Curated OER
What about Continental Drift?
Fifth graders research the Continental Drift by researching for evidence of continental movement. The teaching explains the theory of plate tectonics and the Earth's magnetic field. They conclude the lesson by watching the video of "In...
Curated OER
Plotting Earthquakes
Students explore earthquakes.  Using the National Earthquake Information Center website, students plot daily earthquakes on a map.  They observe the magnitude of each earthquake.  Students identify the pattern of earthquake locations and...
Curated OER
Hazards: Sixth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Sixth graders explore the damage associated with an earthquake by designing a structure that can withstand earthquake intensities on a shaker board. They then view tips for preparing for an earthquake, and what...
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 9
Here's a workshop for teachers that rocks the academic world! Using earthquakes as a medium for instruction, educators learn about crosscutting engineering with science. Fun, hands-on, collaborative exercises encourage participants to...
Curated OER
Prehistoric Mesosaurus
Students draw conclusions why Mesosaurus has only been found in Africa and Brazil and how its fossil remains serve as important evidence that shows where two continents were once joined together.
Curated OER
Earthquakes: Getting Ready For The Big One
Middle schoolers devise a plan to prepare a city for an earthquake. In this lesson on earthquakes, students differentiate between the different types of earthquakes, examine the impact they can have on a city, and write a proposal on how...
Curated OER
Volcanoes
A  thorough description of volcanoes appears in this Earth science worksheet. Students read facts about volcanoes and answer 20 multiple choice comprehension questions. The answers appear at the end of the worksheet.
Curated OER
Earthquakes
After reading an article on earthquakes and tsunamis, students answer a series of multiple choice questions about what they have learned. All answers can be found within the article, making this a good way to prepare for reading...
California Academy of Science
Measuring Earthquakes
After a brief discussion on earthquakes, make a makeshift seismograph to record the shaking of the table that it sits upon. While the background information will be useful to you as a teacher, the seismograph does not seem like it would...
Curated OER
Life and Geologic Time
For this geologic time worksheet, students will define the difference between eras, periods, and epochs in the geologic time scale. Students will also look at the role of geological events and fossils. This worksheet has 10 short answer...
Curated OER
The Chemosynthetic Cafe
Students study photosynthesis and chemosynthesis.  In this chemosynthetic lesson students explain the processes of these and define terms. 
Curated OER
Poetry in Motion
Sixth graders answer questions about "From a Railway Carriage." They discuss different poetical forms. They work together to write a poem about travel.
Curated OER
How Heating and Convection Contributes to Natural Disasters
Students study the basics of heating and cooling and how it pertains to the earth.  In this global lesson students read the Magic Tree House book then create a chart of their findings.
Curated OER
Shake, Rattle and Roll
Sixth graders explore the causes and effects of earthquakes. They also collect and analyze data in graphs. They also use the Internet to research earthquakes
Curated OER
Creating Craters
Young scholars explore parts of an impact crater and compare and contrast craters found in Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Crater formation is modelled and the relationship of mass, velocity, and size of the projectile to the crater formation...
Curated OER
Building a Better Sentence
Sentence construction is both a science and an art. This bare bones lesson ties an analysis of earth's geology to sentence formation. Although referenced as a major part of the activity, there are no links to the technology or resources...
Curated OER
The 50 States and its Holidays
Though the format of this ELL activity is confusing (the standards listed are for plate tectonics, yet the objectives are for American geography and holidays), a teacher could glean some ideas from the main idea. Here, pupils complete a...
Curated OER
Our Ever Changing Earth
First graders discover plate tectonics. They observe the forces of erosion. They observe the forces of weathering. They state three ways the earth changes. They record observations and make conclusions about their observations.
Curated OER
Plotting Earthquakes
Young scholars, after plotting earthquake locations on the map, should correctly; identify the pattern of earthquake locations and identify the ring of fire.
Curated OER
Earthquakes
Sixth graders explore reasons for earthquakes.  They discuss  and describe the types of faults.  Using the internet, 6th graders research a specific location of a former earthquake.  They describe the damage, magnitude, the epicenter,...
Curated OER
Earthquake Science Project
Students simulate the Earth's plates moving like an earthquake by using newspaper and soil. In this earthquake lesson plan, students push and pull the newspaper together that has soil on top and observe what happens.
Curated OER
Dead Sea Investigation: Middle East and African Connections
Students demonstrate comprehension of the physical characteristics of the Dead Sea region and its connection to the Red Sea and the African Great Rift Valley.  They are given students the opportunity to understand the role of plate...
Curated OER
The Great Continental Drift Mystery
Students stud  the concept of Pangaea by using Wegener's clues to construct a map of the continents joined together.  They determine   how fossil distribution can be used to enhance the study of continental drift.  They locate the...
Curated OER
Geology with Peanut Butter and Jelly
Students will enjoy smashing the two tectonic sandwich plates together in faulting and compression fashions! They may even desire to capture their instructional destruction in a slideshow.