Teaching Activities

Virtual Soil Classification
Karen Rose Cercone, Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus
After watching a video, students classify soils using a ternary soil diagram and run online computer models to see how the proportion of sand, silt and clay affect drainage. Students then use the ternary soil ...

Having Students Create an Online Discussion Board Forum: Recent Oceanographic Info in the News & A Beautiful Question
Al Trujillo, Palomar College
An online Discussion Board Forum is a great tool for facilitating student interaction. If done well, discussion boards not only deepen learning, they can also build class community, an essential element for ...

Volcano Lab - Google Earth
Tamara Misner, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Volcano shape is strongly controlled by eruptive style, which in turn is controlled by magma composition and tectonic setting. This lab utilizes Google Earth, which takes students on a virtual field trip, in order ...

Writing Assignment for Marine Biology
Anthony Santorelli, Anne Arundel Community College
Students write about the important aspects of a species of sea life, including physical characteristics, habitat, behaviors and interaction with humans and also provide a video that addresses that sea life along ...

Identifying and Classifying Sedimentary Rocks in Thin Section
Rachel Walters, University of Florida
This is an online activity introducing students to the basic identification and classification of the textural and compositional characteristics of sedimentary rocks in thin section.

Introduction to Google Earth and Plate Tectonics
Denise Bristol, Hillsborough Community College
This activity introduces students to using Google Earth and adding layers to google earth, while re-enforcing plate tectonic concepts and evidence for plate tectonics. Outcomes: 1. Download Google Earth onto ...

Contrails or Chemtrails?
Blair Larsen, Utah State University
Using multi-media and basic atmospheric physics, students investigate contrails and chemtrails. Students apply previous learning about pseudoscience, and couple that with an understanding of the atmosphere to reach ...

Landslide Hazard Site Assessments
Beth Hallauer, Sinclair Community College
In this project students will first research the landslide-prone Seattle area using provided websites to gather background and perspective for the second part of the assignment. In the second part of the assignment ...

Paleoclimate influence on landscape evolution
Tim White, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
In this activity we work students through a series of simple activities that allow them to recognize modern landforms in Alaska as existing in a central PA landscape to conclude that at some time in the past PA ...

Determining Plate Rates From Hot Spot Tracks Using Google Earth
Susan Schwartz, University of California-Santa Cruz
This activity uses Google Earth to explore the distribution of plate boundaries and hotspot volcanoes on Earth. It uses the ages and locations of the hotspot volcanoes to determine the direction and rate of plate ...