American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: A Bit of Engineering
After researching how scientists drill into the ocean floor to retrieve core samples, students work in small groups to simulate the process in the classroom and report on their findings.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: A Model of Three Faults
In this lesson, students 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 three...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: A Paste With Taste
In this activity, students learn about the ingredients in toothpaste and develop a recipe for a new toothpaste, for which they must also create a slogan and an ad for marketing their product to consumers.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Analyzing Hurricanes Using Web and Desktop Gis
In this activity, students research hurricane data to discover their behavior and patterns. They map them across decades to see whether their frequency is increasing. They study Hurricane Andrew and investigate the relationship between...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Dynamic Wetlands
Learners learn about the importance of wetlands and construct models of two types. They then monitor them for two weeks and record their observations.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Earth Caching
In this lesson, students learn about EarthCaches and processes of the Earth. Using online resources, they find an EarthCache located near their school, visit it, and record the information required in its associated activity. They...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Earthquake on the Playground
In this experiment, students go outside and create a simulation of P and S waves traveling across a 30-meter span. This is repeated using a 30-meter square. They experiment with P and S wave behavior, record results, and use...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week
A wealth of resources for celebrating Earth Science Week, complete with educational materials in both English and Spanish. Teachers will find classroom activities, information on contests and Earth Science Week events, and ideas for...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Third From the Sun
Students learn about the history of Earth imaging, the Landsat satellite program. They develop interpretation skills as they play a game that involves inferring the subjects of various Landsat images.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Are You a Water Waster?
In this activity, students monitor how much water is used if the water is left running while they brush their teeth. They use that information to calculate how much the whole family would use. They learn how much water can be conserved...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Birdseed Mining
In this activity, students are given shallow pans with a mixture of birdseed and different colored beads. They must 'mine' the pan to extract seeds and beads, each of which is assigned a monetary value. They then calculate how much they...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Build a Rain Gauge
In this experiment, students build and calibrate a rain gauge and use it to measure and record how much rain falls in their local area each time it rains.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Build Your Own Weather Station
Students are guided in how to build their own weather station that will measure temperature, humidity, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, and wind direction and speed.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Burning Issues
In this activity, young scholars will learn about fire management and research the questions of whether forest fires should always be extinguished and whether prescribed burns can be helpful. They will form and support their own opinions...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Celebrate Wilderness
In this activity, students research a wilderness refuge near them or through online resources. They will investigate the history of a refuge and how indigenous people lived there long ago, as well as the lives of any descendants of these...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Chemistry of Burning
In this activity, students use pipe cleaners and foam balls to build a model of a hydrocarbon molecule. They then modify it to demonstrate the chemical reaction that happens when the hydrocarbon is burned.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Chocolate Rock Cycle
Students use chocolate in this activity to model sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks, mimicking what happens during transformations in the rock cycle.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Climate and Temperature
In this experiment, students investigate what impact the composition of soil, its water content, and its location have on the soil's temperature, which in turn would have an effect on the rate of decomposition of organic matter in the soil.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Connecting With Nature
This activity is modeled after the popular storybook character of Flat Stanley who traveled the world with real people. Students are asked to take 'Flat Blue,' an image of a blue goose, with them to a natural setting. They explore the...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Cookie Mining
In this mining simulation, students 'purchase' chocolate chip cookies which represent their 'mining property.' They must also buy mining equipment (i.e., toothpicks and paper clips). They 'mine' chocolate chips from their cookies while...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Cupcake Core Sampling
In this activity, students learn about the technique of core sampling of the Earth by investigating the layers in cupcakes that they bake.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Dangerous Atmosphere
For this activity, students research what types of severe weather their county has had over the past 50-60 years. They will look at the severity of these events and the number of injuries and deaths they caused. They will then decide...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Dating Popcorn
In this activity, students use popcorn to simulate the process scientists use to date layers in an ice core.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Deep Sea Drilling
In this activity, students learn about the JOIDES Resolution, an ocean-drilling vessel. They then use string to estimate the length of the ship and compare their estimates to the real length. They look at how deep the ocean water under...