Take a closer look at what makes Earth go ’round
What’s underfoot, overhead, and all around us? Earth is dynamic and always changing; investigate it with our lesson plans. Crack open the world of plate tectonics, discover what makes flowers bloom, or turn an eye to the night sky. Use these resources to organize and enrich any Earth science unit.
Earth Science For Early Learners
The Night Sky Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Use night sky patterns found in folktales from around the world to explore observable patterns of the moon and stars.
Kindergarten Weather Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Listen to the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and draw comparisons between weather forecasting and responses in Chicago and the fictional town of Chewandswallow.
Dinosaur Toolkit highlights
Dig into the connections between fossils and Earth’s history.
Plate Motion Past and Present | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze and interpret data about the structures of Earth’s crust and the fossil record.
Rock Clocks Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Discover how scientists determine the age of rocks and fossils and use those processes to develop a timeline of Earth's history.
What are Fossils Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Explore how fossils form and discover how scientists know where to find them.
Earth Science resources
Showing 26 resources
Animal Survival Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Act as consultants to the City of Chicago and assess their relocation plan for urban coyotes.
Artifact Observation Guide
Encourage close examination of a single artifact—an object produced by humans—using observations and inferences.
At Home Collections | Science Hub at Home
Create your own museum collection at home.
Conservation in Action | Exploring the Field Guide
Examine different ways that scientists and community members conserve the environment, then analyze the results.
Dinosaur Family Tree | Dinosaur Toolkit
Examine dinosaur physical traits to identify similarities and differences in their features and construct a system of classification.
Exhibition Investigation Guide
Investigate a museum exhibition using the claim, evidence, reasoning cycle.
From the Field to the Field Museum
Prepare for a field trip or object study by learning how the Field Museum collects and studies specimens and artifacts from around the world.
Giants from the Past | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze and interpret data about sauropods and build a nonfiction narrative about how this group of dinosaurs evolved over millions of years.
Grainger Hall of Gems Educator Guide
Explore the geological and cultural significance of a variety of gems.
Island Evolution
Discover why islands contain so many unique species.
Kindergarten Weather Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Listen to the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and draw comparisons between weather forecasting and responses in Chicago and the fictional town of Chewandswallow.
Mapping and Monarchs Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Learn how to analyze and interpret maps by studying monarch butterfly migration.
Plate Motion Past and Present | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze and interpret data about the structures of Earth’s crust and the fossil record.
Pollination Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Interact with various models to explore the structures of plants and animals related to the process of pollination.
Pre-K Weather Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Observe and record weather to build a common understanding of observable weather conditions in the fall in Chicago. Then make recommendations about how SUE should prepare to play outside.
Protecting Earth's Ecosystem | Exploring the Field Guide
Analyze methods used to address environmental issues and design strategies to protect local ecosystems.
Rise of Dinosaurs | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze data from a mock fossil dig to determine the differences and similarities between multiple fossil dig sites.
Rock Clocks Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Discover how scientists determine the age of rocks and fossils and use those processes to develop a timeline of Earth's history.
Specimen Observation Guide
Encourage close examination of a single specimen—a collected example of a particular species or type—using observations and inferences.
SUE's World | Dinosaur Toolkit
Use fossils as clues to rebuild a North American landscape from the past and imagine the world where SUE the T. rex lived.
The Brain Scoop: Tully Monster Mystery Solved!
Learn how researchers discovered the Tully Monster, long believed to be an invertebrate (similar to worms), is actually a vertebrate and more closely related to fish.
The Field Revealed: Tully Monster
Discover the Tully Monster, the state fossil of Illinois.
The Night Sky Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Use night sky patterns found in folktales from around the world to explore observable patterns of the moon and stars.
Today's Dinosaurs | Dinosaur Toolkit
Explore evidence in the physical features of living animals and dinosaur fossils to learn what living animal is most closely related to dinosaurs.
What are Fossils Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Explore how fossils form and discover how scientists know where to find them.
Who were Dinosaurs? Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Uncover the features that all dinosaurs share, and determine whether a mystery species is a dinosaur.
Acknowledgments
The Griffin Dinosaur Toolkit is part of the Griffin Dinosaur Experience, made possible by generous support from Kenneth C. Griffin.
School learning experiences are supported by ITW.
