California Academy of Science
Earthquakes and Tectonic Plates
Here is a comprehensive package in which middle schoolers learn about types of seismic waves, triangulation, and tectonic plate boundaries. Complete vocabulary, colorful maps, and a worksheet are included via links on the webpage. You...
Curated OER
Earth Materials Module
This slide show progresses through a comprehensive review of the grounding principles of earth science. Get down and dirty with the details of fossil fuels! Help your geologists to have a rock solid understanding of the rock cycle. The...
NorthEast Ohio Geoscience Education Outreach
Investigation of Plate Boundaries
Demonstrate the movement of lithospheric plates due to convection in Earth's mantle. Learners then model the movements that occur along plate boundaries using colored clay.
Curated OER
Earth Materials - Geology and Plate Tectonics
Not going into depth on any one topic, this Earth science presentation skims the crust. It touches on the materials that construct the crust and then moves into plate tectonics. This is a useful and colorful note-taking guide for your...
Curated OER
Volcanic Panic!
Learners begin with an overview of the Earth's interior and how volcanoes form. They learn how engineers predict eruptions. In a class demonstration, students watch and measure a mock volcanic eruption and observe the phases of an...
Curated OER
It's Not Your Fault
Students study the San Andreas Fault, calculate its movements, and compare the movements on both sides. In this earthquake lesson students use the Internet to track movement, and calculate movement using a spreadsheet.
Curated OER
A Model of Earth's Tectonic Plates
Students build a model of the Earth showing tectonic plate boundaries. The pattern for the model is provided in the instructional activity. This is a very useful hands-on component for a instructional activity about geology or earthquakes.
Other
Paleomap Project: Earth History
The PALEOMAP Project illustrates the plate tectonic development of the ocean basins and continents, as well as the changing distribution of land and sea during the past 1100 million years. Includes virtual 3D paeloglobes.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Plate Tectonics
In this interactive lesson you will learn about the theory of plate tectonics and the three types of plate boundaries that are responsible for Earth's geologic features.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Earthquakes Living Lab: Geology and Earthquakes in Japan
Using the online resources provided through the Earthquakes Living Lab, students investigate reasons why large earthquakes occur in Japan, drawing conclusions from tectonic plate structures and the locations of fault lines.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: How Mountains Are Formed
Middle schoolers 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...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Earth and Space Science: When Continents Collide
Material to begin an exploration of plate tectonics and mountain formation. An hour-long video is accompanied by learning goals, an outline and overview, details on metamorphic rocks and mountain building, and ideas for teaching this...
University of Washington
University of Washington: Mountain Building
A detailed description of tectonic plate collisions. There are illustrations of Indian and Eurasian plate collision.
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Exploring Earth's Seismicity
This sequence is an introduction to plate tectonics using evidence from topographical maps, earthquake location and depth, and volcano location using the Seismic Explorer model to investigate patterns of earthquake data and to infer the...
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.
Other
An Introduction to the Abc's of Plate Tectonics
Resource presents the basics of plate tectonics, as well as a summary of the current thinking about plate tectonics and its mechanisms.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Earth and Space Science: The Engine That Drives the Earth
Material to begin an exploration of volcanoes, earthquakes, and plate tectonics. An hour-long video is accompanied by learning goals, an outline and overview, details on volcano types, plate boundaries, and "hot spots," and ideas for...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Earthquakes
A quick, introductory lesson about how earthquakes happen, and what impact these natural events have on life.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Geology: Pacific Ring of Fire
A slide show presentation illustrating the characteristics of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Geology: Plate Tectonics
Listen to this podcast which explains the basics of plate tectonics on Earth. [0:39]
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Geology: Plate Tectonics
An basic introduction to plate tectonics and the Earth's processes related to this phenomenon.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Volcanic Panic!
Students learn about the causes, composition and types of volcanoes. They begin with an overview of the Earth's interior and how volcanoes form. Once students know about how a volcano functions, they learn how engineers predict...
Other
The Geological Society: Plate Tectonics: Mechanical Properties: 'Lithosphere' and 'Asthenosphere'
This resource describes how the mechanical properties of the lithosphere and asthenosphere change as the temperature and pressure increase. This can cause rocks to flow and become plastic-like.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Oceanic Trench
Wikipedia provides brief information on oceanic trenches, and has a hyperlinked list of major world trenches.