Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Learner Express: Modules for Teaching and Learning
The Appalachian Mountains are compared to the much higher, but younger, Himalayas. View Video
On the Big Island of Hawaii, Volcanologist Dave Sherrod treads on the newest rock on the planet to show how quickly lava hardens when it emerges at the surface. View Video
Students select objects in the classroom and measure their circumference and diameter. View Video
Students explore fractions through a story, "fraction strips", and a game with a number cube. View Video
Working with geoboards helps students reach a better mathematical understanding of the concept of "half." View Video
Students in Mashpee, Massachusetts create a model of the ground water systems in Cape Cod. View Video
Using hybrid fluid solid-liquid materials (such as Silly Putty®) in the classroom, students explore the concept of a flowing solid. View Video
Two soil profiles in Hawaii demonstrate how warmer temperatures and increased rainfall can contribute to rapid rates of soil formation. View Video
Geoboards help students move from imprecise understandings of "half" to more precise mathematical thinking about the concept. View Video
Students observe ladybugs and collect data in order to answer quantitative questions. View Video
In this lesson, students work in groups to discuss and revise their estimates of how many seeds are in a small pumpkin. View Video
The fact that the jigsaw-puzzle-like fit of the coastlines of Africa and South America looked as if they had been attached in the past gave rise to the theory of continental drift. View Video
Earth's active processes of erosion and plate tectonics help explain why craters on the Earth are less visible than on its nearest neighbor, the Moon. View Video
A demonstration of viscosity and gas content of different types of magmas using chocolate syrup, mayonnaise, and seltzer water. View Video
Students in a playground act out an analogy for how temperature and pressure control the behavior of rocks in the Earth. View Video
By following sediments moved from the mountains to the sea, a mountain stream illustrates the process of erosion. View Video
Ocean floor features reveal the signature of tectonic plates, large, sometimes continent-sized rigid structures in the Earth's crust that can move independently of each other. View Video
The hot spot below Hawaii provides evidence for plate movement: as the Pacific Plate moves over the hot spot, it creates a string of islands. View Video
On average, soil only extends about one meter below the surface. Compared to the size of the Earth, soil is just a thin veneer on the surface. View Video
Part 1 of a three-part investigation into the sediments revealed at the ocean shore in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. View Video
Part 2 of a three-part investigation: ice flowing in the form of mountain glaciers is an important source of erosion in colder climates. View Video
Part 3 of a three-part investigation: over several episodes ending about 18,000 years ago, continental glaciers formed over much of North America. View Video
Extreme drill holes for research have only reached 14km below the surface—less than 0.2% of the distance to the other side. View Video
The various planets are thought to have formed from the solar nebula, the cloud of gas and dust left over from the Sun's formation. View Video
By digging a pit in either Hawaii or Massachusetts, scientists learn about soil composition and how it is formed. View Video
A rock outcrop on Lake Champlain has two adjacent rock sections: one horizontal, one vertical. Keith Klepeis investigates a potential cause. View Video
Keith Klepeis looks for possible sources of heat and pressure that could have deformed the outcropping at Clay Point in this continuing investigation. View Video
Geologist Keith Klepeis explains how the extreme forces from a tectonic plate collision were enough to cause the folding and partial melting of the rocks on Lake Champlain. View Video
A teacher uses real dominos to help students explore properties of addition. The dominoes are a concrete representation of the lesson's mathematical ideas. View Video
A teacher uses one story to create eight story-based centers—places where students explore different aspects of the story, especially as it pertains to mathematical learning. View Video
Mountains are shaped by forces from below (plate tectonics) and forces at the surface (erosion). View Video
Two continental plates collide, creating heat and pressure that bend rock and create mountain ranges. View Video
Geologist Andy Kurtz describes how lichens and plants speed the process of soil accumulation. View Video
Students work on an activity where they gather data for a bubble gum contest. View Video
Students work on a project to build and stain wooden pencil boxes. This involves measuring and calculating the surface area of geometric shapes. View Video
How do geoscientists determine the approximate age of a rock? (example: Uranimum-235) View Video
Students use abstract and quantitative reasoning to estimate how many beans are in a bag. View Video
In this estimation lesson, students are asked to predict and record how many scoops of cranberries fit into a jar. View Video
Students use abstract and quantitative reasoning to predict dice rolling. View Video
Students use various problem-solving strategies to understand the cost of household items, as well as the partitive model of division. View Video
Students use array structures to reason about relationships between sums and products. Charts help them identify patterns. View Video
Students work to answer the question: "How many cards would be needed if all 24 students in the class were to exchange cards with each other?" View Video
Soil composition is important in determining its qualities such as flow rate, which can be demonstrated by pouring water through containers. View Video
A student's reasonable misconception is compared to the current scientific consensus in interpreting the evidence for the formation of the Himalayas. View Video
One type of sedimentary rock is formed when materials such as gravel, sand, silt, and clay are deposited in new locations. View Video
Fifth grade students start an investigation into how sound waves (P and S waves) can be used to reveal the structure of the Earth. View Video
Second grade students do a classroom activity that simulates how seismic waves travel through solids and liquids in the Earth. View Video
Slow Flowing Solids Explain Tectonic Plate Movement View Video
On the Big Island of Hawaii, lava from volcanoes forms new rock. Physical and chemical processes contribute to the weathering of rock into sediment and soil. View Video
The solar system started to form when clouds of dust and gas collapsed, under the force of gravity, into a flat, spinning disk. View Video
The opening of the Atlantic Ocean between two tectonic plates at a spreading ridge separated the two continents. View Video
Spreading ridge volcanoes form in the deep sea where two plates are moving apart. View Video
Students explore properties of addition using both real dominos and dominos that they make out of paper. Both 3-D and 2-D tools provide concrete representations of the lesson's mathematical ideas. View Video
In this project, students work to build and stain wooden pencil boxes. This involves selecting the right tools to measure and calculate the surface area of geometric shapes. View Video
First-graders solve real-world measurement problems using standard and non-standard measuring tools. View Video
In this lesson, students use array structures to reason and conjecture about relationships between sums and products. View Video
Subduction zones are where rock slides under less-dense rock. Magma, enriched with highly pressurized steam and CO2, rises to the surface under subduction boundaries, making volcanoes. View Video
Scientists have proposed that the Moon was formed from a collision in the early solar system. View Video
Scientists Chuck Blay and Dave Sherrod compare Hawaiian volcanoes to Mt. Saint Helens. View Video
The formation of two types of fossils are shown and discussed: an imprint in a rock and minerals replacing the shells of dead organisms. View Video
The gases that make up our atmosphere were released during volcanic eruptions in both the past and present. View Video
Scientists describe how mantle rock melts into magma and how the more buoyant, liquid magma floats toward the Earth's surface. View Video
Seismic waves produced by geological equipment or earthquakes can be used to probe the Earth's interior. View Video
Sediment on a beach contributes to the vast continental shelf offshore over time, but this does not explain where the sediment came from. View Video
Why do craters on the Moon have similar shapes? A planetary scientist uses a ball thrown into sand to illustrate the reason. View Video
