This booklet provides a brief introduction to the concept of plate tectonics and complements the visual and written information in This Dynamic Planet, a map published in 1994 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Smithsonian Institution. The booklet highlights some of the people and discoveries that advanced the development of the theory and traces its progress since its proposal. Although ... Full description.

Students will utilize the Internet to take a virtual field trip to visit a glacier and discover what physical effects glaciers have on the land. They will also have the opportunity to virtually visit Vermont and trace the pictorial history of how a whale's fossils were found there. The site also contains a student worksheet for their visual field trip. The site also provides an explanation of the ... Full description.

The PALEOMAP Project illustrates the plate tectonic development of the ocean basins and continents, as well as the changing distribution of land and sea during the past 1100 million years. The reconstruction of paleoclimates is also discussed. Maps are viewed as animations where the time component can be user-manipulated. Included are a variety of background materials which supplement the animations. ... Full description.

Researchers have identified approximately 140 individual impact craters on Earth. These craters probably represent only about 25 percent of those to be found. Assuming an equal rate of impact around the globe, many more craters remain to be discovered, particularly in remote land regions of our planet and in the oceans. This activity uses satellite images of several craters on the earth to study impact ... Full description.

These resources include sections on the latest quakes, science project ideas, puzzles and games, online activities, a glossary, and cool earthquake facts. In addition, there is an Ask A Geologist section, and earthquake FAQs. One link leads to a teacher page with grade level topics and educational materials. Full description.

This Why File article investigates the controversy over 'Sue', the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex remains ever found. A timeline of the events is given that led to her final placement at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Due to politics, land rights, ownership arguments, and other issues, her bones were unsettled and not completely studied from 1990 to 1996. This article also examines ... Full description.

This Classroom Connectors lesson plan fossils and how they are formed. The site provides goals, objectives, an outline, time required, materials, activities, and closure ideas for the lesson. The Classroom Connectors address content with an activity approach while incorporating themes necessary to raise the activity to a higher cognition level. The major motivation is to employ instructional strategies ... Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades 6-8. It discusses the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex, and whether or not it was a scavenger or a predator. After researching many physical aspects of this dinosaur, students explain their views on this topic to show what they have learned. It includes objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, evaluation ideas, ... Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades 6-8. It focuses on the Mesozoic era of Earth's history, when the dinosaurs were alive. Students divide into groups to research one of the three periods of this time, and create a habitat mural for that time period. At the end, comparisons are made between the three time periods to discover how dinosaurs evolved during ... Full description.

This informational tour offers students a basic understanding of geologic time, the evidence for events in the history of the Earth, relative and absolute dating techniques, and the significance of the Geologic Time Scale. Students move at a self-selected pace by answering questions correctly as they go. The teacher's guide contains all the details needed to use this computer activity, including handouts, ... Full description.