Earth science refers to all sciences which are related to the planet Earth. Also known as geosciences, it involves the study of the atmosphere, biosphere, oceans, and the earth. Some of the fields of science under earth sciences include geology, geophysics, soil science, oceanography, glaciology, and atmospheric science. In the classroom, earth science is often taught with educational supplements like videos, PowerPoint presentations, experiments, field trips, and so on. The Internet offers a lot of educational earth science resources for high school teachers. Here’s an online guide to earth science lesson plans.
Earth Science Lesson Plans & Activities
- Magnetic Fields & Bermuda Triangles: The lesson plan aims to explain the idea of the Earth’s magnetic field.
- Scientific Method: Designed for secondary level, the lesson plan teaches students about the scientific method, which is useful for the study of earth sciences.
- Earth History Approach: The Carleton College explains how a module for educators to adapt their earth science classes with the earth history approach.
- The Noon Day Project: A worldwide project whereby students use shadow readings to measure the Earth’s circumference.
- Geologic Time: This activity is useful for explaining the concept of geologic time to students.
- Fossil Record: Level 2 of this lesson plan is suitable for high school students.
- Planetary Geology: NASA presents a guide to help teachers plan activities and lessons on the subject.
- Erosion Control: In this activity, students will find out how to investigate erosion control by using a stream table.
- Coal Formation: This short lesson plan explains the formation of coal.
- Three Dimensional Geology: Working in groups, students would learn to analyze the geology of their area. Later, they would build a model, and choose the best site for suburban development.
Rocks & Minerals
- Bedrock Geology: In this exercise, students will learn the history of geology in their community through seven activities.
- Mineral Identification: The lab session shows students how to identify minerals.
- Igneous Rocks: The lesson plan covers various aspects of igneous rocks.
- Rock of Ages: This is a great lesson plan that teaches students how to date the age of rocks.
Earthquakes & Volcanoes
- The Ring of Fire: Students will learn about the region where close to 80 percent of active or dormant volcanoes are located.
- Big Trouble in Earthquake County: The online lesson and activity challenges students to understand the relationship between humans and earthquakes.
- Earthquake: High school teachers can use the activities and tutorials to explain all about earthquakes to the students.
- Piles of Fire: In this lesson, students will discover how the size of particles can affect the slop of a volcano.
The Ocean
- Ocean Properties: Ocean World presents a number of activities to help students understand the properties of the ocean.
- Motion in the Ocean: The lesson plan focuses on the causes of currents and waves in oceans.
- Ocean Planet: The Smithsonian offers six lesson plans to complement the Ocean Planet exhibition.
- Density: The lesson plan explores the dynamics of water density in bodies of water.
Weather
- Cloud in the Bottle: In this interesting lesson plan, students learn about the formation of clouds.
- Our Unique Atmosphere: Students will learn the impact of heat-trapping gases on the atmosphere.
- Pressure: In this activity, participants will understand more about atmospheric pressure.
- Thunderstorms: Use this humorous lesson plan to teach students all about thunderstorms.
Astronomy
- The Solar System: The lesson plan explains some aspects of the Solar System.
- Sun & Earth: This activity allows students to learn about the effects of the sun on Earth’s temperature.
- Comet: A fun activity to educate students on the composition of comets.
- Amazing Space: The website provides online explorations, news, information on Hubble, and much more.
