Elementary School, Geology Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 3)

STEM Activity

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Have you ever thought about what type of ground buildings are constructed on? Rock, gravel, sand, soil and many others—there are lots of different types of "ground." And this issue becomes especially important in areas that are likely to get earthquakes. In this activity you will build a sweet building on a homemade shake table and find out how an earthquake impacts buildings constructed on landfill. How will your structure perform in a pretend earthquake? Read more

How Fast Do Seismic Waves Travel?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered how fast a seismic wave from an earthquake travels? In this geology science project you can figure this out using historical seismograph data that you can collect from the comfort of your own computer. You will use a web interface to a network of seismometers run by the Northern California Earthquake Data Center, at the University of California, Berkeley. From the seismograms you make, you will be able to measure the time it took for the seismic waves to travel from the… Read more

Porosity and Particle Size

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Often, when we think of something that is solid we think about rocks. But in reality, rocks have tiny holes of air inside them. This is called porosity. In this science project you can find out what it means to be "solid as a rock!" Read more

Sorting Out Sedimentation

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Sedimentary rock forms in layers that are deposited one after the other over long periods of time. Oftentimes, sedimentary rock contains fossils and other debris that are deposited within the layers. How do sediments form? How are sediments of different shapes, sizes, and types sorted during the process of sedimentation? Find out in this science fair project! Read more

Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

Lesson Plan Grade: 5th-8th

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"Surprise Glacier" © 2010 Jiuguang Wang Do sea levels rise when ice melts? Does it matter whether the ice is on land or in the ocean? Students design an experiment to find out. They collect data, graph their results, and interpret their findings. Along the way, they learn about density, displacement, and climate change. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

5-PS1-2. Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved.
MS-PS1-5. Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.

Earthquakes

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Visit the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program to find out about global patterns of earthquake incidents (USGS, 2006). Can mapping earthquakes help identify fault lines? They also have a list of science fair project ideas. Another great resource for earthquake-oriented science fair projects is by Jeffery Barker (Barker, 1994). Build a model to study the forces of an earthquake using sandpaper-covered blocks. What are the forces involved? How are stress and friction in balance along a fault line?… Read more

Earthquakes and Tectonic Plates

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-7th

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© 2009 California Academy of Sciences How can we determine the locations of tectonic plate boundaries? How can we use seismic waves to pinpoint the epicenter of an earthquake? In this activity, students will explore these and other questions using seismic data and triangulation. Read more

Mapping Landforms

Lesson Plan Grade: 2nd

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In this lesson, students will build three-dimensional play dough models from pictures that show various landforms and bodies of water. As they analyze and compare their different models, students will realize that there are many different types of landforms and bodies of water on Earth. Based on their play dough models, students will discuss how various landforms and bodies of water can be represented on a map. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

2-ESS2-2. Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area.

Ring of Fire 2: What Earthquakes Tell Us About Plate Tectonics

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Today it is widely accepted that the Earth's crust consists of a series of huge plates that slowly move. The low parts of the plates are beneath the world's oceans, and the high parts of the plates are landmasses. New plate material is generated at deep sea ocean ridges in a process called sea-floor spreading. Material from plates is also recycled at trenches, where dense, oceanic crust dives back (subducts) underneath an adjacent plate towards the upper mantle. Figure 1 shows a map of the… Read more

Rocky Secrets: Where Does Oil Hide?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You may have heard the expression, "You can't get blood from a stone." But what about oil? Can you get petroleum oil from a stone? In this geology science fair project, you'll find out what kinds of stones make the best storage rocks for oil. You'll see which ones can soak up oil like a sponge, and which ones cannot soak up oil or let it pass through, but can act as a "cap" to contain the oil in secret underground traps. Can a hard rock really act like a soft sponge... maybe SpongeBob… Read more

Elementary School, Geology Projects, Lessons, Activities (35 results)

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