipelago.

In this rock cycle worksheet, young scholars simulate the changes that occur during the rock cycle using a sugar cube. They use the sugar cube to represent a rock and perform changes on the sugar cube that represent the stages of the...

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...

Learners determine how to measure the movement of the plates along the San Andreas Fault. Students calculate the movement of tectonic plates over a period of time and describe the processes involved in the occurrence of earthquakes along...

Learners identify the fault lines and tectonic plates on the map. In this earth science lesson, students simulate landscape formation using robots. They take a quiz at the end of the lesson to demonstrate mastery.

Students explore what causes natural disasters. In this environmental lesson plan, students will spend four weeks using activities to help in their understanding of the Hydrological Cycle, Hurricanes, Plate Tectonics, and the Recovery...

Students research natural disasters and their lasting effect on both people and the environment. For this environmental science lesson, students complete a group project on a natural disaster of their choosing. Students examine multiple...

Young scholars label the fault lines and tectonic plate boundaries on the world map. In this earth science instructional activity, students simulate ocean floor formation using CEENboTs. They explain the causes of earthquakes.

Students examine how tectonic plates change the Earth's land. In this geology lesson, students are divided into small groups to construct a continent puzzle. Students use transparency pieces to demonstrate how Africa and South America...

Students study the San Andreas Fault, calculate its movements, and compare the movements on both sides.  In this earthquake lesson students use the Internet to track movement, and calculate movement using a spreadsheet. 

Young scholars define constructive forces. They describe how landforms are created as a result of constructive forces. Students recognize active volcano areas in the United States. They demonstrate an understanding of Panagea.

Students review the patterns they discovered from a previous activity.  In this investigative lesson students plot data as a class and color a map. 

Students read about a volcano and use the latitude and longitude information to plot and describe the volcano on the map. They discuss patterns seen on the map. In addition, they color code a map according to zones, plates, etc.