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Geology/Earth Structure
Third graders examine the rock-soil cycle. They identify the steps and describe what happens. They also discover the three layers of soil.
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Musical Plates
Sixth graders engage in a study of the plates and how they are part of the formation of the ever changing landscape of planet earth. They access web sites that have applications for observation and conducting different activities. The...
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Solid Earth Socratic Questions
Learners participate in a whole class discussion to relate what they know about earthquakes to the processes of plate tectonics. They respond to prompts that lead them to conclusions about the layers of the earth.
Teach Engineering
Skin and the Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation
Though UV radiation can damage skin, it isn't all bad. The third installment in a six-part series allows the class to study the structure and function of skin. They learn about the different types of skin cancer and the SPF rating...
American Museum of Natural History
Journey to the Stars
Fifteen detailed pictures and informative captions delve deep into the exploration of stars—their life cycle and importance in the universe.
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Weather
Students explore the earth's atmosphere, weather, and climate. They begin class with a discussion about weather patterns, atmosphere, and the layers of the earth. After the class discussion, students rotate through four stations to...
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Mud Fossils
Students observe real fossils. In this science lesson, students make their own mud fossils by pressing material into the mud and letting it dry in the sun for 3-4 days. Students then get the fossils out displaying their mud...
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Deep Thoughts
Learners examine what lies within the Earth. They research and create scale models illustrating the layers of the Earth and write skits advocating a travel plan to send a probe into the Earth's mantle.
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How Pollution Disrupts Our Natural Environment
Students conduct experiments to illustrate global warming. In this air pollution lesson, students first examine how a layer of greenhouse gasses might impact the earth's atmospheric temperature, then evaluate how the layer of gasses...
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The Tropopause
In this tropopause worksheet, students read about the temperature of the air in the tropopause or the layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth. They answer four critical thinking questions about this layer and the energy changes that...
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Plate Tectonics Vocabulary
In this plate tectonics worksheet, students match 9 terms with their definitions. Topics include the types of boundaries, the layers of the Earth's crust, plate tectonics and continental drift.
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SCRUMPTIOUS SOIL
Students engage in investigations that lead to the discovery that earth materials consist of rocks, soils, water, and air. They build models of soil profiles, using breakfast cereal and other edible materials. They observe how water...
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Bellwork for Week 15-Climate
In this bellwork worksheet, students answer questions about the layers of the atmosphere, the composition of the atmosphere and the weather and the climate.
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TRB 5:2 - Activity 3: Earthquakes
Students watch a classroom demonstration, and experiment to discover the five ways that Earth's crust shifts along a fault.
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Recent Volcanoes And Earthquakes:
Students investigate the current model for the structure of the Earth. On a world map, they mark areas where they think earthquakes and volcanoes occur and compare those areas with earthquake and volcano location patterns.
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CUPCAKE CORE SAMPLING
Students explore what is beneath the surface of the earth is one of the jobs of a geologist. Rather than digging up vast tracts of land to expose an oil field, or to find coalbearing strata, core samples can be taken.
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Sedimentary Rocks
Fourth graders discuss the basic properties of rocks, the processes
involved in the formation of soils, and the needs of plants provided by soil. They write descriptions in their Science journal and identify and discuss each type of...
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Geologic History PowerPoint Follow Sheet-The Rules of the Game
In this geologic history worksheet, students answer questions about the earth's history, about dating fossils, about layers of rocks and about unconformity.
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VARVES: Dating Sedimentary Strata: Geology, Paleontological Patterns
Students count the number of varves (annual layers of sediment) in shale billets, taken from the Green River Formation in Wyoming. The count is then extended to reflect the entire 260 meters of sediments where the billets originated.
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Stressed to a Fault!
Eighth graders describe how stress builds up in the Earth's crust by the movement of tectonic plates. In groups, they relate the three types of stresses to the types of plate movements and explain how the stress causes faults to form. ...
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Cosmic Wheels
Students build a scale model of the Solar System and determine the time other planets take to travel around the Sun in comparison to the time of the Earth's revolution. The velocity of the planets are also determined in this lesson.
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Geologic Timelines
Students create a timeline of geologic events of the Phanerozoic Eon. In this geologic timeline lesson plan, students view a handout that shows a timeline of the Earth's history. They create their own timeline of the Phanerozoic Eon with...
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Probing Below the Surface of Mars
Students simulate the search for water in Mars using simple apparatus. In this space science lesson, students explain how soil temperature affects the cooling of probes. They graph the data collected from the simulation.
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Impact Craters: Holes in the Ground!
Middle schoolers simulate crater formation through a lab activity. In this space science lesson, students calculate how much energy is transferred during meteorite impact. They identify different factors affecting the size and depth of...