Earth Observation is an activity where students observe and patterns in datasets …
Earth Observation is an activity where students observe and patterns in datasets of the different Earth spheres. Correlations between datasets are examined to stimulate student thinking of the interrelations in the Earth system. This activity is connect to process and concepts covered later in the class.
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This lesson discusses the interior structure of the earth as defined by …
This lesson discusses the interior structure of the earth as defined by research on the behavior of seismic waves as they move through the layers inside of the planet. The lesson details both compositional layers as well as mechanical layers.
This video segment adapted from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center shows how …
This video segment adapted from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center shows how integral satellites are to everyday life and describes the different types, including orbital and geostationary.
In this demonstration, evidence of the Earth's rotation is observed. A tripod, …
In this demonstration, evidence of the Earth's rotation is observed. A tripod, swiveling desk chair, fishing line and pendulum bob (e.g., fishing weight or plumb bob) are required for the demonstration. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
This is an activity about the relative sizes of the Earth and …
This is an activity about the relative sizes of the Earth and the Moon and the distance between them. Learners will inflate a balloon to the approximate size of the moon in relation to a standard globe. They will then hypothesize as to the correct distance between the two and begin to calculate angular size. This is Astronomy Activity 1 in a larger resource, Space Update.
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students build spreadsheets to tabulate and graph …
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students build spreadsheets to tabulate and graph seismic wave amplitude and energy release to explore the logarithmic scale of earthquake magnitude.
This video segment adapted from NOVA tells the tragic story of two …
This video segment adapted from NOVA tells the tragic story of two Japanese seismologists who disagreed about the threat of earthquakes in the early twentieth century. Today, seismologists in California offer residents a probability of risk that an earthquake might occur.
This student homework and problem set has students quantitatively earthquake hazard, shaking …
This student homework and problem set has students quantitatively earthquake hazard, shaking and damage.
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This lesson on earthquakes is based on naturalist John Muir's experiences with …
This lesson on earthquakes is based on naturalist John Muir's experiences with two significant earthquakes, the 1872 earthquake on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Students will learn to explain that earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults, and list the major geologic events including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and mountain building, which are the result of crustal plate motions. A downloadable, printable version (PDF) of the lesson plan is available.
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, animations are used to show …
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, animations are used to show how the hills around Los Angeles were formed by earthquakes at small thrust faults that extend outward from the larger San Andreas fault.
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, a geologist digs a trench …
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, a geologist digs a trench along the San Andreas Fault to reveal three thousand years of earthquake history. Information from the layers of sediment may help geologists to predict earthquakes.
This video segment adapted from NOVA uses historical illustrations, photographs, and animations …
This video segment adapted from NOVA uses historical illustrations, photographs, and animations to explain how seismographs work, the difference between P and S waves, and the Richter scale.
This activity uses the free software 'Seismic Eruption' to visualize seismicity and …
This activity uses the free software 'Seismic Eruption' to visualize seismicity and volcanic activity in space and time and to explore the relationship of earthquakes and volcanic activiy to plate tectonics. Students run simulations on the Pacific coasts of South America and California and the mid-oceanic ridge in the Atlantic Ocean, answer questions, and construct a cross-section. A link to download the software is provided.
This module explores the composition of the earth's atmosphere, how temperature and …
This module explores the composition of the earth's atmosphere, how temperature and pressure vary in the atmosphere, and the scientific developments that led to an understanding of these basic concepts.
This article provides background information that will help teachers present the science …
This article provides background information that will help teachers present the science associated with the study of climate, past, present and future. The magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle is structured around the recognized principles of climate literacy. The author explains the science concepts included in the principle related to climate study and research and also identifies additional sources of information.
This article assembles free resources from the Earth's Changing Surface issue of …
This article assembles free resources from the Earth's Changing Surface issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.
This list of carefully selected books for grades K-5 highlights nonfiction about …
This list of carefully selected books for grades K-5 highlights nonfiction about climate proxies, those preserved physical characteristics, such as fossils, that scientists use to reconstruct past climates. Also highlighted are a few books that provide information about two past climatic events -- the last ice age and the Dust Bowl. In each issue of the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, the virtual bookshelf recommends books that accurately portray the theme drawn from the principles of climate sciences.
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students build spreadsheets to forward calculate the …
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students build spreadsheets to forward calculate the Earth's aggregate density from combinations of densities and thicknesses of the Earth's four shells.
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