TeachersFirst's Earth Science Resources
This curated list of reviewed resources includes teaching ideas and sites related to earth science. This is a perfect list to share during Earth Science Week in October, or anytime throughout the year. Find engaging tools to use to help your students better understand weather, volcanoes, and so much more. Don't miss "In the classroom" ideas for specific projects or ideas for before, during, and after reading.
Click here to view our entire tagged list of earth resources.
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SciJinks: Its All About Weather! - NOAA/NASA
Grades
3 to 12
tag(s): atmosphere (21), careers (132), hurricanes (28), oceans (130), science fairs (21), scientific method (47), scientists (62), seasons (32), space (204), weather (156)
In the Classroom
Although geared toward middle school students and educators, anyone who teaches weather will want to take the time to explore this site for student and teacher resources. From the top right menu find the Educators section for activities, science fair ideas, and content aligned to standards. Share a link to games and activities on classroom computers and your class website. Upon completing activities, have students create an online or printed comic about an element of weather, climate, meteorology, or any aspect of Earth science. Use a tool such as Printable Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here, for a nontech rough and final draft. If you're new to using technology with your students, or teach younger students enhance their learning and augment techology use with ToonyTool, reviewed here, for their final drafts. To to enhance learning and modify tech use in your class for more experienced, older students try Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Ready Jet Go! - PBS Kids
Grades
K to 6tag(s): gravity (43), moon (66), planets (111), preK (238), solar system (95), space (204), stars (61), sun (59), temperature (31)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning station or center. Be sure to include a link on your class web page for use at home. If you're beginning to integrate technology in your class or have younger students, augment techology use by creating a word cloud of the important terms students learn from this site using a tool such as Word Clouds For Kids, reviewed here. Alternatively, these students could use an online poster creator such as Printing Press, reviewed here, to present information learned about space. Teachers more advance with integrating technology can tranform tech use with an online poster creator such as Canva, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Booklist - Natural Disasters - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (125), disasters (34), hurricanes (28), independent reading (104), tornadoes (12)
In the Classroom
This collection of books could accompany a unit on earth science, weather, or even communities and government as your students look at how disasters affect people and how individuals or governments respond to adversity. These books would also connect well to a character education or guidance unit about dealing with a crisis. You could even include this list with a geography unit about differences in weather, climate, and landforms around the world. Talk about WHY natural disasters happen and/or the results afterward: How did communities change? What did people do in response? If having students read independently, you may want to pose a big question or two related to your curriculum for them to think about as they read. Have them return and share their answers after reading, perhaps as a presentation or small group project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Earth Exploration Toolbook - Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): air (106), climate (78), climate change (77), earth (173), pollution (47), weather (156)
In the Classroom
Each resource provides lesson plan ideas including questions and all information needed. Use this resource to uncover trends found in data and look at the statements that can be made about these trends. Students can use their findings to compare and to present models of Earth systems. Students can also debate whether they support or reject present models and conclusions by scientists.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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K-5 GeoSource - American GeoSciences Institute
Grades
K to 6tag(s): careers (132), climate (78), erosion (13), fossils (37), rocks (36), seasons (32), soil (19), water (98), weather (156)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use during any Earth Science unit. View PowerPoints on your interactive whiteboard with students. Use suggestions from the literacy strategies with any classroom subject and share with student teachers as a resource for lesson planning. Enhance learning and augment technology use in your classroom by having students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GETeach - Josh Williams
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): data (132), earth (173), latitude (9), longitude (9), map skills (55), maps (209), plate tectonics (19)
In the Classroom
Use side by side Google Earth to teach geography or simply give location context to class readings or current events, especially on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Keep the earth's "big picture" open on one side as you zoom in to investigate on the other. Or arrange side by side comparisons. Example: compare the peaks scaled by Lewis and Clark or volcanoes that rise in the Aleutians. Compare various locations for global warming, compare of volcano activity, or a history of immigration. Compare historic maps from different time periods to show how countries and boundaries change. Turn layers on and off from Choose an Earth or onscreen options to look at population centers and transportation systems. Teach the concept of scale/proportion using a visual experience on an interactive whiteboard with the scale and measurement tools. Use one window to show human geography and the other window to show items from the CIA Factbook for comparison. Have students hypothesize connections between geographic features and statistics about human development.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List - Earth Science - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (125), earth (173), reading lists (76)
In the Classroom
Build student literacy skills, reinforce what students are learning about Earth Science, and help students build the important reading strategy of connecting what they read to prior (classroom!) knowledge. Share this link on your class web page or wiki so students can select independent reading books to accompany your unit on Earth Science. Don't forget to share the list with the school and local libraries so they can bring in some of the books on interlibrary loan. CurriConnects are a great help for teachers who have lost school library/media specialists due to budget cuts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Science Buzz - Science Museum of Minnesota
Grades
5 to 9The articles contained in this site are to the point, clear to understand, and in a large font. There are very few distractions going on in the site. It is easy to navigate and has a cool teacher tool in the buzz blog. Click on the Community tab, and the blogs are indexed by standards and grouped into topics such as earth science and physical science with subtopics.
tag(s): animals (265), endangered species (28), news (232), nutrition (131), weather (156)
In the Classroom
This site would be a great resource for current events projects. To augment the use of technology in your classroom, students could be assigned a specific article to read, and then post to a discussion board like Slack, reviewed here. Or transform technology use by having students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Animatron, Sway, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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JumpStart - JumpStart Games, Inc.
