Apply the principles of geology to a series of collaborative, hands-on class activities. Young earth scientists learn more about igneous, metamorphic, and sedentary rocks before classifying and weathering rocks that they find....

Time is growing short. Teams work together to identify physical properties of rocks in order to determine the properties that would best suit their cavern shelter design.

Rocks hold evidence of Earth's past. A three-step guide describes the process of creating a rock collection. It provides a data collection sheet to make notes about each sample.

Into each life some rain must fall, but how can that change rocks? Young geologists' understanding of weathering and erosion increases throughout the activities. The lesson includes five short activities to be completed...

The road to a better understanding of engineering lies with bridges and tunnels. A set of four engaging activities teaches learners about engineering concepts related to construction projects. They perform an experiment to find the...

Lead your class in exploring their local communities as well as the general environment. As they determine continental distributions by investigating minerals, rocks, and fossils located in their local region, pupils construct...

How does one go about finding fossils? Find out with an informative webpage that looks at the digging process, showcases rocks and common fossils, helpful tips, and a list of archeological do's and don'ts. 

Geology rocks — literally! A geology chapter offers eleven activities at four different levels. Scholars enjoy completing hands-on experiments before applying critical thinking skills following a share, process, generalize, apply,...

Transform your class into young geologists as they learn about six different branches of geology. Using the included geology career descriptions and picture cards, learners work in small groups deciding which tools and locations fit...

Climate affects populations in different ways. Scholars research extinct organisms and mass extinctions in part three of the 10-installment Discover Your Changing World series. They create graphic organizers, then fill in the...

Primary paleontologists discover the information they can gather from examining fossils. They place pictures in the correct sequence showing how an animal becomes a fossil. They discuss which sediments would preserve fossils better as well.

Though rock candy seems to be a simple enough treat, it is also pretty interesting to make. Crystallized sugar that can be grown from a sugar-water solution is just how rock candy is made. In this experiment, you will learn to make your...

This is an in-depth activity where students create a rock layer formation using different colors of playdough and investigate the types of folds and rock formations that might occur. They take core samples through anticlines and...

Students can carry out an investigation using sugar and water to determine whether heating or cooling a substance may cause changes that can be observed. This activity reinforces the ideas that the properties of materials can change when...

Frequently asked rock and mineral questions are answered and illustrated.

This lesson takes you through the basic introduction of rocks. It includes information about the rock cycle and the three types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.

A nonfiction article where students read about Julie Codispoti, assistant curator at the United States Polar Rock Repository, located at Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center. The article provides an overview of Antarctic...

Create your own rock and mineral collection. Site shows you how to clean minerals, get organized, and it gives suggestions for display and storage.

[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the elements that rocks are made of. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about hunting for gem stones including diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and more. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in cause and effect.

[Free Registration/Login Required] An interactive animation demonstrating how the mineral crystal in an igneous rock formed due to the cooling magma. Site also includes a short quiz on the formation of the crystal.

Students test rocks to identify their physical properties (such as luster, hardness, color, etc.) and classify them as igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary. They complete a worksheet table to record all of the rock properties, and then...

This hands-on activity explores five different forms of erosion (chemical, water, wind, glacier and temperature). Students rotate through stations and model each type of erosion on rocks, soils and minerals. The students record their...

In this activity, students investigate the properties of six different types of rocks, and answer related questions, e.g., ranking them in terms of durability, inferring possible uses of three rock types, etc.