Restless Earth: Our Dynamic Planet

Summer course. This middle school earth science course explores the powerful forces that shape our ever-changing planet! From volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, to tsunamis and the sea-floor, students will discover why our planet is anything but static. Using real-world examples, hands-on investigations, and stories from Earth’s history, we’ll examine how Earth’s interior and surface interact—and how these dynamic processes affect life on our planet. By the end of the course, students will see Earth as a living, active system and better understand the forces driving change past, present, and future.  

Over the course of eight weeks students will learn about

• Earth’s Systems & Structures
  • Geosphere, Hyrdosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere
  • Crust & Layers
• Plate Tectonics & Boundaries
• Earthquakes, Tsunamis, & Orogeny (Mountain-Building)
• Volcanoes & Sea-Floor Spreading
• The Rock Cycle
  • Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic
• Agents of Slow Change
  • Weathering, Erosion, Deposition)
• Geological Time & Fossiles
• Earth Science Careers