Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigation of Newtonian Forces on Plate Tectonics
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...
Other
Digital Library for Earth System Education: Teaching Box: Plate Tectonics
A suite of lessons focusing on finding the fossil evidence for lithospheric plate tectonics. Inquiry-based exploration of plate tectonics evidence includes fossil distribution, earthquakes, and volcanoes.
Extreme Science
Extreme Science: A Lesson in Plate Tectonics
With its clickable map, this site provides text and graphics on spreading boundary, converging boundary, subduction zone, transverse boundaries and faults.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Writing About Plate Tectonics
This lesson is a writing assignment focussed on the use of data to support the theory of plate tectonics. It includes a scoresheet that was created for a calibrated peer review assignment. The assignment directs students to determine the...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Earthquake Faultline Why the Earth Shakes
This website provides an explanation of earthquakes in words and pictures, beginning with this lesson on plate tectonics.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: The Great Continental Drift Mystery
A unit on plate tectonics designed for middle school students, this page must be read carefully to find the activities to be done in the class, but it provides a wealth of background for the teacher as well.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Divergent Plate Boundaries in the Oceans
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Covers divergent plate boundaries in the ocean and on land.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Divergent Plate Boundaries in the Oceans
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Covers divergent plate boundaries in the ocean and on land.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: How Mountains Are Formed
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....
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Divergent Plate Boundaries
Covers divergent plate boundaries on land.[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.]
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Transform Plate Boundaries
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Covers transform plate boundaries on land and in the ocean.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Transform Plate Boundaries
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Covers transform plate boundaries on land and in the ocean.
Other
Digital Library for Earth System Education: Teaching Box: Mountain Building
A suite of lessons focusing on all aspects of how mountains are formed. Inquiry-based exploration of mountain building includes the rock cycle, mountain formation, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, erosion, rocks, minerals, and...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Discovering Plate Boundaries
A data rich exercise built around four global data maps to help students discover the processes that occur at plate tectonic boundaries. The lesson plan is based on the jigsaw concept, mixing the students to work in different groups...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Hotspot Lesson: Final Project
Student groups work on a assigned hotspot chain in this culminating assignment for a series of activities about hotspots and plate motions. Each group gets to study a seamount trail from around the world and presents their findings to...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Hotspot Lesson: Mantle Plumes
A lesson that explains a theory on magma generation at hotspots called the mantle plume theory. The goal of this lesson is to introduce students to a theory that scientists are actively trying to prove or refute. Through this, students...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Plate Tectonics Intro
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart will take several class periods. This lesson begins to look at how the different landforms are created. There will be two follow up lessons - one on volcanoes and one on mountains.
Curated OER
Extreme Science: A Lesson in Plate Tectonics
With its clickable map, this site provides text and graphics on spreading boundary, converging boundary, subduction zone, transverse boundaries and faults.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Dynamic Planet
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...
The Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute Online: Earthforce in the Crust
Learn more about earthquakes as well as plate tectonics. Site offers links to current quakings as well as earthquake science, teacher lessons, interactives, and earthquake history.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Earth Science Education Activities: Prof. Larry Braile
A lesson collection covering plate tectonics, with some structural geology and planetary science projects. The PDF files include activities, hand outs, maps, and directions for building a simple seismometer and seismograph. Also included...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Plotting Earthquakes With Near Real Time Data
This lesson teaches the concept of plate tectonics. Learners will access the United States Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center and plot the longitude latitude and depth of earthquakes on a physiographic chart.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Earthquakes
A quick, introductory lesson about how earthquakes happen, and what impact these natural events have on life.
Other
Digital Library for Earth System Education: Teaching Box: Earthquake Country
A suite of lessons focusing on all aspects of earthquakes. Inquiry-based exploration of earthquakes includes measuring seismic waves, predicting earthquakes, investigating magnitude and intensity, mapping fault lines, and evaluating...