ELI home

Investigating the Earth Activities

Title & Description	English	More Ideas and Videos
Back in time “Alligators spotted in London” @ELI_Earth - July 1 Retrieving and communicating information	Back in time
Bauble quiz Fun for all the family – and your class	Bauble quiz
Boring chocolate! What can boreholes tell us about the Earth?	Boreholes
Core activity (ELI+) Piecing together evidence for the composition of the Earth’s core	Core activity
Darwin’s ‘big coral atoll idea’ Try thinking like Darwin did to solve the coral atoll mystery	Darwin‘s ‘big coral atoll idea’	Video
Do-it-yourself dip and strike model (with DIY clinometer) (ELI+) Using a model to measure and understand dip, dip direction, strike and apparent dip	DIY Dip and strike model
Earth science out-of-doors: preserving the evidence What evidence of the present times might we find in a million years from now?	Earth science out-of-doors
Earthquakes in art Developing a scientific report based on evidence in historic paintings	Earthquakes in art
Electrical ground probing Measuring the electrical resistance of the ground to find buried objects	Electrical ground probing
Fieldwork: ‘All powerful’ strategy Discussing geological histories in imaginative ways	All powerful
Fieldwork: Applying ‘the present is the key to the past’ An outdoor activity to apply the present to the past - using Earth science-thinking in reverse	Present is the key to the past
Fieldwork: Envronmental evaluation Developing a strategy for evaluating the environment	Environmental evaluation
Fieldwork: Interactive re-creation Activities using simple transportable apparatus to simulate features in the field	Interactive re-creation
Fieldwork: Now and then – spotting the difference How did the conditions differ between today and when the rock was formed?	Now and then
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face - Planning for fieldwork Preparing your pupils before setting out to “ask questions for any rock face”	Questions for any rock face - planning
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 1: weathering What questions about weathering might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - weathering
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 2: erosion What questions about erosion might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - erosion
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 3: soil What questions about soil might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - soil
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 4: rock group (sedimentary or igneous) What questions about the type of rock might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - rock group (sedimentary or igneous)
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 5: sedimentary grains What questions about sedimentary grains might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - sedimentary grains
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 6: fossils What questions about fossils might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - fossils
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 7: tilted or folded rocks What questions about tilted or folded rocks might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - tilted or folded rocks
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 8: faults What questions about faults might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - faults
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 9: metamorphic rock What questions about metamorphism might be asked at any metamorphic rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - metamorphic rocks
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 10: sequencing What questions about sequencing geological events might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - sequencing geological events
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 11: tectonic plates What questions about relationships to tectonic plates might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - tectonic plates
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 12: potential of the quarry or cutting What questions about the potential of the site might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - potential
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 13: quarry economics What questions about potential for quarry re-opening might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - economics
Fieldwork: Questions for any rock face 14: recording What questions about recording geological data might be asked at any rock exposure?	Questions for any rock face - recording geological data
Fieldwork safety: The ‘What could hurt you here?’ approach to field safety Teaching how to keep safe during fieldwork and other outdoor activities	Fieldwork safety
Fieldwork: The view from the site Using the view of the local area to tune yourself into the local geology	The view from the site
Fieldwork: The ‘What makes a good educational experience’ approach to planning fieldwork Thinking through the fieldwork strategies that are most likely to inform and inspire	Fieldwork strategies (ELI for Educators)
Fieldwork: Urban fieldwork – the stories from materials, colours, lines and shapes Find out the stories told by materials used in building and for decoration	Urban fieldwork
From an orange to the whole Earth Using an orange to model different densities of the Earth’s layers	From an orange to the whole Earth	Video (Portuguese intro)
From clay balls to the structure of the Earth (ELI+) A discussion of how physics can be used to probe Earth’s structure	From clay balls to the structure of the Earth	Extension (19MB)
Geo-art: paintings to sculptures inspired by all things ‘geo’ Create your own geo-artwork	Geo-art
