State Soil Investigation Activity Source: Soil Science Society of America. Adapted with permission. Many states have a designated state bird, flower, fish, tree, rock, and so on. Many states also have a state soil — one that has significance or is important to the state. The Soil Science Society of America has developed a collection of state soil booklets, designed and written by professional soil scientists from the region to share in-depth information on each state soil. [Read More]

Step by Step Weather Observations Activity Source: National Weather Service, 2006. Adapted with permission. Background We can read about, hear, or see weather reports every day on the radio, television, Internet, or newspapers. Some of this information includes current air temperatures and highs and lows for that day. As a citizen scientist, you can take your own air temperatures with an outdoor thermometer and compare your readings to the official ones from the National Weather Service. [Read More]

Surficial Features Activity Source: America Geophysical Union. Adapted with permission. Various types of sediments, or “surficial features,” lie above the bedrock in many places. The U.S. Geological Survey provides a map illustrating this phenomenon at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/of03-275/. “Most daily human activities occur on or near the Earth’s surface,” as the introduction to the map states. “Homeowners, communities, and governments can make improved decisions about hazard, resource, and environmental issues, when they understand the nature of surficial materials and how they vary from place to place. [Read More]

Survey Mark Hunting Activity Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Adapted with permission. Geodesy is the science that measures and represents the size and shape of Earth. In the United States, survey reference points are developed and maintained by NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS). In this activity, you will find data on the location and description of survey marks in your area and—if you like—search for them through a variation of geocaching. [Read More]

Sustaining Living Soil with Composting Activity Source: Soil Science Society of America. Adapted with permission. Composting is the decomposition of organic waste materials in the presence of water, air, and microorganisms to produce organic fertilizer. Organic matter improves soil quality by feeding soil organisms, provides plants nutrients for growth, and enhances soil structure and water holding capacity., while reducing our dependence on synthetic fertilizers. A key part of a healthy compost pile is a balance of green and brown organic matter. [Read More]

Systems in Earth Science Activity Source: Adapted with permission by SEED (Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development). What systems can you find within the Earth sciences? How do they work? How do they interact with each other? Within its new online Earth sciences theme, SEED has collected articles, activities, animations, and simulations to highlight the many systems of Earth. For example, the water cycle represents a system. A part that is often neglected is groundwater. [Read More]

Take the Pulse of Your Classroom Activity Source: Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and Suitable Systems Background Elastic waves that move through the Earth are called seismic waves. Want to study them more closely? SeisMac is a free application that displays the output from the Sudden Motion Sensor in recent Mac laptops as a real-time, three-axis, acceleration graph, or, more commonly, a seismogram. Once your class has received some instruction on seismic waves, the following activity can leverage SeisMac technology to help students understand how a seismometer records ground motions. [Read More]

Temperature and Precipitation Connections Activity Source: Adapted with permission by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. No matter where we are on Earth, we can observe changes in vegetation. Some changes are drastic, such as going from dormant to full growth during a temperate winter. Vegetative growth is dependent on both surface temperature (which influences soil temperature) and precipitation (which influences soil moisture). Together these environmental variables help determine the beginning, duration, and end of the growing season; the latter marked by leaf senescence, when leaves of deciduous trees die and turn colors. [Read More]

Texas Rocks Activity Source: Houston Geologocial Society. Adapted with permission. Geologic maps can tell you a lot about the rocks beneath your feet. You can use the legend with the map to figure out what rock types are in various geographic areas. The legend can also tell you in what geologic period those rocks formed. Geologists use such maps to help identify where natural resources are and where natural hazards are likely to occur. [Read More]

The EarthTrek Gravestone Project Activity Source: Geological Society of America. Adapted with permission. Raindrops contain more than just water. In addition to the small particles of dust around which water drops form, raindrops can contain chemicals found in the atmosphere. Often rain is slightly acidic. This “acid rain” can chemically affect (weather) materials it touches. The amount of weathering differs from place to place and changes over time. Marble, a stone commonly used to make gravestones, is mostly made up of the mineral calcite. [Read More]