Students will use visual analysis to examine two images of rocks. They will make their own observations of individual rocks through drawing, and understand how the same observation skills can be used in the study of geology.

In this episode of STEM in 30, we explore the construction of the Mars rovers as well as the science that is being done 140 million miles away on the Red Planet.

Water is very essential and a major component of all living creatures. Pure water is colourless, tasteless and odourless, but is generally found in impure state. Water found in oceans, rivers, lakes and ponds appear of different colour. Suspended and dissolved particles influence the colour of water. Freshwater bodies sometime appear turquoise (blue-green) and bright sky-blue and catches the attention of people.
Turquoise and bright sky-blue appearing freshwater bodies are found in different parts of the world in different set of environmental conditions. For example, glacial-fed lakes also appear turquoise, crater lakes also bears turquoise colour and calcium carbonate rich water bodies also appear turquoise. Recently,
rivers polluted by anthropogenic activities are also seen to bear turquoise color appearance. The turquoise appearance of water bodies is mainly due to the scattering of light in the blue-green range of the spectrum
by suspended particles present in the water. There is diversity in the causal factor(s) responsible for such coloration in different set of conditions, but turquoise freshwater bodies originating under similar conditions in different parts of the world have some common characteristics. Moreover, the information about turquoise appearing freshwater bodies in different parts of the world are present but are scattered
into pieces. There is a great need felt for compilation of different turquoise appearing freshwater bodies in the world. In this paper, different turquoise appearing freshwater bodies throughout the world have been
identified. The causal factor(s) responsible for such coloration is also discussed. Since, the turquoise appearing freshwater bodies originating in similar conditions in different parts of the world bears some common characteristics, so based on it, a categorisation of turquoise appearing freshwater bodies for the first time is proposed in this paper for a better understanding. The categorisation has been supported by examples.

A good way to learn to do science in English is to do science in English. When students are doing things, they are engaged, and that is when learning occurs. This book has three parts: biology, physics, and earth science. I have tried to select topics that don't require any specific background knowledge. The pieces are independent. Take whatever looks best for you and forget about the rest.

This book was written for a tenth grade English for Academic Purposes class in Japan. However, there is nothing country-specific in the book. It could reasonably be used in a quarter or trimester.

In this lesson students will learn how Native American tribes living in what is now Oregon incorporated geologic knowledge into their lifeways and cultures. It will describe tribes’ use of stone tools, designation of prominent landforms as significant and meaningful places, and oral traditions they maintained regarding geologic events to help them understand and organize the world they lived in. This lesson assumes students have some familiarity with or prior instruction in earth science concepts such as Oregon landforms, the rock cycle, plate tectonics, and earthquakes and tsunamis.

Explore the physics and material science of making stone tools. Educator Nate Salzman walks us through the surprisingly complex science of flintknapping, or the process of turning stone into blades, arrowheads, spear points, axes, jewelry and more. Making tools from stone may be thousands of years old, but required people to think about the properties of the material they were using and the physics of striking the stone to shape it just right.

Consider using this resource to support classroom learning about the relationship between microscopic and macroscopic properties and how forces are transmitted. Animations derived from this video have been published separately as "Animations - The Science of Knapping."

This resource is part of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s open educational resources project to provide history, ecology, archaeology, and conservation resources related to our 560 acre public park. More of our content can be found on YouTube and SketchFab. JPPM is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust under the Maryland Department of Planning.

In this lesson, students learn about major landforms (e.g., mountains, rivers, plains, valleys, canyons and plateaus) and how they occur on the Earth's surface. They learn about the civil and geotechnical engineering applications of geology and landforms, including the design of transportation systems, mining, mapping and measuring natural hazards.

This laboratory activity demonstrates how seismic waves are generated and helps students understand how they can reveal the composition of Earth's inner layers. Students will construct models by filling shoe boxes with various materials, drop rocks on them to generate 'seismic waves', record the waves, and make observations about their differences.

Required for all Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences majors in the Environmental Science track, this course is an introduction to current research in the field. Stresses integration of central scientific concepts in environmental policy making and the chemistry, biology, and geology environmental science tracks. Revisits selected core themes for students who have already acquired a basic understanding of environmental science concepts. The topic for this term is geoengineering.

Students investigate the critical nature of foundations as they learn differences between shallow and deep foundations, including the concepts of bearing pressure and settlement. Using models representing a shallow foundation and a deep pile foundation, they test, see and feel the effects in a cardboard box test bed composed of layers of pebbles, soil and sand. They also make bearing pressure calculations and recommendations for which type of foundations to use in various engineering scenarios.

In this activity, students investigate convection as it applies to Earth processes. They will assemble a model using a bread pan to view convection in two paired cells. They will also investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the model thay have constructed and answer some questions about what they are seeing.

This is a short exercise that tests student's knowledge of interpreting eutectic diagrams. The handout provides diagrams with questions to test students' comprehension of the diagrams.

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This is a short exercise that tests student's knowledge of interpreting peritectic diagrams. The handout provides a diagram with questions to test students' comprehension of the diagram.

(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 identify and draw slices through an ice cream cone, a pyramid, and a beverage six-pack.

Students identify and draw slices through cylinders and partial cylinders, and use gestures to visualize slicing planes. This practice with visualizing slices through idealized geometric shapes is preparation for visualizing slices through geological features.

Students identify and draw slices through fruit, as practice for drawing slices through more complex features.

The Smith College campus may seem to be an unlikely destination for a geological field trip. Buildings, pavement, grassy lawns, and garden plantings cover the sediment, glacial till, and sandstone bedrock that are evidence of the local geologic history. Nevertheless, there are many interesting rocks easily visible on the campus, most of them as construction materials for buildings. Sliced, sculpted, and in some cases polished, the rocks found as building stones are easy to see and provide interesting examples of a variety of rock types worthy of our attention. This guide provides information about many of the building stones on the Smith College campus.

Students learn about one method used in environmental site assessments. They practice soil sampling by creating soil cores, studying soil profiles and characterizing soil profiles in borehole logs. They use their analysis to make predictions about what is going on in the soil and what it might mean to an engineer developing the area.

This lesson activity has students conduct an experiment that reinforces one component of the water cycle.