Curated OER
Shaky New Zealand
Students explore Earth science by building a model in class. In this tectonic plate lesson, students identify the impact tectonic shifts have on humans and animals and where the plates and faults lie under New Zealand. Students examine...
Curated OER
The Tell-Tale Plume
High schoolers examine hydrothermal vents. In this ocean instructional activity, students identify changes in physical and chemical properties of sea water caused by hydrothermal vents.
Curated OER
Class Final Report - Global Sun Temperature Project
Students reflect on the data they have analyzed during the Global Sun Temperature Project. They use the project website as a resource for their observations, draft a class report and post it on the Internet.
Curated OER
Geography and Architecture
Young scholars discuss how terrain and climate affect the design of houses and commercial structures and thus influence the way architects design buildings in this elementary lesson plan.
Curated OER
States with Attitude, Latitude and Longitude Dude
Sixth graders identify states whose boundaries are formed by lines of latitude and longitude or natural borders such as rivers. They trace a map of the U.S., and fill in borders, rivers and lines of latitude and longitude.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Plotting Earthquakes With Near Real Time Data
This lesson teaches the concept of plate tectonics. Learners will access the United States Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center and plot the longitude latitude and depth of earthquakes on a physiographic chart.
Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, Stevens Institute of Technology
Ciese: Musical Plates: A Study of Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics
This activity has students access USGS earthquake information to plot the their locations on a world map. Doing this will help students discover for themselves the boundaries of tectonic plates.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: An Earthquake Lab for Physical Geology
This article from the Journal of Geological Education describes an activity in which students locate the epicenter of several earthquakes, plot the trends of the two faults involved, and determine the sense of motion along the plane of...
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
Iris: Gps Measuring Plate Motion [Pdf]
This resource looks at how geologists are able to measure the movement of tectonic plates using satellite-based data and how they were able to surmise in the past that the plates were moving. It also discusses how to read GPS time-series...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Writing About Plate Tectonics
This lesson is a writing assignment focussed on the use of data to support the theory of plate tectonics. It includes a scoresheet that was created for a calibrated peer review assignment. The assignment directs students to determine the...