6th Grade: Fossils!

Making plaster casts... for babies...

Making fossils

Ancient footprints?

Index Fossil Chart

A great page of visualizations to help you understand the concepts of geologic time.

Plate Tectonics and Earth Origins?...

A series of videos that explore the origin of earth and the way plate tectonics works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDqskltCixA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft-dP2D7QM4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x8-KMR0nx8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_7obPhGCCk&feature=related

Flash Interactives for Seasons and Lunar Phases

The Earth-Moon-Sun system... what a joy to behold! It's a little hard to understand at first, but these interactive flash simulations make it a whole lot easier. Say thanks to McGraw-Hill.

"Thank McGraw-Hill"

That's nice, children. :-)

Lunar Phases

Earth Seasons

Tides!

Here it is, 7th grade:

Tides Lesson
Questions to answer - before explanations:

1. At which phase (or phases) of the moon is the high tide at the highest point?

2. At which phase (or phases) of the moon is the high tide at its lowest point?

3. If the sun, earth, and moon all pull on each other because of gravity, try to explain why the shape of the tides changes over time.


Questions to answer - after explanations:

1. Why does the height of the tides change as the moon travels around the earth?

2. If it is neap tide, and you are at the beach at low tide, when the sun is in the sky, about what time is it? (go here for a hint about times.)

Seasons Interactive Flash

Hey 7th grade! Go here for an interactive demonstration of how the Earth's seasons depend on the tilt of the earth and our orbit around the sun.

We don't have time for all the activities I'd like us to do in school, but the activity you can find here looks like a lot of fun, and would definitely be worth 2 % extra on your next report card (and maybe even a couple of Jolly Ranchers).