Teaching Activities

Earth education activities from across all of the sites within the Teach the Earth portal.



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Volcano Monitoring with GPS: Westdahl Volcano Alaska part of EarthScope ANGLE:Educational Materials:Activities
Maite Agopian, EarthScope; Beth Pratt-Sitaula, EarthScope
Learners use graphs of GPS position data to determine how the shape of Westdahl Volcano, Alaska is changing. If the flanks of a volcano swell or recede, it is a potential indication of magma movement and changing ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14), Middle (6-8), High School (9-12)
Online Readiness: Online Adaptable
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity, Lab Activity, Outreach Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Geodesy, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Volcanism, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards, Engineering
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary
On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Collection This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection.
Learn more about this review process.

World Map of Plate Boundaries part of EarthScope ANGLE:Educational Materials:Activities
Bonnie Magura (Portland Public Schools) and Chris Hedeen (Oregon City High School)
The plate tectonics mapping activity allows students to easily begin to identify basic tectonic processes on a global scale. As students become aware of plate movements, they begin to identify patterns that set the stage for deeper understanding of a very complex topic. The activity uses a simple "Where's Waldo" approach to identify tectonic symbols on a laminated World Plate Tectonic map.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity, Classroom Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Tectonics, Geoscience, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Earthquakes, Volcanism
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary
On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Collection This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection.
Learn more about this review process.

Be Smart, Be Prepared! Planning an Emergency Backpack part of EarthScope ANGLE:Educational Materials:Activities
Bonnie Magura (Portland Public Schools), CEETEP (Cascadia EarthScope Earthquake and Tsunami Education Program), and ANGLE Project
Participants learn what to do before, during, and after a potentially damaging earthquake. They brainstorm valuable components for an emergency supplies backpack and then present on their ideas. The primary resource is the booklet Are you prepared for the next big EARTHQUAKE in Alaska?

Grade Level: Informal, Middle (6-8), Intermediate (3-5), General Public, High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity, Lab Activity, Outreach Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Oceanography:Marine Hazards, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Coastal Hazards:Tsunami, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards, Natural Hazards:Volcanism, Earthquakes, Mass Wasting
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

SeismicWaves Viewer & SeismicEruption Software part of EarthScope ANGLE:Educational Materials:Activities
Roger Groom, Mt Tabor Middle School
This activity includes both the Seismic Waves Viewer and the Seismic Eruption software to help learners better understand earthquakes, volcanoes, and the structure of the Earth. Seismic Waves is a browser-based tool to visualize the propagation of seismic waves from historic earthquakes through Earth's interior and around its surface. By carefully examining these seismic wave fronts and their propagation, the Seismic Waves tool illustrates how earthquakes can provide evidence that allows us to infer Earth's interior structure. Seismic Eruption shows seismicity (earthquakes) and volcanic activity in space and time from 1960 to present. When the program is running, the user sees lights, which represent earthquakes, flashing on the screen in speeded-up time. The user can control the speed of the action. In addition, the program can show seismicity under Earth's surface in three-dimensional and cross-sectional views. Earthquakes can be selected by magnitude and volcanic eruptions can be selected by volcanic explosivity index. In this way, large earthquakes and large eruptions can be selected to emphasize how different types of plate boundaries are characterized by different magnitudes of earthquakes (e.g. no major or great earthquakes occur on spreading ocean ridges). This lesson plan was developed by , Portland Oregon. Students investigate how seismic waves travel through Earth's internal layers and bounce and bend at internal boundaries between mantle, outer core, and inner core.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Middle (6-8), College Lower (13-14)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity, Classroom Activity
Subject: Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Earthquakes, Geoscience, Geology:Geophysics:Seismology, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Volcanism
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Volcano Lab - Google Earth part of Integrate:Workshops and Webinars:Teaching About Earth Online Workshop:Activities
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 ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Online Readiness: Online Ready
Resource Type: Activities: Activities, Virtual Field Trip, Lab Activity
Subject: Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Volcanism
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

2018 Kīlauea Eruption Simulation: A Volcanic Crisis Role-Play Simulation and Training Activity part of Hawaiian Volcanoes
Andrew Greene, Hawaii Pacific University
This activity is an accurate role-play simulation of the historic 2018 Kīlauea eruption in Hawaiʻi. The goal of this engaging interactive simulation is for participants to experience a simulated volcanic crisis ...

Grade Level: Graduate/Professional, College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16), High School (9-12)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity, Classroom Activity
Subject: Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Volcanism, Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology:Landforms/Processes:Volcanoes

Unit 2.1 Extension: Wave Application to Hunga Tsunami Wave Data part of TIDeS:TIDeS Teaching Materials:Physical Science
Sandra Penny, Russell Sage College; Natalie Bursztyn, University of Montana
Waves are observable all over the place, so why do they exist? Students conduct experiments to examine wave speed, then use data to analyze wave speed, distance traveled, and time elapsed for the tsunami wave ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity, Course Module, Activities:Classroom Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Oceanography:Marine Hazards, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Coastal Hazards:Tsunami, Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Volcanism

"We Need All the Assistance You Have..." part of EarthScope ANGLE:Educational Materials:Activities
USGS (US Geological Survey)
This exercise provides a basic introduction to volcanic hazards. Students learn about different types of volcanic hazards through researching examples from Alaskan eruptions. They also group the hazards as proximal and distal to consider how emergency response plans might differ. A recording of the KLM flight 867 flight that lost power to all four engines when it flew into an ash cloud from a 1989 Mt Redoubt eruption provides a compelling example of risk from volcanoes. (Note: the plane was ultimately able to regain enough power to land safely in Anchorage.) Students learn about the Volcano Hazards Alert-Notification System for both ground-based and aviation applications.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Middle (6-8), Intermediate (3-5)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity, Outreach Activity, Lab Activity
Subject: Environmental Science:Natural Hazards, Natural Hazards:Volcanism, Geoscience
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Natural Hazards on the Island of Hawai‘i part of Hawaiian Volcanoes
Andrew Greene, Hawaii Pacific University; Michael Garcia, University of Hawaii at Hilo; Michael Poland
In this jigsaw activity, students discover four different aspects of natural hazards on the Island of Hawaii. The goal for students is to design a hazard zone map that combines these four topics and that could be ...

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16), Graduate/Professional, College Lower (13-14)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Oceanography:Marine Hazards, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Coastal Hazards:Tsunami, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Earthquakes, Volcanism
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Life and Death of Hawaiian Volcanoes: A Jigsaw Activity on the Hawaiian Ridge part of Hawaiian Volcanoes
Andrew Greene, Hawaii Pacific University; Michael Garcia, University of Hawaii at Hilo
This activity immerses students in the discovery and appreciation of the Hawaiian hotspot, and the growth and evolution of Hawaiian volcanoes. This engaging, interactive group activity uses a beautiful 25 foot long ...

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16), College Lower (13-14), Graduate/Professional
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity, Lab Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Mass Wasting, Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology:Landforms/Processes:Volcanoes, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Subsidence, Volcanism
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review