Now in its eleventh year, Earth Science Week is designed to promote awareness of the importance of the earth sciences. The theme of Earth Science Week 2008 is “No Child Left Inside.” Being held October 12-18, Earth Science Week 2008 will encourage young people to learn about the geosciences by getting away from the television, off the computer, and out of doors. Here are some great resources you will find useful in raising student awareness of the earth sciences.

Earth Science Week 2008
Go to the Earth Science Week web page for more details and plenty of resources including an Educator Guide to the 3D movie Journey to the Center of the Earth. The Educator Guide, in the form of a comic book, uses the movie to explore where “science fact meets science fiction.” The 2008 Earth Science Week Toolkit is available and can be purchased for the price of shipping. The navigation bar provides links to activities and research projects for teachers and students, contests, publicity ideas, a 12-month activity calendar, posters, and CD-ROMs.

NSDL Middle School Portal: Earth Science Publications
Peruse the Explore in-Depth publications for comprehensive teaching and learning activities and lessons on topics such as:
The Reason for the Seasons,
Oceans, Climate and Weather,
Plate Tectonics, and
What Goes Around Comes Around.

Exemplary Resources for Middle School Math and Science blog posts connect you to two to four timely resources on these earth science topics:
El Nino,
The International Polar Year,
The Powerful Punch of a Hurricane, and
Using Real Data in Environmental Science.

Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE)
This digital library, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, provides access to high quality collections of resources for teachers and students, including lesson plans, maps, visualizations, assessment activities, and online courses. From the home page, choose Getting started with DLESE to find the lesson, activity or resource you need today.

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