Welcome to SERC's portal for K-12 Educators. We've scoured dozens of educational project websites hosted by SERC to find the activities and resources of highest interest to K-12 educators. On this site, there are hundreds of classroom activities organized by grade level and topic as well as guidance on effective teaching. Many of these resources were expressly developed with a K-12 audience in mind. Others can be adapted to K-12 classrooms even though they were originally developed with a college audience in mind. Dive in!
Search for Activities
Here, you will find hundreds of lessons, activities, lab investigations,and field trip ideas on a wide range of topics to use in class. Click on the buttons below to search our collections.
Interested in how the Next Generation Science Standards were informed? The National Association of Geoscience Teachers page on Education and Policy is a great starting place.
Resources for AP/IB/Honors High School Teachers
On this page: Finding Lessons for Teaching | Finding Resources for Teaching
Teaching with Maps
On this page: Example Activities | Mapping Activity Collections | Resources from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers
Collections of Lessons
Improve Teaching and Learning
Here, you will find descriptions of research supported pedagogies, practical applications of theory on teaching and learning, and professional development opportunities.How Students Learn
On this page: Engagement, Learning, and Motivation | Teaching Controversial Topics
Teaching Strategies
On this page: Conducting Science with Students | Group Work Methods | Innovative Methods for Application and Analysis | Making Lecture Interactive | Teaching in Urban SettingsEducator's Toolbox
On this page: Visualizations | Videos | Simulations | Satellite Imagery | Quantitative SkillsCurriculum & Assessment
On this page: Assessment | Course Design | First Day of ClassSelected topics in K-12 Education
GIS Resources | Plate Tectonics | Volcanoes | Earthquakes | Tsunamis | Geohazards | Climate Change & Global Warming | Energy | Ozone | Evolution | Red Tide, Harmful Algal Blooms, and Dead Zones | Weathering & The Rock Cycle | Geologic Time | Visuals: Images, Diagrams, Video | Strengthening Your Teaching | Quantitative Skills, Thinking, and ReasoningProfessional Development
Web Resources
Contribute to the K-12 Portal
Make the K-12 lesson collection even better by sharing your lessons plans, activities, and labs. This above link will take you to the National Association of Geoscience Teachers lesson contribution page. Submit your lesson there and it will appear in the appropriate K-12 lesson browse.