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Website
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Earthquake Faultline Why the Earth Shakes

For Students 9th - 10th
This website provides an explanation of earthquakes in words and pictures, beginning with this lesson on plate tectonics.
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Handout
Indiana University

Indiana University Bloomington: Earthquakes in Indiana [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed brochure with lots of information about the earthquakes that occur in Indiana. Discusses plate tectonics, how fault zones developed in the Mississippi River Valley, faults in Indiana, earthquakes that affected Indiana in the...
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Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Geological Oceanography

For Students 9th - 10th
This unit will focus on the geological characteristics of the world ocean, plate tectonics, and the mapping of the ocean floor.
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Lesson Plan
Yale University

Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: The Great Continental Drift Mystery

For Teachers 9th - 10th
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.
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Website
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Discover Our Earth

For Students 9th - 10th
Study earthquakes, volcanoes, topography, plate tectonics, and sea level change using graphs, maps, and movies. Engage in earth science knowledge discovery, critically evaluate the data and results, and reach conclusions about the earth...
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Unit Plan
Geographypods

Geographypods: Theme 2: Natural Environments

For Students 9th - 10th
A rich collection of highly engaging learning modules on topics related to the natural environment. Covers four main areas - plate tectonics, forms and processes, weather and climate, and rainforest and desert. Within each of these,...
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Paleobiology: The Cambrian Period

For Students 9th - 10th
Journey into the past while reading this comprehensive overview of the Cambrian Period that covers topics such as the Cambrian Explosion, Burgess Shale fauna, trilobites, fossil evidence, and climate and plate tectonics.
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Paleobiology: The Ordovician Period

For Students 9th - 10th
Journey into the past while reading this comprehensive overview of the Ordovician Period that covers topics such as reef ecosystems, Paleozoic Fauna, fossil evidence, and climate and plate tectonics.
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Paleobiology: The Archaean Eon

For Students 9th - 10th
Journey into the past while reading this comprehensive overview of the Archaean Eon that covers topics such as early continents and oceans, first life on Earth, Earth's atmosphere, fossil evidence, and plate tectonics.
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Unit Plan
American Geosciences Institute

American Geosciences Institute: Dynamic Planet

For Students 6th - 8th
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...
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Website
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Planet Earth

For Students 9th - 10th
A series of seven instructional, hour-long videos presenting Earth-science topics such as plate tectonics, oceans, climate changes, natural resources, the Sun, and the future of our planet. Closed captioning option provided for each video.
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Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: North Cascades National Park Geology

For Students 3rd - 8th
Resource explores the history and geology of the Cascade Mountains. Content includes a geologic story, virtual field trip, a look at plate tectonics and the rocks & minerals found in the Cascade Mountains, geologic maps, and more.
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Handout
Nine Planets

The Nine Planets: Earth Facts

For Students 9th - 10th
Find lots of information about our planet Earth here. Covers basic facts, Earth's history, layers of the Earth, plate tectonics, composition of the atmosphere, Earth's magnetic field, and some facts about our moon.
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Interactive
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Global Volcanism Program: This Dynamic Planet

For Students 9th - 10th
Interactive activity that allows the learner to make their own regional map using layers of their choice such as volcanoes, craters, plate tectonics, or earthquakes. This map of the Earth zooms in and out, highlights essential processes,...
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Activity
The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute: Clay Crash

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Employ this lesson plan from The Franklin Institute to demonstrate plate tectonics and the effects. This is really just a short demonstration that could be incorporated into your existing lesson plan.
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Activity
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Activity: Claim Testing: Geology and the Earth's Formation

For Students 9th - 10th
An activity where students investigate how scientist study plate tectonics.
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Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Why We're All Lava Surfers

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about people who see plate tectonics close up as they lava surf. Learn about their adventures in this article.
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Interactive
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Tectonic Plates, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes

For Students 9th - 10th
This interactive activity produced for Teachers' Domain shows the relationship between tectonic boundaries and the locations of earthquake events and volcanoes around the world.
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Plates on the Move

For Students 9th - 10th
Find an interrelated set of tools--maps, animations, diagrams, photographs, and text--to help you understand tectonic plates and how they move.
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Handout
Indiana University

Indiana University: Evolution of Continents and Oceans

For Students 9th - 10th
A course lecture on how the Earth's geological features have evolved through the movements of tectonic plates. Explains the different types of plate boundaries and how they manifest in geological formations. Also describes the structure...
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Lesson Plan
National Association of Geoscience Teachers

Nagt: Discovering Plate Boundaries

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students work collaboratively using data maps to discover plate tectonic boundary processes. Data sets used are earthquakes, volcanoes, seafloor age, and topography.
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Unknown Type
University of Washington

University of Washington: The Great Rift Valley of Eastern Africa

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the Great Rift Valley complete with a discussion of the plate tectonics, volcanoes, and climate of the valley. Of particular interest is the section on Apekind to Mankind: Human Evolution in the Great Rift Valley. Reasons...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Plix: Map for Earth's Tectonic Plates: Earth's Tectonic Plates

For Students 7th - 9th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Understand what is happening at the plate boundaries with this interactive map of Earth's tectonic plates. This page slso includes a short quiz over plate tectonics.
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Interactive
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

Iris: World: Tectonic Plates

For Students 9th - 10th
Interactive map of tectonic plates from the US Geological Survey plate tectonic map reveals the plate names when you scroll over the plate.

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