Curated OER
Earthquakes and Seismic Waves
Learners explore earthquakes and seismic waves. They investigate how energy is released in the subsurface to create seismic waves. Students explore the inner workings of a seismograph and how they are used to determine the location of an...
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Exploring Climate Change with GIS
Students investigate climatological changes that are occurring to the Earth. In this climate change instructional activity, students access an assigned web site to view maps and lessons that show how climate change makes a difference to...
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Australian Mammals: Evolutionary Development as a Result of Geographic Isolation
Students comprehend the difference between monotremes, marsupials, and placental mammals. They are able to compare and contrast these organisms (Australian mammals) with other mammals. Students are able to identify Australian mammals.
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It's Going to Blow Up!
Students discover the major characteristics of volcanoes on the Pacific Ring of Fire. They describe the processes that produce the "Submarine Ring of Fire." students explain the factors that contribute to explosive volcanic eruptions.
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Earthquakes: Getting Ready For The Big One
Learners devise a plan to prepare a city for an earthquake. In this lesson on earthquakes, students differentiate between the different types of earthquakes, examine the impact they can have on a city, and write a proposal on how to...
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Hydrothermal Vent Challenge
Young scholars discover common features of hydrothermal vent fluids. They use this knowledge to locate possible undiscovered hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.
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Slinky Lab- Simulating the Motion of Earthquake Waves
Sixth graders simulate primary and secondary waves. In this earthquakes waves lesson plan, 6th graders experiment using a slinky to gain understanding of how waves are created during an earthquake. Students record observations in...
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Earthquake Proof Structures
Eighth graders build a structure that is able to withstand a simulated earthquake. They research earthquakes, earthquake measurement, and society's preparation for and reaction to them. Pupils build models and present them to the...
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Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!
Students study the different types of volcanoes and how they erupt. In this volcano lesson plan students identify where volcanoes are most prevalent and options for predicting eruptions.
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Earthquake Patterns
Students identify and interpret the cyclical nature of the Parkfield, California earthquakes. They then investigate and graph earthquake occurrences on the Mojave segment of the San Andreas fault and then on the Hayward fault in order to...
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Know Your Boundaries: Earthquake Lessons in the Classroom
With all the recent attention on Haiti, and now Chile, it is the perfect time to teach your students about earthquakes!
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Pangaea Puzzle Pieces
Learners i examine 10 pieces of evidence for the Pangaea theory and use them to reconstruct the super continent. They determine that land masses on Earth are slowly changing shape as a result of moving for millions of years.
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Volcano Lesson Plans
Volcano and earthquake lessons can provide a great way to link science instruction to current events.
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Eureka! You've Struck
While incomplete, this lesson could provide ideas for a lesson on the California gold rush. Learners look at a chart to analyze population growth in San Francisco after the discovery of gold, analyze political changes that occurred, and...
Ocean Explorer
Living with the Heat
Young oceanographers study the Submarine Ring of Fire, which is a series of deep-water volcanic vents that come up from the ocean floor. Learners take a close look at the unique ecosystems that are associated with these areas, how these...
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What's for Dinner?
View a video presentation comparing chemosynthesis to photosynthesis. Review the findings of the 2004 Ring of Fire Expedition that studied biological communities around the hydrothermal vents of the Mariana Arc. In collaborative groups,...
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What's In A Name
Second graders read Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. They then discuss where various names come from. They create a individualized biopoem and publish it on word processing software. Their poems are compiled into a class book and presented...
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The Pacific Ocean
In this Pacific Ocean activity, students read 2 pages about the Pacific Ocean and answer true and false questions. Students answer 10 questions.
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2005 Submarine Ring of Fire Expedition: What's for Dinner?
Young scholars compare and contrast photosynthesis and chemosynthesis as sources of primary production for biological communities, and describe sources of primary production observed in biological communities associated with volcanoes of...
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It's a Gas! Or is it?
Young scholars describe the effects of temperature and pressure on solubility of gases and other materials. In this investigative lesson students read an article and answer questions about it.
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It looks Like Champagne
High schoolers interpret phase diagrams and explain the meaning of vocabulary words. In this ocean explorer lesson students describe two uses of super-critical carbon dioxide.
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Australian Mammals: Evolultionary Development as a Result of Geographic Isolation
Learners examine the differences between monotremes, marsupials, and placental mammals and are able to contrast these organisms with other mammals. They learn about unique variation and the diversity of mammals located in Australia.
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The Physical Geography of Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica
Students access information from the United States Geological Survey's Web site This Dynamic Earth to research the Ring of Fire. They answer four questions and then apply what they have learned to create a bulletin board display.
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Vulcan's Revenge-Volcanoes
Sixth graders research various types of volcanoes. They explore the various emissions that come from them. Offer some explanation why some erupt by "quietly" puring lava, while others blast out chunks of rock and clouds of ash and gases.