Monday 24 February 2014

What am I made of?

Have you tried this ELI? 'What am I made of; a comparison between the chemistry of the human body and the rest of the Earth'

Introduce the names and main features of the Earth’s four interacting spheres (diagram above):
Discuss the following with the pupils:
(1) These spheres are all made of naturally occurring chemical elements in differing combinations and proportions, but
(2) the essential differences between each of these are due to their different chemical structures:
Interesting events take place at the interfaces between these spheres. They involve changes in chemical structure, usually because of chemical reactions, which move the chemical elements between the spheres. There is a continual cycling of elements through each sphere, a cycling which is essential to the existence of each sphere, especially the atmosphere, hydrosphere and, above all, the biosphere.
(3) The elements mostly occur as compounds combined with other elements, and not as separate elements (as shown in the puzzle and in the Tables which are supplied).
This is one of many free activities available to download from our website

Monday 17 February 2014

Sedimentary structures - graded bedding

Today we published another activity about sedimentary structures. This time it's graded bedding. 'Make your own graded bed - one depositional event, but with coarse to fine sediment'  This activity can be used in any lesson dealing with the origin of sediments and the interpretation of past environments.
All ELIs are free to download and can be accessed from our website where there are three ways to search for the topic you want.

Monday 10 February 2014

Glacial and periglacial landscapes

'Evidence from the deep freeze - under or near ice sheets'. In this Earthlearningidea, pupils use photographs to distinguish between landscapes formed by ice sheets or glaciers and those formed by periglacial processes.
This activity can be used to bridge the divide between science and geography in schools. It can be used to enhance lessons on the landscape features associated with an ‘Ice Age’. The characteristics of the deposits formed under or near an ice sheet or glacier may also be studied.
Visit our website for more innovative Earth-related activities.

Monday 3 February 2014

Bringing a fossil 'back to life'

Our new ELI is "Running the fossilisation film backwards; bringing a fossil 'back to life'" This is a thought experiment, including possible re-enactment, to recreate the likely ‘final moments’ of an animal which later became a fossil.
All Earthlearningideas are free to download from our website.