Grades
K to 4This site includes advertising.
tag(s): acid rain (5), carbon (14), climate (78), earth (173), earthquakes (43), fire (24), fossils (37), glaciers (16), hurricanes (28), images (247), natural disasters (15), natural resources (37), preK (238), rocks (36), tsunamis (14), volcanoes (51), water cycle (20), wetlands (8)
In the Classroom
For a quick use, add images from this site to a PowerPoint. For a more in-depth use of the site, either choose several pictures/topics that would enhance your unit, or allow students to choose a topic they would like to investigate further. Have pairs or small groups of students brainstorm questions they have about the topic. Many of the questions they come up with will be answered when they click on the picture. For the questions that aren't answered on that page, have older students research the answer using the Internet as a resource. Ask student groups make an online Padlet, reviewed here, with the information they find.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Earth Science Teaching Activities and Lesson Plans - Geology.com
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): earthquakes (43), erosion (13), fossils (37), hurricanes (28), maps (209), rocks (36), tsunamis (14), volcanoes (51), water (98), weather (156)
In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to view videos and images from the site with your class. Use lesson plans provided as additional resources within Earth Science units. Augment technology use in your classroom and enhance learning by having cooperative learning groups create online books using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. Or, challenge students to narrate an image using a site such as Thinklink, reviewed here. Extend learning and transform the use of technology in your classroom by assigning students different portions of the site to review and prepare multimedia projects to share with the class with Sway, reviewed here, or give students a choice of projects to complete with Genial.ly, reviewed here. Both Sway and Genial.ly will allow your students to create multimedia projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Study Jams Science - Scholastic
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): earth (173), ecosystems (66), inquiry (23), matter (44), motion (44), weather (156)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a Science unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Share the videos and/or karaoke with your students. Have students sing along and learn more about science. Especially younger students will enjoy this feature. Create a link to the site on your classroom website or blog for students to use for review and practice at home. Include a link on your classroom newsletter so that parents can use the site at home with their student. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. View the videos on your interactive whiteboard, print out the quizzes for students to take as an assessment.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Earth Science Week - American Geological Institute
Grades
K to 12tag(s): ecology (96), minerals (15), resources (85), rocks (36)
In the Classroom
Bring Earth Science into your class no matter what subject you teach. Earth Science has broad applications in almost all sciences and many other subject areas as we are connected to the Earth. Use the information, videos, and pictures to create discussions and inquire about topics in your classroom. Many of the activities in "For Educators and Students" are great for demonstrations and generating interest in phenomenon. For example, use Sinkholes in a Cup to demonstrate how fast removal of groundwater in an area can cause sinkholes. Follow this demonstration with Google Earth, reviewed here, layers that show this phenomenon in various areas of the world or research of where these have occurred. Find videos, large-scale maps, and other resources to share via an interactive whiteboard, wiki, or blog.Students can create public service announcements about earth science issues to raise awareness and provide learning opportunities to others.
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Science Review Games - Science Review Games
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crosswords (17), game based learning (159)
In the Classroom
Use this site for section, chapter, quiz, or test review. Provide student(s) with a topic of study and an assignment to create questions to make their own review game. Assist students in identifying the important material and creating questions. Students can play each other's review game and discuss the questions that were helpful. Replace paper and pen by having students create their review game online using Blended Play, reviewed here. Create a class wiki to discuss, compare, or constructively critique the student created review activity! Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dinosaur Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): dinosaurs (37), fossils (37), paleontology (26)
In the Classroom
Use the resources on this site to supplement a unit about paleontology, fossils, or dinosaurs. In addition, the resources listed can be used for WebQuests, learning centers, lesson plans & the like! This is an excellent resource for Earth Science teachers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dynamic Earth Interactive - Annenberg Media
Grades
4 to 9tag(s): earth (173), earthquakes (43), geology (62), mountains (12), plate tectonics (19), volcanoes (51)
In the Classroom
Use this site to introduce Geology or Earth Science or as a review of concepts previously learned in class. Use the site as a springboard for additional activities such as mapping where most earthquakes occur. Follow up with ways to prepare for earthquakes, design buildings to withstand earthquakes or other important topics. Augment technology use in class by having students work in teams to share various aspects of earthquake knowledge for an audience of people living in an earthquake zone using Padlet, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ology - American Museum of Natural History
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): museums (41)
In the Classroom
Motivate your students by using an interactive whiteboard or projector to share these engaging, interactive, and educational resources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fossil Tools and Resources
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): fossils (37), geology (62), paleontology (26)
In the Classroom
This site is the perfect addition to any classroom learning about paleontology or archeology. Divide students into cooperative learning groups, and allow them to explore the site on classroom computers. Substitute paper and pen and have students create a digital book of what they learned using a digital such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Visionlearning - Visionlearning, Inc
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): acids and bases (8), carbon (14), cells (82), darwin (11), earth (173), energy (127), gravity (43), light (47), matter (44), molecules (38), optics (12), paleontology (26), periodic table (41), photosynthesis (21), planets (111), reading comprehension (127), rock cycle (11), rocks (36), scientific method (47), scientists (62), space (204), water (98), waves (14)
In the Classroom
Include this site to supplement your current grade 6-12 science curriculum. Use the resources to differentiate instruction for gifted students in lower grades or as remediation for struggling students in older grades. Use the student materials for differentiating instruction or as homework. Have students share their learning or understanding of a topic with video explanations using a tool like FlipGrid, reviewed here. FlipGrid is an augmentation tool for video responses to a question along with comments from peers. Transform technology use in your classroom and take student learning a step further by asking them to create and share their own multimeda presentation along with suggestions for learning about their topic of interest. Use a tool like Sway, reviewed here. Sway is a presentation tool that offers multimedia options including text, video, and images.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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