Earth Science Resources

Free Classroom Resources

Many of the innovative classroom and teacher resources described throughout this Earth science special issue are available for free. Others will be available over the coming year. Designed for middle and high school students, the online curriculum modules include one or more Earth systems models plus pre- and post-assessments and are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards disciplinary core ideas in Earth and Space Sciences, science practices, and crosscutting concepts. Join a large (almost 500,000 users) and growing community from all 50 states and across the globe by registering on the Concord Consortium’s STEM Resource Finder. You’ll get access to these resources and more, plus Teacher Editions with detailed background information, tips, and exemplar student responses, as well as classroom management tools, reports, and a real-time dashboard to help you keep track of student progress.

Publications for Teachers and Researchers

For ten years we have researched how Earth systems models and innovative technologies are transforming the way Earth science is taught and the way students learn. We have made significant contributions to the science education and research communities with 25 articles for teachers and researchers focused on modeling, uncertainty-infused scientific argumentation practices, and real-time automated feedback. We describe how to address sources of uncertainty as well as how we structured tasks, validated items, and measured students’ scientific arguments. We explore the instructional dilemmas teachers face when including Earth systems models as part of their curriculum, and the potential scaffolding necessary to shift how teaching and learning occur in classroom settings. We consider how students use models as evidence when constructing scientific arguments and study how a computerized formative assessment system that provides automated scoring and feedback can help students write more sophisticated scientific arguments.

Get Notified

New models, curriculum units, and teacher resources on hurricanes, wildfires, and volcanoes will be available starting in summer 2020. Sign up now to receive updates when new resources are released, or when opportunities to participate in current or future research projects arise.

Amazing Partners

Through our many National Science Foundation-funded projects described in this special issue, we have had opportunities to work with amazing partners, including National Geographic Society, Pennsylvania State University, University of South Florida, Educational Testing Service, University of California, Santa Cruz, TERC, and UNAVCO. We also thank the incredible teachers who have attended our workshops, pilot tested our resources, and provided invaluable feedback.