Below you will find web links, extra printables, and other resources to use along with the Earth & Space units in the Layers of Learning curriculum.
Earth & Space is sold as a single volume and as individual units, which are like chapters within the Earth & Space book. Here is a free printable cover to accompany your Earth & Space PDF units.
How Science Works
- How Science Works YouTube Playlist
- Significant Figures Quiz, Another Significant Figures Quiz
- Scientific Notation Lesson from Math is Fun
- A Series of Quizzes on the Scientific Method
- Send your high schoolers to Khan Academy to do some independent learning about the scientific method. Start with this video then continue on with lessons down the left hand side of the screen.
- There are two experiments in this unit to try the scientific method out, but you may want more. Sciencing.com has four more good ideas to try.
- For use with your younger kids, here is an activity where kids use scientific methods to learn about the concept of volume.
- Article “There Is No Scientific Method” by Lee Smolin, a physicist. Older kids can read this and see what they think of Smolin’s ideas. Does he have a point?
- Learn and practice scientific notation at Khan Academy. Start with the video, then go through the lessons on the left hand side of the screen. This is important for middle grades and up.
- Finally, here is a Khan Academy video and lessons on significant figures.
Planet Earth
- Planet Earth YouTube Playlist
- Excellent basic information about the layers of the earth from BBC bitesize. Send your middle schooler here to read on her own and then write a report or make a poster.
- Video from Khan Academy about the structure of the earth. For kids from 13 years and up.
- Watch a Khan Academy video about how seismic waves have helped scientists learn about the insides of the earth
- Video “Why Does Earth Have Layers?” For 10 years and up.
- Video “Mohorovic Seismic Discontinuity” from Khan Academy. For high school.
- Read about a university student doing groundbreaking discoveries about the origin of Earth’s oceans.
- Read how the Earth’s magnetic field is constantly changing. For high school or for younger kids with help from a parent.
- New continental rock is formed from old continental rock. But then how did continents first start? These scientists think they know.
- How do we know the age of the earth? video.
Plate Tectonics
- Plate Tectonics YouTube Playlist
- Video on Plate Tectonics by Bozeman Science.
- Play an interactive game about plate tectonic theory
- Watch Plate Tectonics Evidence of Plate Movement from Khan Academy
- Explore this interactive map of the plates of Earth
- Watch this video that explains how magnetism is related to seafloor spreading and the theory of plate tectonics
- Watch a video about the types of faults
- Watch a 48-minute documentary about the Cascadia subduction zone
- Watch this 25-minute video about the Pacific Ring of Fire.
- Watch a video and read information from the National Park Service about mud pots at Yellowstone NP.
- 3-minute What is a Volcano video
- Information on volcanoes and volcano safety in the United States from the USGS
- Exploding volcano mini-book from Scholastic
- Six and a half minute video for young kids All About Volcanoes.
- Read an article about the East African Rift and how it is forming a new plate
- Watch this video about the East African Rift
- Visit the USGS Earthquake site to see a map of where in the world earthquakes have hit today
- Watch a video that explains how the Richter Scale and the Moment Magnitude Scale are used to measure the size of earthquakes
- Watch this video about how earthquakes work
- Read a scientific paper on the Papua New Guinea highlands, a little piece of continent floating in the midst of oceanic plates
- How are Mountains Made video
- Why Are Mountains So Tall video from TED ed.
- Lesson plan on How Mountains Are Formed coupled with information engineers need for tunneling through mountains
- 50 minute documentary Magic of the Mountains about the environment and life of high mountain places
Rocks
- Rocks YouTube Playlist
- For middle schoolers and up, take this online quiz with pictures of rock that you place into igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary categories
- Visit GeoMan for any rock related questions . . . any at all.
- KidsLoveRocks.com is a great place to get information, games, lesson plans, and kits to purchase
- Here is a list of 101 amazing rock formations around the world. If one is in traveling distance, take a trip to it.
- This article explains how sandstone arches are formed and also gives a great view of how scientists really work.
- Take a virtual expedition to Devils Tower National Monument
- Geology Field Trip in a Bag, an interactive activity with real rock samples you can purchase.
- Lots of information about rocks, courtesy of the U.S. National Parks Service
- A few simple mineral games
- A few simple rocks games
- DK Find Out Rocks and Minerals Quiz
Fossils
- Fossils YouTube Playlist
- Article on the Cambrian Explosion for kids to read
- Complete the Junior Paleontologist Program with the National Park Service.
- Explore the DK Fossil Facts page with your kids
- A simple explanation about fossils written to kids. Read it together.
- Browse through dozens of real fossil images from the Smithsonian in their online exhibit
- Play an online game where you dig for dinosaur bones.
- Read several articles about paleontology from the Natural History Museum, London and then take a quiz.
- A kit of real fossils to examine.
- If you find your own fossils and need help identifying them or want to enter them into a database check out myfossil.org.
- Read a series of articles on how fossils are found, excavated, prepared, and then studied.
- The path of new scientific advancement is rarely smooth. This article about a paleontologist who believes proteins can be isolated from fossil bones is a good example.
- Free dinosaur clipart & svgs
Seasons & Climate
- Seasons & Climate YouTube Playlist
- Interactive site where you can experiment with the Milankovitch cycle
- Online quiz about the seasons
- Get inspired by these images of four seasons tree paintings and create your own cool art.
- Climate Kids Games by NASA
- Play Climate Trivia
- Interactive simulations about climate
- Read an article from a USGS scientists about the amount of carbon dioxide volcanoes release compared to the amount people release. For high school.
- Read all about the four processes of the carbon cycle.
Weather
- Weather YouTube Playlist
- Kid-friendly site for your kids to get their daily weather report and information
- Weather Whiz Kids – A site for learning all about weather from a meteorologist
- The National Weather Service Just For Kids site, includes coloring pages and more
- NASA Climate Kids – Ties weather and climate together to show how they are related
- DK Find Out Facts About Weather
- Weather Games for Kids
- Dress for the Weather Game
- Weather Whiz Kids Weather Games
- Learning Games for Kids – Weather
- Quizlet about Weather
- Ultimate Weather Quiz
Universe
- Universe YouTube Playlist
- Print and make your own planisphere keyed to your location and date so you can find the stars and constellations in the night sky.
- How to find the south celestial pole in the night sky using the Southern Cross and the two pointer stars. For people who live in the southern hemisphere.
- Print the Kepler Star Wheel from NASA to help you locate stars that are visible to the naked eye and that have exoplanets orbiting them. You won’t be able to actually see the exoplanets, they are much too dim and small.
- NASA keeps a count of the number of exoplanets discovered so far. This page also displays the latest finds and news about the search for planets outside our solar system.
- Here is a list of observatories in the United States. Use this as a reference for observatories to visit during this unit.
- An article and video about how collecting and analyzing data is helping us understand the universe
Solar System
- Solar System YouTube Playlist
- Visit the NASA student site to read articles about what is going on with the International Space Station, the latest space probes, and the Mars Rovers. Plus get alerted to student opportunities for internships and more.
- NASA’s Spacesuit Article
- NASA Science Kids site all about the solar system
- Kid-friendly articles about each of the planets
- DK Find Out’s Solar System site
- PDF Fact Sheet about the Solar System
- NASA Space Place – simple online games for kids about space
- James Webb Telescope
- Solar System Quizlet
- Solar System Quiz
- Solar System Trivia
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