Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Natural Hazards

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners evaluate the hazards of naturally occurring events. After watching a video concerning safety hazards, students work in groups to discuss the safety issues involved in taking a trip to a mountainous region. Recommendations are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Causes and Effects of Earthquakes and Volcanoes

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders discuss the techniques and tools scientists use to study about the earth, including techniques used to determine geological time scales. They share their personal experiences of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquakes and Seismic Waves

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners investigate the Richter scale and seismology in a teacher-led lab in which they are introduced to the concept of seismic waves and epicenter location. They further investigate the inner workings of a seismograph and practice...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Craters

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars study craters and identify the different things that characterize craters.  In this crater lesson students create a model of an impact crater. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's The Difference?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify geologic features that are associated with volcanoes.  In this volcanic exploration lesson students compare and contrast convergent and divergent volcanoes and are able to explain why some erupt more explosively.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Island formation

For Teachers 2nd - 11th
Students explain what an island is, and distinguish islands from similar landforms. They compare and contrast the different ways in which islands are formed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Physical Geography of South Asia

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students describe the physical forces that formed and shaped the Himalaya, then discuss the physical geography of Mount Everest and how it influences the routes climbers take to the summit.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Volcanoes Grow

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pupils study volcanoes including rock fragments, ash, aerosols and gases.  In this volcano lesson students divide into groups and build models of the three major types of volcanoes. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquakes

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students observe the melting of ice. In this phase change instructional activity, students observe ice as it melts. They discuss the process and create a Venn diagram comparing water and ice.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plotting Earthquakes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, after plotting earthquake locations on the map, should correctly; identify the pattern of earthquake locations and identify the ring of fire.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Geology Quiz Worksheet

For Teachers 4th - 5th
In this earth science fill-in-the-blank worksheet young scholars complete 8 questions about an geology. They see a picture of a rock and a volcano on the page. They check their work with the word bank at the bottom of the page.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Natural Disasters

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners work together in groups to travel throughout the room to different stations. They practice making different natural disasters at each station. They also examine fault lines and the supercontinent Pangaea.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcanoes

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students explore the formation of volcanoes. In this earth science lesson, students build their own volcanoes in the lab using different materials. They identify the different types of volcanoes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going to Extremes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers compare and contrast Archaea with bacteria and other organisms.  In this ocean lesson students complete diagrams.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This Life Stinks!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils explore the process of chemosynthesis and contrast this process with photosynthesis. They consider the relevance of chemosynthesis to biological communities in the vicinity of cold seeps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

World's Most Dynamic Force

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars explore the Earth's forces. They review an assessment task and its accompanying rubric. They classify ten items as long-term or short-term interactions of the Earth's components and rank the destructive impact of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Moving Experience

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students visit Time Machine's San Francisco Earthquake Era. They understand how the Earth's layers interact to cause changes in the Earth's surface. They review information about earthquakes and Earth's layers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This Old Tubeworm

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain the process and significance of chemosynthesis. They develop their own graphic based on data of a biological community. They estimate the age of a given species as well.
Activity
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigation of Newtonian Forces on Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
An investigation for students to understand plate tectonics by using models to see how motion and forces act on the plates. Students can use these models to see the connection between Newtonian Laws to Earth materials. Lesson plan...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Earthquakes Living Lab: The Theory of Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Working in pairs, students think like engineers and connect what they understand about the theory of plate tectonics to the design of structures for earthquake-resistance.
Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Dynamic Earth Interactives: Plate Tectonics

For Students 9th - 10th
The resource explores the Earth. There are tutorials on plate tectonics, plates and boundaries, and the Earth's structure. There is also an introduction and an interactive activity to test the students on skills taught.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Ring of Fire 1: What Volcanoes Tell Us About Plate Tectonics

For Students 6th - 8th
The Ring of Fire is a region of volcanic and earthquake activity that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. In this project you can explore the connection between plate tectonics and volcanic activity by mapping historical data.
Handout
US Geological Survey

Us Geological Survey: Ring of Fire & Plate Tectonics

For Students 9th - 10th
A massive amount of information on the Ring of Fire and plate tectonics. There are links to graphics and text. The volcanoes in the Ring of Fire are discussed in detail by area.
Handout
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Earth Science: Evolution, Plate Tectonics, and Climate Change Study Guide

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Summarizes the key points about three theories in Earth Science: the theory of evolution, the theory of plate tectonics, and the theory of climate change due to...