Geo-literature: poems and stories inspired by all things ‘geo’ Create your own geo-poem or story	Geo-literature
Geobattleships (ELI+) Do earthquakes and volcanoes coincide?	Geobattleships
Geological mapwork from scratch 1: a conical hill (ELI+) Draw your own cross sections - of increasing difficulty	Mapwork 1: conical hill
Geological mapwork from scratch 2: valley with simple geology (ELI+) Draw your own cross sections and 3D geological model	Mapwork 2: valley with simple geology
Geological mapwork from scratch 3: valley with dipping geology (ELI+) Draw your own cross sections and 3D geological model	Mapwork 3: valley with dipping geology
Geological mapwork from models 1: plain with simple geology (ELI+) Draw and make your own 3D models of the geology of a flat region	Mapwork from models 1: plain with simple geology
Geological mapwork from models 2: cuesta with simple geology (ELI+) Draw and make your own 3D models of the geology of a cuesta	Mapwork from models 2: cuesta with simple geology
Geological mapwork from models 3: valley with horizontal floor (ELI+) Draw and make your own 3D models of the geology of a valley with a horizontal floor	Mapwork from models 3: valley with horizontal floor
Geological mapwork from models 4: sloping ridge and valley (ELI+) Draw and make your own 3D models of the geology of a sloping ridge/valley area	Mapwork from models 4: sloping ridge and valley
Geological mapwork from models 5: folded geology on block models (ELI+) Draw and make your own 3D models of areas with folded rocks	Mapwork from models 5: folded geology
Geological mapwork from models 6: plain with faults in the direction of dip (ELI+) Draw and make your own 3D models of the geology of a flat region with faulted rocks	Mapwork from models 6: plain with faults in direction of dip
Geological mapwork from models 7: plain with faults parallel to the outcrops of the beds (ELI+) Draw and make your own 3D models of the geology of a flat region with faulted rocks	Mapwork from models 7: plain with faults parallel to the outcrops
Geological mapwork from models 8: plain with different types of fault (ELI+) Draw and make your own 3D models of the geology of a flat region with faulted rocks	Mapwork from models 8: plain with different types of fault
Geological mapwork: using surface geology to make a geological map (ELI+) Match the photos to a map to see how a geological map works	Mapwork - surface geology
Geological postcards 1 - granite and chalk Picture postcard puzzles	Postcards - granite and chalk	‘Global’ postcards - granite and chalk
Geological postcards 2 - sandstone and limestone Picture postcard puzzles	Postcards - sandstone and limestone	‘Global’ postcards - sandstone, limestone
How can the ice core evidence for climate change be explained? (ELI+) An educational opportunity for discussing evidence, hypotheses and possible responses	Ice core evidence for climate change
Jelly BabiesTM approach to understanding 3D geological maps (ELI+) Use Jelly BabiesTM cut at the dip angle to highlight structures on geological maps	Jelly BabiesTM and 3D maps
Jigging Using density to separate different materials	Jigging
Journey to the centre of the Earth - on a toilet roll Just how thin is the crust we live on?	Journey to centre of Earth
Melting ice and sea level change 1 Does sea level change when floating sea ice melts?	Melting ice and sea level change 1
Melting ice and sea level change 2 Does sea level change when ice caps melt?	Melting ice and sea level change 2
Opengeoscience 1: igneous intrusions and lavas Opening geological maps to the world	Opengeoscience 1
Opengeoscience 2: tilted and folded rocks Opening geological maps to the world	Opengeoscience 2
Oxygen isotope sweet simulation (ELI+) Demonstrating how the oxygen isotope proxy records past Earth temperatures	Oxygen isotope sweet simulation
Oxygen isotopes - Interpret Earth temperatures from simulated deep-sea and ice cores (ELI+) Using sweets to simulate oxygen isotope ratios in cores	Oxygen isotope ratios in cores
Party time for volcanoes! (ELI+) How much force does it take to set off a party popper “volcano”?	Party time for volcanoes	Extension
Recreating the rocks – step by step Simulating a dipping sedimentary rock sequence though a sequence of Earthlearningideas	Recreating the rocks
Slinky seismic waves demo Using slinkies to show how earthquakes produce P-, S- and surface waves	Slinky seismic waves
Take a ‘Chance’ on the volcano erupting (ELI+) How hazardous is the volcano?	Take a ‘Chance’ on the volcano erupting	Extension
View to the future – and the past Using a viewpoint or overview educationally	View to the future – and the past
Waves in the Earth 1 - the slinky simulation (ELI+) Using a long spring to find out how earthquake waves travel through the Earth	Waves through the Earth 1
Waves in the Earth 2 - Human molecules (ELI+) Pupils are pushed around to demonstrate the properties of seismic waves	Waves through the Earth 2
What could we measure to find out if climate change is happening here? What climate change indicators could be measured in our own backyard or school grounds?	Measuring climate change
What is the geological history? Sequencing events to reveal a history using simple stratigraphic principles	What is the geological history?	Extension
When will it blow? - predicting eruptions How a simple tiltmeter can demonstrate the bulging of a volcano before eruption	When will it blow? - predicting eruptions	Extension Video
Why won’t my compass work on the other side of the Equator? (ELI+) Understanding the three-dimensional magnetic field of the Earth	3D Magnetic field
William Smith - ‘The Father of English Geology’ (ELI+) Thinking like William Smith	William Smith	Extension
Holiday ELIs: Once upon a time, long, long ago . . . A geological fairytale	Geological fairytale
Bauble quiz Fun for all the family – and your class	Bauble quiz