Unit Plan
American Geosciences Institute

American Geosciences Institute: Dynamic Planet

For Students 6th - 8th
Seven hands-on lessons module where students learn about our dynamic planet. These inquiry-based explorations investigate scientific models, earthquakes and seismic waves, Earth's interior, Earth movements, the lithosphere, plate...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Plate Kinematics

For Teachers 9th - 10th
For this activity, students will observe and understand the basic kinematics of plate movement, how oceans are formed during continental rifting, and the relationship between plate geometry and tectonic data such as earthquakes, heat...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: How Mountains Are Formed

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate how mountains are formed. Concepts include the composition and structure of the Earth's tectonic plates and tectonic plate boundaries, with an emphasis on plate convergence as it relates to mountain formation....
Lesson Plan
American Geosciences Institute

American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: A Model of Three Faults

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson, young scholars learn about the different kinds of faults and plate boundaries and where they can be found. They research and report on the faults that are present in their state. They are also asked to develop models of...
Online Course
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Essential Science for Teachers: Earth and Space 3

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Visit an active volcano site to find out the connection between the movement of the Earth's plates and the processes deep within the Earth's interior. [58:23]
Activity
Other

Paleomap Project

For Students 9th - 10th
Virtual reality animation map showing continental drift from 200mya to the present. The animation map is small but effective in showing the positions of the land masses.
Handout
US Geological Survey

Usgs: The San Andreas Fault

For Students 9th - 10th
A great overall site that tells us about the San Andreas fault, where it is and what kind of movements have occurred. It then goes on to talk about earthquakes in general and their occurrences along fault lines.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Faulty Movement

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
In this activity, students are introduced to faults. They will learn about different kinds of faults and understand their relationship to earthquakes. The students will build cardboard models of the three different types of faults as...
Unit Plan
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Earthquake Faultline Earthquake Activities

For Students 9th - 10th
This outstanding website provides an excellent variety of hands-on earthquake activities to help you understand what causes earthquakes.
Handout
NASA

Nasa: Alfred Wegener

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent biography of Wegener that includes his breakthrough work and the storm of controversy it created. Finally, Alfred Wegener has gotten the praise and recognition he deserved.
Unit Plan
University of California

University of California: Understanding Earthquakes

For Students 3rd - 8th
This website is a resource for learning about earthquakes. Java animation at this site helps you visually understand the causes of earthquakes.
Lesson Plan
Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, Stevens Institute of Technology

Where Will Your Home Be in a Million Years?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will use the global velocities map to predict where their home will be in a million years.
Article
Story Behind the Science

Story Behind the Science: Development of a Mechanism for Continental Drift [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Article describing the history of scientific theories about continental drift, and the major researchers involved in this work.
Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: The Theory of Continental Drift

For Students 9th - 10th
Explains what is meant by the Theory of Continental Drift, its earliest proponents, the stages of continental drift, the causes related to tectonic plate movement, the evidence that has been found, and how the Himalaya Mountains offer...
Unit Plan
CPALMS

Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Mantle Convection and Earth's Features

For Students 6th - 8th
A resource to help understand that the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates is caused by convection. The plates' movements cause geologic features on the Earth's surface.
Handout
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Earth at Work

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from PBS provides a description of the mechanisms behind the plate movements, types of movements, and the resulting earthquakes, faults, and images and animations of several of the topics presented.
Activity
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Seismometer

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Build an instrument for measuring movement to learn about how scientists measure the Earth's movement with a seismometer.
Handout
Columbia University

Columbia University: Evidence for Internal Earth Structure and Composition

For Students 9th - 10th
College-level research information describes how the movement of Earth's interior causes seismic wave activity.
Website
PBS

Continents on the Move

For Students 9th - 10th
Scientists believe that all the continents were once combined in one supercontinent. That means that the continents must be moving. Find out how scientists can measure the movement of whole continents!
Handout
Other

Pangea: Alfred L. Wegener Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
Two biographies of Wegener and his work including his theory on how raindrops form.
Handout
Other

University of Wisconsin Green Bay: Faults and Earthquakes

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is primarily set up as an outline and is loaded with graphs, maps, and images. It covers a variety of earthquake-related topics, such as what causes earthquakes, fault lines and structures, seismology, a historical look at...
Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Earth Science: Long Term Climate Change

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes some factors that lead to long-term climate changes.
Lesson Plan
Indiana University

Indiana University Bloomington: Foldable Fault Blocks [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson, students will create three-dimensional (3-D) blocks out of paper to learn about the types of faulting that occur at the Earth's surface and its interior. Students will manipulate three fault blocks to demonstrate a normal...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Slow and Steady

For Students 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about tectonic plates and how their slow and steady movements have helped to shape the earth. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

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