The National Park Service has developed this exemplary set of educational resources which draws on their greatest assets, namely national parks from Maine to Utah. The materials are specifically designed for teaching geology, but it's easy to see how these items could be incorporated into general science classes. The main area on their homepage features over a dozen teacher guides and park...

The National Park Service offers hundreds of free, standards-aligned lesson plans, many of which can easily be used in classrooms anywhere. A great example is this geology lesson plan provided by Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve. Written for elementary students in grades three to five, this lesson uses two interactive activities to teach students about the different layers that...

The Nebraska Earth Science Education Network has as one of its objectives to promote and enhance K-12 earth science education. The Web site provides lesson plans on various subjects including astronomy, geology, mapping, soils, water, and weather. Each submitted lesson gives a recommended grade level and contains objectives, materials needed, procedures, and conclusions, depending on the activity....

A great deal can be learned by observing a sand box, and this delightful instructional resource offers ample proof. This resource was developed by Betsy D. Torrez of Sam Houston State University and it is designed to help students use sandbox models "to investigate the characteristics of normal faults and parameters that influence their development." The resource is intended for use by students in...

At this website, the California Institute of Technology's Paleomagnetics Laboratory promotes its research of weakly magnetic geologic and biological materials. Users can learn about the facilities such as the biomagnetics lab and the automatic sampler. The website features the laboratory's recent research on many topics including extraterrestrial magnetism, magnetofossils, and historical...

The site, Professional Development for Geoscience Faculty, continues to receive high marks and a great deal of praise, and this resource follows in that established tradition. Created by Lawrence D. Lemke of Wayne State University, this exercise helps educators assess the current state of students" educational background as it applies to sedimentary geology. As Lemke notes in the introduction, he...

The RocksForKids site is produced by two amateur, Canadian "rockhounds" and collectors, actually a K-12 teacher and an architect. The site provides introductory information and Web links on rocks and minerals for school children. Topics include: How Rocks & Minerals are formed, Identification of Rocks & Minerals and Uses of Rocks & Minerals. There is also a section for teachers offering...

Most will agree that nothing is more relaxing that lying or walking on a beach. While unwinding, have you ever wondered what caused those big mounds of sand that you crossed to get there? This topic in depth addresses this issue, featuring Web sites that discuss sand dune processes and formations. Some of the Web sites also discuss research, mining, and protection activities taking place in areas...

Spatial thinking is critical to the analytical work of the geosciences. Navigating unfamiliar landscapes requires a keen understanding of the lay of the land, as does constructing a cross-section through deformed rocks. This set of thematic resources from the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College provides teaching activities, visualizations, and print and online references for...

The Cutting Edge group at Carleton College has created a number of fine teaching resources for college-level instructors working across the geological sciences, and this website is no exception. This particular area of their larger site is primarily intended for educators who teach structural geology. As visitors scroll through the site, they will find thematic areas that include links to computer...