Teacher Resources: Earth Science Labs and Activities:
Lab: Seasons and the Suns Apparent Path
This virtual laboratory experience is meant to allow students to use simulators to master the concepts associated with seasons. You will explore how Earth’s tilted axis of rotation, in combination with different points in Earth’s revolution around the Sun, creates seasonal variations in New York State and around the world.
Lab: Evolution of Earths Oceans and Atmosphere
Create a scaled timeline of Earth’s history enriched with information and images detailing the formation ofEarths oceans and atmosphere (This lab is intended to be completed by students who have access to the NYS Earth Science Reference Tables, so if you do not have access, a free download is available at the bottom of this page).
Lab: Phases of the Moon
In this lab activity, students will work with a partner to model the Moons revolution around the Earth and the phases observed on Earth based on the relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. (This lab is intended to be completed by students who have access to a "Moon Ball", which is essentially just a softball that has been bisected by painting it black. The "Moon Ball" is not sold with this lab, so teachers will need to create their own.
Lab: Rock Layers and Geologic Time
In this lab activity, students will create a model of the Geologic Time Scale. The model will show the relative order and absolute age of the various Eons, Eras, Periods, and Epochs of geologic time.
They will apply the dating principal of Superposition in the structure of the model.
Students will also apply the Law of Faunal Succession in the placing of cut-outs of NYS Index Fossils in the rock strata appropriate for the division of geologic time the organisms existed. Any excess fossils that cannot fit into a rock strata on the model will be attached to a NYS map showing the regions covered by bedrock from various geologic periods and eras.
(This lab is intended to be completed by students who have access to the NYS Earth Science Reference Tables, so if you do not have access, a free download is available at the bottom of this page).
