External Links
Interested in additional Earth science information and activities to supplement your trip to the Clarence R. Smith Mineral Museum?
Below you will find links to external websites containing educational content for various Earth science topics.
Please note that the Clarence R. Smith Mineral Museum is not affiliated with and does not endorse these online resources.
- Astrogeology – Meteorites and Spacecraft Missions – video and teacher resources from the Smithsonian
- ANSMET The Antarctic Search for Meteorites
- Exploring the Solar System with Antarctic Meteorites – video and teacher resources from the Smithsonian
- United States Geological Survey – Astrogeology Science Center
- Pictures and Descriptions of Lunar Samples (AKA Moon Rocks!) from the Lunar and Planetary Institute
- Space Rocks! A (printable) Meteorite Board Game from the Lunar and Planetary Institute
- Hands-on Impact Crater Activity from NASA
- Earth’s 10 Most Impressive Impact Craters, from a Universe Today article.
- Earth’s Oldest Rock found on Moon article from CNN
- 15 million-year-old whale skull found on banks of Potomac River
- 72 Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tail Found In Mexico, Fossil May Belong To Hadrosaur
- ENSI lesson plan for The Great Fossil Find
- Department of Paleobiology Collection Records from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (browse over 450,000 fossil specimens)
- Secrets of the Fossil Hall a YouTube video from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
- Inside the Smithsonian’s Fossil Prep Lab video
- Fossil whale found, excavated, jacketed, and returned to STRI! a blog by a Smithsonian fossil curator.
- Fossil Unit a complete lesson from the American Geosciences Institute
- Mass Extinction – Solving the Dinosaur Mystery a video interview with a paleobotanist discussing the extinction event of the dinosaurs
- Weighing the Evidence for a Mass Extinction: On Land PDF materials and a downloadable video for a High School level lesson from HHMI BioInteractive
- Weighing the Evidence for a Mass Extinction: In the Ocean PDF materials and a downloadable video for a High School level lesson from HHMI BioInteractive
- Fossils Help Scientists Build a Picture of the Past – and Present an article showcasing 3 scientists who work with fossils from the Smithsonian Insider
- Paleobotany – Climate Change Past and Present a video interview with a scientist who uses fossilized plants to study climate from the Smithsonian
- How Bones Fossilize… or Don’t a video featuring a paleontologist with accompanying teacher resources from the Smithsonian
- Global Change – Reading Ocean Fossils a video interview with a scientist who forams from the Smithsonian
- Mohawk Guy… Lesson plan about microfossils from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership
- Changes over Time – Microfossils in Blake’s Nose Lesson plan about microfossils from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership
- Fossil Cookies use any cookie dough (or play doh) to have small kids make their own “fossils”
- The Geologic Time Scale idea for laying out the time scale on a sidewalk
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Department of Mineral Sciences Collection (browse information about minerals, rocks, and meteorites)
- USGS “The Life Cycle of a Mineral Deposit – A Teacher’s Guide for Hands-On Mineral Education Activities”
- The American Mineralogist Journal of Earth and Planetary Materials has publications from 1916-1999 available for free
- Utah Geological Survey: What are minerals used for?
- “What are Minerals?”
- Classes of Crystalline Solids
- Minerals and Their Uses
- Mineral Fluorescence
- Virtual Tour of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (Note- all permanent exhibits can be virtually toured. To see the Geology, Gems, and Minerals displays, scroll down the page)
- Minerals, Crystals, and Gems a unit plan from Smithsonian Education
- Make Five a printable game to learn mineral chemical formulas
- Mineral Crystal Shapes cut and glue your own set from paper (with free template download)
- Paper Gems cut and glue your own set from paper (with free template download)
- Mineral Databases
- Mindat.org – “is the world’s largest open database of minerals, rocks, meteorites and the localities they come from”.
- Minerals.net – has photo galleries, Q&A, and other information.
- Webmineral.com is a mineral database with an element composition search box.
- Acid Mine Drainage experiments for kids from the U.S. Geological Survey
- Acid Mine Drainage short videos from PBS
- Volcano Webquest
- Lava Layering: Making and Mapping a Volcano an activity from NASA
- Living with a volcano in your backyard – an educator’s guide with emphasis on Mount Rainier a list of activities divided into 3 chapters from the USGS
- Volcano Geochemistry – Windows to Earth’s Interior a video from the Smithsonian
- The Science Spot has many Earth Science Lesson plans available on their website.
- Geology.com provides news, information, maps, teaching resources, and more on their website.
- The Environmental Protection Agency has lesson plans and teacher guides available here for the following subjects: air, climate change, ecosystems, energy, health, waste, and water.
- Search by grade level, subject, or common core standard to browse educational resources provided by the National Park Service here or peruse a list of available virtual field trips here.
- The USGS has an Ask-A-Geologist program with information here.
- EARTH Magazine features news stories about various Earth science topics on their website.
- From the Mountains to the Ocean lesson plan combining Google Earth and ocean cores.
- Free Models to print and color for various items including: Earthquake, ocean crust, jetty, & more
- Simple Rock and Mineral Scratch test for small kids at home
- Evaporation from a String make your own stalagmites and stalactites