In this plate tectonics and rock cycling unit, students come to see that the Earth is much more active and alive than they have thought before. The unit launches with documentation of a 2015 Himalayan earthquake that shifted Mt. Everest suddenly to the southwest direction. Students read texts, explore earthquake and landform patterns using a data visualization tool, and study GPS data.

This unit is part of the OpenSciEd core instructional materials for middle school.

This unit begins with students experiencing, through text and video, a devastating natural event that caused major flooding in coastal towns of Japan. Through this anchoring phenomenon, students think about ways to detect tsunamis, warn people, and reduce damage from the wave. As students design solutions to solve this problem, they begin to wonder about the natural hazard itself: what causes it, where it happens, and how it causes damage.

This unit is part of the OpenSciEd core instructional materials for middle school.

This lesson has students predict what the planet will look like 200 million years from today.  Students will utilize a map of current plate boundaries with direction and speed of movement.  Students will predict the future look of our planet based on their prior knowledge of plate boundaries and utilizing current rate of movement and direction for plate movements.

This unit is an introduction to Geological Time and Plate Tectonics for 7th graders

This unit explores Performance Expectations MS- ESS3-2, ESS2-3 and ETS1-4 by engaging students in Project-Based learning to develop a community presentation that examines whether your community is ready to respond to a major tectonic event.

This unit explores Performance Expectations MS- ESS3-2, ESS2-3 and ETS1-4 by engaging students in Project-Based learning to develop a community presentation that examines whether your community is ready to respond to a major tectonic event.

The Apollo 15 astronauts were trained in geology and sampling techniques. Complete your own geology training by completing these activities to become a Lunar Explorer.

Study geologic formations to learn more about what Al Worden saw as he flew over the Moon. Part of the Lunar Explorer Training Unit

Regolith slides and activity that explore how regolith is created and its presence on the Earth, the Moon, and Mars. These slides support the Lunar Explorer Training Unit

Use the information in this presentation to learn about how to classify rocks and go on a sample lunar mission of your own. These slides support the Lunar Explorer Training Unit

This diagram describes and illustrates the laws of relative rock dating. The laws of superposition, lateral continuity, original horizontality, cross-cutting relationships, and unconformities are represented. Definitions adapted from ck-12 Relative Ages of Rocks, CC-BY-NC 3.0

Travel to the Pacific Northwest, home to some of the most seismically active areas in the U.S. Learn from experts about tectonic activity and find out if they know when the "big one” will hit.

Join NASA Astronaut, and geologist Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger as she teaches you about plate tectonics using graham crackers and icing.

What do graham crackers and plate tectonics have in common? Find out with this hands on demo featuring NASA astronaut Drew Feustel.

Students will compare and contrast the different tectonic boundaries and use models to show tectonic boundaries