Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is the Rock Cycle?

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students investigate the rock cycle. In this geology lesson, students read about the rock cycle on a website and discuss the steps of the rock cycle. Students visit a rock cycle website to complete a quiz. This is the first introductory...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Temperature in The Atmosphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this science worksheet, young scholars find the answers to the five questions and they fill in the graphic organizer for the temperatures found in different heights of the atmosphere.
Lesson Plan
Project SMART

Rocks and Minerals: Touch the Earth

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Learners complete a unit of lessons on rocks and minerals. They conduct research, write e-mail questions to geologists, write daily journal entries, label maps demonstrating types of rocks/minerals found, and create a web page that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Happy Birthday, Earth!

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students visualize the Earth's ecosystem at a specific time period and how Earth has changed over time. They create a detailed journal entry for a specific time period and create a birthday card to Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wonderful Whales

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Primary marine biologists consider the largest living animals on Earth, the whales. Introduce them to general anatomy, unique adaptations, and behaviors. Teach them to sing a song that will help them remember some of these facts....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geologic Timelines

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars create a timeline of geologic events of the Phanerozoic Eon. In this geologic timeline lesson, students view a handout that shows a timeline of the Earth's history. They create their own timeline of the Phanerozoic Eon...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Formation of Coal

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this coal formation worksheet, students read and informational sheet about coal formation. Students are given 5 short-answer questions regarding what they've read.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Processes of the Rock Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore, predict, and create each major rock form (sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous) with colored modeling clay, discover cycle of rock formation, and examine important relationships of heat and pressure in rock development.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Frogs Frogs Frogs

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students view a disk on the continental movement and analyze the given data on fossils, rock types and climate zones. In this geology lesson students draw a diagram of the earths layers, take a quiz complete a PowerPoint presentation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mountain Blows its Top

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners replicate a volcanic eruption. In this volcanoes lesson, students follow the provided procedures to show and describe how the inflation of a bulge led to the eruption of Mount St. Helens.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging Into the Past

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders study fossils and how they are charted. In this fossil lesson plan, 5th graders research the excavation process of discovering fossils, and view fossils. They then do a hands on activity that involves plastic fossils that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students identify the different layers of the Earth. In this earth science activity, students create a model of the crusts and continents. They explain how plates movement cause earthquakes and volcanoes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea Surface Temperature Trends of the Gulf Stream

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars use authentic satellite data to produce plots and graphs of sea surface temperature as they explore the seasonal changes of the Gulf Stream.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soil Scrolls

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine soil samples and explore the what happens in each layer of the subsoil. They work in cooperative groups to create a scroll that shows what takes place in each layer, and discuss why much of the activity is in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solid Earth Socratic Questions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars participate in a whole class discussion to relate what they know about earthquakes to the processes of plate tectonics. They respond to prompts that lead them to conclusions about the layers of the earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cosmic Wheels

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students build a scale model of the Solar System and determine the time other planets take to travel around the Sun in comparison to the time of the Earth's revolution. The velocity of the planets are also determined in this lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Protecting Our Planet

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students examine the impact of pollution. In this pollution instructional activity, students watch Protecting Our Planet, then participate in a simulation of the effect of pollution on a variety of organisms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Greenhouse in a Bottle

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students create models of the greenhouse effect using recycled 2-liter bottles. They discuss how their models compares to the real greenhouse effect the earth experiences.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Liquid Rainbow

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students develop their own techniques for drawing a small sample of solutions into a straw. They hypothesize ways to increase the density of water, and discuss how salt-free rainwater tends to float on top of salty seawater.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Its Getting Thinner and Thinner

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students design posters on the ozone to be judged. They design a board game on the depletion of the ozone and list the layers of the atmosphere. They construct a collage of the atmosphere into layers according to the way temperature...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Movers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read an online article about an earthquake and follow up with a series of discussion questions about earthquakes. They answer questions in their science journals about continental drift, plate tetonics, and their influence on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquake Science Project

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sun Activity

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this space science worksheet, students find the answers to the questions concerning the topic of the sun and they label the diagram for the sun.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Going to Blow Up!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Get your ocean explorers online, reading articles about submarine volcanoes. They answer a series of questions and take a geometery challenge in which they calculate how much of a volcano has been blown away. Make sure to explore several...