Earth Sciences will have multiple grade level educational opportunities and a series of educational activities that build on one another. They can be used in-person classroom setting or virtual opportunities. The teacher can request a series from one topic or activities from more than one topic and customize for their classroom.
Contact Information
Tim Roberts
tim.roberts@utk.edu
Michael Owen
mowen@utk.edu
Kelly Ravlija
krav@utk.edu
Earth Science Activities
3rd through 5th Grade
Water Festival
Our Water Festival is all about water. The students will rotate through each station where they will play various games like Water Jeopardy, just like the game on TV. “The Tragic Story of Freddie the Fish” will take students on an imaginary trip down a stream to identify possible sources of pollution that affect fish population and other wildlife. Others activities are H2Olympics, Incredible Journey, and the Enviroscape. Your 3rd through 5th graders will have a great time learning about water.
Solar Education*
Come to Agricenter to learn about Solar Production. This program discusses how solar is produced and Agricenter’s production. We will answer the questions “Do produce electricity when it is raining or snowing” and “What time of the year do we produce more electricity and Why?” Come join us as we learn how to calculate how much Solar Electricity we need to power our home! You will receive a worksheet for the students to estimate solar needs for the classroom and school.
6th through 8th Grade
Solar Education
The Solar Program can be adapted for Middle School Students.
*The activity above can also be for High School.
9th through 12th Grade
Earth and Human Activities
This activity looks at several issues facing us today. Discussing some of the tough issues to broaden their minds. There are a couple of activities so they can have a little fun and learn at the same time. The following are the topics for this session.
- Trash Talk Activity — Learn about Biodegradable, Non-biodegradable, and Recycling in an interactive setting.
- Food Deserts — What are Food Deserts, Why do we have Food Deserts in Memphis, How do we solve the problem? We may not answer the question but understand the issue and how we can solve the problem.
- Best Management Practices — How are Irrigation Waters controlled? What can we do to preserve water? How are our Forest Managed? What can we do to help?
- Talk with Professional in the field.
Earth’s Systems
How does our Planet work? We explore different concepts of the Earth.
- Sponge Planet — Soil acts as a sponge to soak up and hold onto, or retain, water. What makes soils act like sponges? What are the different soil textures? How to calculate water holding capacity.
- Why is the Earth Shaking — History of the New Madrid Fault and when can we expect another Earthquake.
- Stormwater Happens! — Students will be able to identify permeable and impermeable surfaces, be able to map a flow path of stormwater, and understand the connection between stormwater and the water cycle.
- Flood Barrier Design Challenge — Understanding causes of flooding and develop and test an engineering design.
