In this Nature video, follow geologists as they retrieve samples from a fresh batch of Kilauea's molten lava.

Students learn about landslides, discovering that there are different types of landslides that occur at different speeds from very slow to very quick. All landslides are the result of gravity, friction and the materials involved. Both natural and human-made factors contribute to landslides. Students learn what makes landslides dangerous and what engineers are doing to prevent and avoid landslides.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientist Mike Garcia draws lava samples at the foot of the active Kilauea volcano to see if it is related to its neighboring volcano, Mauna Loa.

In this lesson, students will learn about how volcanoes are created. Includes video links, discussion, and activity instructions.

NGSS: 2-ESS1-1

Time: 50 minutes

Materials: bucket of clay and toothpicks

In this lesson students will learn about rock formations and fossils within rock layers. Includes video links, discussion, and activity instructions.

NGSS: 4-ESS1-1

Time: 1 hour

Materials: bucket of clay and plastic animals

In this lesson, students will learn about how volcanoes and mountains affect weather. Includes video links, discussion, demonstration, and an additional activity.

NGSS: K-ESS3-2

Time: 50 minutes

Materials: umbrella and sponge.

Learning about Antarctica's past can give K-Grade 5 teachers and students lessons in geology, climate, and ecology along with literacy experiences in sequencing and time lines. The author identifies online resources for both adults and younger learners. A three-section unit plan begins with sequencing events and follows with earth's history over billions of years and the records found in rocks and fossils. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.

In this activity, students are asked to consider three different rocks: granite, shale and schist. Can these rocks become one of the others through geologic processes? Students are asked to describe the relationships between the rock types, the geologic processes involved and the geologic evidence for these relationships. Diagrams to help support their answers are suggested but not required.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Students learn about the weighted mean by building spreadsheets that apply this concept to the average density of the oceanic lithosphere.

Overview: This textbook covers modern topics that environmental geologists encounter, including environmental laws, disasters, and climate change.

This is an interactive lecture where students answer questions about demonstrations shown in several movie files. They learn to connect what they have learned about molecules, phases of matter, silicate crystal structures, and igneous rock classification with magma viscosity, and to connect magma viscosity with volcano explosiveness and morphology.

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members make a seismometer and experiment with different ways to make it register movement.

This earth systems field lab begins with an in-class guided inquiry experience which uses Minnesota Geological Survey 3-D maps of the upper Midwest to determine where they believe glaciers may have had an influence. They will determine this by looking at landscapes and compiling their own evidence from the maps. They will also offer evidence for a hypothesis they generate which involves the direction that the glacier was traveling.

TED Studies, created in collaboration with Wiley, are curated video collections — supplemented by rich educational materials — for students, educators and self-guided learners. In The Deep Ocean, aquatic explorers take the TED stage to share what they've seen in the abyss of Earth's last frontier: the deep ocean, home to massive underwater mountains and valleys, giant smoking chimneys and an amazing array of animals.

This lesson is a classroom activity where students learn about paleontologist Mary Anning, briefly learn about sedimentary rock, and complete observation drawings of Platteville Limestone fossils.

This course introduces students to the basic concepts of Medical Geology/Geochemistry. Medical Geology/Geochemistry is the study of the interaction between abundances of elements and isotopes and the health of humans and plants.

Meet the Earth OLogists is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they meet three kids and one scientist who are all fascinated by rocks: Arjun, a nine-year-old from Ohio who has visited his favorite volcano, Mount St. Helens in Washington State. Diana, a seven-year-old from New Hampshire who has hundreds of rocks in her collection. Ruthmabel, an eight-year-old from Washington State who built a Mars rover model at rocket camp and a model volcano at geology camp. Ed Mathez, a curator of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Museum, who answers kids questions, including "How do kids start a rock collection?" and "What do you want every kid to know about the Earth?"

Average inquiry level: Structured
In this lab, students will use observations to compare and contrast metamorphic processes and features to draw conclusions about the geologic history of metamorphic rocks. As optional final work, students further explore the use of metamorphic rocks and minerals in modern life and aspects related to human health. This lab is designed for face-to-face instruction.
Key words:Metamorphism, metamorphic rocks, deformation, foliated, non foliated, plate boundaries, uses of metamorphic rocks

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

The Mima mounds are small, irregularly spaced hills, described by some as “soil pimples” because they are piles of silt, sand, and pebbles.Scientists still don't know what created the Mima mounds. These resources will invite students to develop their own hypotheses, evaluate the existing evidence, and construct an explanation.Start with the "Mima mounds educator guide" to learn about the available resources, alignment to learning standards, and opportunities for modification and extension. The educator guide also includes student worksheets to guide inquiry and exploration. The attached "Mima mounds booklet" was created by the Washington Geologic Survey, within the Washington Department of Natural Resources. It is an illustrated guide to the mounds and the hypotheses about what formed them. The educator guide will walk you through ways to use the booklet. You can contact DNR's Youth Education and Outreach Program at yeop@dnr.wa.gov with any questions.