Rock exploration, so exciting! After reading the book Everybody Needs a Rock, the class makes sandwiches to better understand that the Earth is made in layers. They then use a description of the 3 types of rock to conduct an observation...

This is not revolutionary, but it is informative. Earth science viewers in grades 7-12 get carried away with wave and wind erosion. They view diagrams of how waves impact ocean shorelines. They see examples of the different types of sand...

Taconite is a rock that is used as a source of iron. Earth science explorers examine a piece up-close and discuss whether they think it is more cost effective to ship it by boat or by truck. They write letters to their state...

Make sure to read through the activity procedures thoroughly before teaching this lesson because the materials list is incomplete. Also, the mentioned worksheets and booklet are not available. However, there is no need to discard this...

Underclassmen create a cone-shaped landform and then draw a contour map for it. Then they examine a quadrangle (which was easily located with an online search), and relate it to what they experienced. The accompanying worksheet is...

It's a shame that there are no photographs in this presentation because the information is fascinating! Each identically fashioned slide contains bullet points of information about Antarctica that will enhance an earth science...

Students examine satellite images of Earth and contrast images at different scales. In this exploring Earth from space lesson plan, students use satellite images to contrast images at different scales, calculate distances from the scale...

Students read excerpts from Annie Dillard's memoir, "An American Childhood," with the teacher. They experience opportunities to connect English, science, nature and art together from a new and unique perspective. This approach serves as...

The students recall events from Dr. Seuss' story The Lorax and make connections to environmental issues affecting their lives. They are expected to reflect on the facts of the story and respond verbally stating the inferences they made...

Students work in cooperative learning groups and respond to cases involving ethical choices by students and teachers in science classrooms. They create and submit additional cases and questions for use throughout the school year.

Fifth graders are introduced to Earth day and study the nesting colonies of Midway.  In this Earth Day lesson students watch an online clip and see the effects our waste has on wildlife. 

In this solar system review worksheet, students use dictionaries to define the 10 listed terms pertaining to the Earth, sun, and moon.

Sometimes it is difficult to grasp topographic maps. Here is a clever presentation designed to help your middle school earth scientists understand. Beginning with a side view of a pair of mountains, a graphic guy walks up one slope. As...

How does the depth of an ocean affect the speed of a tsunami's waves? Use Jell-o, graham crackers, and marshmallows to model the effects of an underwater earthquake and its resulting tsunami. The instructional activity includes hands-on...

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.

In this Earth's magnetic poles worksheet, students read about the changes observed in Earth's magnetic field and the possible geomagnetic reversal of the north and south magnetic poles. Students answer 5 questions about the reading and...

Students locate and access data to help them with their science inquiry.  In this geographical positioning lesson students evaluate and compare data sets. 

Students complete all of the steps in the scientific inquiry process to study Earth's energy cycle; most specifically temperature and the effects of albedo (energy reflected back from Earth's surface) on temperature.

In this first land plants worksheet, students read about the major events that allowed plants to evolve on Earth. Students read about the primary and secondary atmospheres, the formation of the ozone layer to protect from UV light and...

In this tectonic plate instructional activity, 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....

In this aerosol worksheet, students are given data for volcanic eruptions and the average temperatures of the Earth. They determine the change in temperature from the year of the eruption to the present year and use the means to...

In this time scale worksheet, students create a time scale of Missouri and the earth using adding machine tape. The length of the tape represents the history of Missouri and the history of earth. Students identify the major events in...

Eighth graders conduct a "Length of Day Symposium." They complete a variety of activities and explorations regarding the earth's rotation, its revolution around the sun and the cyclic changes in climate and energy distribution on the...

With a simple blackboard-style appearance, these slides list facts about the reason for the seasons, solstices, and equinoxes. It also touches on Kepler's first law of planetary motion. There are no pictures or graphics to help explain...