Earth Science

Uncover the forces that shape our world, from plate tectonics to weather.

Take a closer look at what makes Earth go ’round

What’s underfoot, overhead, and all around us? Earth is dynamic and always changing; investigate it with our lesson plans. Crack open the world of plate tectonics, discover what makes flowers bloom, or turn an eye to the night sky. Use these resources to organize and enrich any Earth science unit.

Earth Science For Early Learners

  • The Night Sky Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership

    Use night sky patterns found in folktales from around the world to explore observable patterns of the moon and stars.

  • Kindergarten Weather Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership

    Listen to the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and draw comparisons between weather forecasting and responses in Chicago and the fictional town of Chewandswallow.

Dinosaur Toolkit highlights

Dig into the connections between fossils and Earth’s history.

  • Plate Motion Past and Present | Dinosaur Toolkit

    Analyze and interpret data about the structures of Earth’s crust and the fossil record.

  • Rock Clocks Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit

    Discover how scientists determine the age of rocks and fossils and use those processes to develop a timeline of Earth's history.

  • What are Fossils Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit

    Explore how fossils form and discover how scientists know where to find them.

Earth Science resources

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    Showing 23 resources

    • Animal Survival Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership

      Act as consultants to the City of Chicago and assess their relocation plan for urban coyotes.

    • Artifact Observation Guide

      Encourage close examination of a single artifact—an object produced by humans—using observations and inferences.

    • At Home Collections | Science Hub at Home

      Create your own museum collection at home.

    • Dinosaur Family Tree | Dinosaur Toolkit

      Examine dinosaur physical traits to identify similarities and differences in their features and construct a system of classification.

    • Exhibition Investigation Guide

      Investigate a museum exhibition using the claim, evidence, reasoning cycle.

    • Giants from the Past | Dinosaur Toolkit

      Analyze and interpret data about sauropods and build a nonfiction narrative about how this group of dinosaurs evolved over millions of years.

    • Island Evolution

      Discover why islands contain so many unique species.

    • Kindergarten Weather Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership

      Listen to the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and draw comparisons between weather forecasting and responses in Chicago and the fictional town of Chewandswallow.

    • Mapping and Monarchs Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership

      Learn how to analyze and interpret maps by studying monarch butterfly migration.

    • Plate Motion Past and Present | Dinosaur Toolkit

      Analyze and interpret data about the structures of Earth’s crust and the fossil record.

    • Pollination Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership

      Interact with various models to explore the structures of plants and animals related to the process of pollination.

    • Pre-K Weather Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership

      Observe and record weather to build a common understanding of observable weather conditions in the fall in Chicago. Then make recommendations about how SUE should prepare to play outside.

    • Protecting Earth's Ecosystem | Exploring the Field Guide

      Analyze methods used to address environmental issues and design strategies to protect local ecosystems.

    • Rise of Dinosaurs | Dinosaur Toolkit

      Analyze data from a mock fossil dig to determine the differences and similarities between multiple fossil dig sites.

    • Rock Clocks Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit

      Discover how scientists determine the age of rocks and fossils and use those processes to develop a timeline of Earth's history.

    • Specimen Observation Guide

      Encourage close examination of a single specimen—a collected example of a particular species or type—using observations and inferences.

    • SUE's World | Dinosaur Toolkit

      Use fossils as clues to rebuild a North American landscape from the past and imagine the world where SUE the T. rex lived.

    • The Brain Scoop: Tully Monster Mystery Solved!

      Learn how researchers discovered the Tully Monster, long believed to be an invertebrate (similar to worms), is actually a vertebrate and more closely related to fish.

    • The Field Revealed: Tully Monster

      Discover the Tully Monster, the state fossil of Illinois.

    • The Night Sky Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership

      Use night sky patterns found in folktales from around the world to explore observable patterns of the moon and stars.

    • Today's Dinosaurs | Dinosaur Toolkit

      Explore evidence in the physical features of living animals and dinosaur fossils to learn what living animal is most closely related to dinosaurs.

    • What are Fossils Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit

      Explore how fossils form and discover how scientists know where to find them.

    • Who were Dinosaurs? Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit

      Uncover the features that all dinosaurs share, and determine whether a mystery species is a dinosaur.

    Squirrels. Harris Loan Center case.Credit Information:© 1996 The Field MuseumID# Z94110cPhotographer: John Weinstein

    N. W. HARRIS LEARNING COLLECTION

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