Curated OER
Paleoclimates and Pollen
Young scholars analyze soil for types of pollen to determine the probably climate conditions. In this earth science lesson, students make conclusions on what a climate is like based on soils samples. Young scholars use a model soil...
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Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion
Students identify and describe rocks that contain records of the earth's history and explain how they were formed. They formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to objects and events in the environment, and...
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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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Fossil Adventure
Students create a book about the process of a dinosaur becoming a fossil. In this earth science lesson plan, students are taught about fossils and create a book that tells what happened to a dinosaur's bones after they die.
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Aquifers and Groundwater
Students understand the purpose of an aquifer. For this aquifer and groundwater lesson, students build a model aquifer find its relationship to water usage. Students record observations as they build the layers of the aquifer.
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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...
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'Round and 'Round it Goes!
Students discuss and interpret background knowledge on poster copy given on the water cycle. Students complete the included activity sheets using the poster as a reference in small groups. Students identify and name where water can be...
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Greenhouse in a Bottle
Students create models of the greenhouse effect using recycled 2-liter bottles. They discuss how their models compares to the real greenhouse effect the earth experiences.
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Sedimentation Lab Activity
Students predict how sediments in a water column will settle. In this earth science lesson, students examine the layers of sedimentation. Students are given sediments to place into a column of water and observe how they settle....
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Making a Cave
Students discuss caves. For this science lesson, students experiment with how dissolution, a chemical weathering process, leads to the formation of caves. Once the cave is finsihed students draw a picture or describe in writing what it...
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Periodic Properties Lab
Students investigate the periodic properties of elements in the periodic table. In this periodic properties lesson plan, students experiment with elements from the Alkaline Earth Metals, the Halogens, the Transition Metals, and for extra...
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Weather History
Students study how weather is measured. In this climate lesson plan, students research how samples of the ocean floor reveal facts about the climate thousands of years ago. Students use clay samples to create layers that simulate real...
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Sun Activity
In this space science worksheet, learners find the answers to the questions concerning the topic of the sun and they label the diagram for the sun.
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Understanding Lava Layers
Seventh graders trace the lava flow of an erupting volcano. In this earth science lesson plan, 7th graders experiment using baking soda and vinegar. They record and share their observations.
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Earth's Valuable Soil
Students investigate the concept of how the earth is segmented into different parts. They use an apple as a model to display the different layers. The apple is divided into different fractions by being cut into different size pieces.
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Take Me to the River! Using the Black River for Earth Science Review
Ninth graders use maps to identify landscape regions and drainage patterns producing the Black River. They create PowerPoint presentations pertaining to the Black River watershed, its geologic history and highlighting safe rafting...
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Earth Science - Weather
Students build an understanding of the dynamics and composition of the atmosphere and its local and global processes influencing climate and air quality. They analyze air masses and the life cycle of weather systems.
Project SMART
Rocks and Minerals: Touch the Earth
Students complete a unit of lessons on rocks and minerals. They conduct research, write e-mail questions to geologists, write daily journal entries, label maps demonstrating types of rocks/minerals found, and create a web page that...
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The Mountain Blows its Top
Students replicate a volcanic eruption. In this volcanoes lesson, students follow the provided procedures to show and describe how the inflation of a bulge led to the eruption of Mount St. Helens.
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King of the Mound
Students investigate water as an agent of change. They conduct an experiment involving a mound of soil, observe and record any changes that occur when ice melts on the mound of dirt, and create a drawing of the changes that take place...
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The Science of Glaciers
Students identify the contents of a glacier like those found in Patagonia. They construct a mini glacier model in class. Students compare and contrast the classroom model with Patagonian glaciers. They label specific parts of the...