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Our Changing View of the Earth
Students explore the theory of Plate Tectonics. They participate in a simulation in which they re-enact the debate over Plate Tectonics vs. traditional beliefs of stationary continents that were widely accepted during the 1800's and...
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Plate Tectonics
Students complete a data sheet. In this Earth composition lesson, students learn what happens when the Earth's plates push against each other. They watch a teacher demonstration and complete a data sheet.
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Day 4: Plate Tectonics II
Learners explore the theory of plate tectonics. For this geology lesson, students conduct a simulation of the crust of the Earth floating on the mantle. Learners research plate tectonics and share their findings with the class. Students...
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Science: Plate Tectonics, Faults, and Volcanoes
Eighth graders conduct Internet research on plate tectonics, faluts, and volcanoes. In groups, they compile information related to teacher-provided questions. Students write papers detailing their findings and make oral presentations...
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Forces That Shape the Earth: Plate Movement
In this tectonic plate worksheet, students learn about the movement of the plates that make up the earth's crust. They read about the Theory of Pangaea, lithosphere, divergence, convergence, and plate transformation. Students then answer...
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Pangaea Puzzle: Exploring the Tectonic Forces That Shape the Earth
Sixth graders follow in the footsteps of early scientists as they put the pieces of Pangaea back together and discovered the forces that create the variety of landforms and sea-floor features of our Earth.
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Earthquakes And Fault Lines
Students discuss major causes of earthquakes and identify famous fault lines, access and map information about ten largest earthquakes in world from 1989 to 1998, and theorize about location of these earthquakes as they relate to Earth's...
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Earthquakes And Volcanoes
Students investigate the concept of plate tectonics through focusing a research study upon the occurrence of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. They find information that is used for class discussion. Students complete a mapping of...
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Tectonic Plates, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes
Challenge geography classes to locate the major volcanoes and earthquake faults on a world map. In groups, they identify the pattern made and examine the relationship between the locations of the faults and volcanoes and tectonic plates....
Channel Islands Film
Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 2
Why are Torrey pines only found in La Jolla, California and on Santa Rosa Island? Class members examine images of Torrey pines from these two locations, noting the similarities and differences, and then develop a demonstration model that...
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Prehistoric Mesosaurus
Students draw conclusions why Mesosaurus has only been found in Africa and Brazil and how its fossil remains serve as important evidence that shows where two continents were once joined together.
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Examing the San Francisco Earthquake
Students analyze photographic data about the San Francisco earthquake for evidence of its cause and effect. they determine if damage was caused by the earthquake itself or the ensuing fire. They role-play as earthquake survivors and...
PBS
Earth’s Ever-Changing Surface
The Grand Canyon formed between five and six million years ago, but is it still changing? Scholars explore 10 sites in the United States, including the Grand Canyon, to better understand the geoscience processes that formed these...
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Earthquakes
Students take a closer look at earthquakes. In this earthquake lesson, students investigate the causes of Kashmir earthquake and the impact of the earthquake. Students also consider aid efforts in the aftermath of earthquakes.
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Continents on the Move
Students examine the tectonic plates of the Earth and how the landforms of Earth have changed position over time. In groups, they identify the evidence that the continents are still moving. To end the lesson, they practice measuring...
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Solid Earth Socratic Questions
Students 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.
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Earthquakes: Sixth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Young seismologists learn more about plate tectonics with a set of pre-lab, lab, and post-lab lessons plans on earthquakes. After exploring how waves travel through various materials, sixth graders record their observations and draw...
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Frogs Frogs Frogs
Young scholars view a disk on the continental movement and analyze the given data on fossils, rock types and climate zones. In this geology lesson plan students draw a diagram of the earths layers, take a quiz complete a PowerPoint...
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The Basics: Earth Science
Middle schoolers define terms and watch a segment from a film. In this scientific theory lesson students work in small groups and draft a theory that was discussed in the program.
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Continents Adrift
Students examine how tectonic plates change the Earth's land. In this geology lesson, students are divided into small groups to construct a continent puzzle. Students use transparency pieces to demonstrate how Africa and South America...
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The Moving Continents from Pangaea to the Future
Eighth graders examine how the movements of the Earth contribute to fossil distribution. In this fossils lesson students make maps of the placement of the continents.
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Mastering the Keyboard
Sixth graders view an animated program showing how the continents fit together millions of years ago. In groups, they compare and contrast the distribution of rocks and fossils based on how the continents fit together. After reading a...
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Pangaea Puzzle
Students test evidence for the existence of Pangaea in the Earth's past. They create a current map of the Earth's continents and put them together like a puzzle. They compare this result to a a picture of the shape of Pangaea.
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Plate Tectonics
Students simulate the three types of plate boundaries using robots. In this earth science lesson plan, students explain how earthquakes and volcanoes are formed. They collect real-world earthquake data and plot them on the map.