Curated OER
Sand Shakes & Mud Pies: Investigating Sediment
Take a field trip to a location where water and land meet to study patterns of sediment organization in wet habitats: river or ocean beaches, sand dunes, tidal marshes, the edge of a pond, or a woodland stream. Small groups collect pairs...
NOAA
Sediments
Calcareous ooze ... what an interesting name! The 15th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program focuses on sediments found on the ocean floor. After viewing the slideshow lecture,...
University of Southern California
Wave Erosion Lab
Using a stream table, erosion enthusiasts examine how the density of sediment and how the slope of land contribute to the amount moved by waves. You will not be able to use this entire resource as is; there are teachers' names and...
Curated OER
Fossil Fuels (Part I), The Geology of Oil
Junior geologists work through three mini-lessons that familiarize them with the formation and location of fossil fuels. Part one involves reading about petroleum and where it comes from via a thorough set of handouts. A lab activity...
Curated OER
Sampling the Ocean Floor
Students sample goodies from an unseen ocean floor and try to accurately describe their composition. This simulation helps students explain the limitations of sampling and the problem of obtaining representative samples of sea floor...
Curated OER
Sediment Sleuths
Are you looking for a good, solid lesson on sedimentary rocks? This one, produced by the Illinois State Museum, is just such a lesson. Middle schoolers identify common rocks and minerals by analyzing sediments from local water sources....
Curated OER
HOW FAST DO SEDIMENT GRAINS OF DIFFERENT SIZES SETTLE?
Young scholars conduct an experiment using sand, a jar, and a paper clip to analyze the effects of different kinds of sand vis a vis its sediment. They graph their findings and analyze for factors of size, shape, and density.
Curated OER
Sediment Deposition Lab
Students set up a stream table, observe erosion, and record data on where various sizes of sediments settle. They draw conclusions as to what kind of sedimentary rock form in what locations.
Curated OER
Soil Composition
Students examine soil. In this soil composition lesson students participate in soil sedimentation and filtration activities. The students discuss what non-living and living things are in soil and why it is so important.
NOAA
Ocean Geologic Features
Sediment samples from the ocean bottoms tell scientists about climate change, pollution, and changes in erosion for the area. Groups of learners focus on sediments and their movement through water. During a hands-on activity, they...
Curated OER
Hudson Canyon Expedition Let's Bet on Sediments!
Young scholars investigate and analyze the patterns of sedimentation in the Hudson Canyon students observe how heavier particles sink faster than finer particles. They study that submarine landslides (trench slope failure) are
Curated OER
Particle Size and Oil Production
Students investigate how permeable different materials are. In this physics lesson plan, students determine what affects permeability and how permeability relates to oil production.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Weighing the Evidence for a Mass Extinction: Part 1 – In the Ocean
Extinction events have happen throughout geologic history, but only five mass extinctions occurred over the last 4.5 billion years. Scholars view fossils from a layer of sediment during an extinction event and observe patterns to draw...
Curated OER
THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT
Students participate in an exercise which demonstrates how sediments are deposited.
Curated OER
Glaciers Worksheet #2
A map of the Hudson River Valley is exhibited here. Arrows representing glacial striations are spread across the map for learners to analyze. They answer five multiple choice questions in response. The worksheet is a compact review of...
Curated OER
Sediment Sleuths
Students classify sediments based on their physical characteristics, such as size, shape and color. They identify and describe rocks and minerals that are common to their region of the state.
Center Science Education
Paleoclimates and Pollen
Demonstrate for your earth scientists how plant pollen of the past has become part of sedimentary deposits, providing clues about ancient climates. Then give them simulated sediment layer samples to analyze for different types of paper...
Curated OER
Biocomplexity Lab Activity: Permeability
Students identify how water moves through materials such as rocks or sand. Students measure the permeability of water through glass spheres to represent the movement of water in sand, an aquifer, or another sediment. During the...
Curated OER
Panning for Gold and Magnetite
Learners pan for minerals in a stream and discover why magnets attract magenitite but not nonmagnetic grains. They participate in the actual panning process and bag samples to be examined in class. Students recognize minerals by color...
Rivanna Regional Stormwater Education Partnership
Invisible Passengers
How does water pollution affect the organisms living in the water? Use three science experiments to examine how erosion and other pollutants can affect water quality. Each experiment focuses on a different aspect of pollution and...
University of Miami
What is it? Weathering, Erosion, or Deposition?
Just as rocks move through the rock cycle, your giddy geologists will move descriptions around until they are all in the correct category. After cutting out several types of rock movement, learners determine whether the action is...
Curated OER
Let's Settle It!
Students investigate and record data about sedimentation rates. They make a sedimentation bottle using aquarium gravel, sand and potting soil. They discuss the sedimentation rates that they see in their bottles.
Curated OER
Diatom Ooze
High schoolers explore seafloor sediment. In this ocean environment lesson plan, students describe the characteristics of different types of seafloor sediment and oozes. They compare and discuss locations of sediments and oozes by...
Curated OER
Field Exercise: Stream Flow Dynamics & Sedimentation
Students produce a vertical profile of a stream and map and define thalweg, point bar, and cut bank. They measure flow velocity differences across a stream transect and equate flow velocity with size of substrate sediment collected.