K-12 Educational Resources

Geoscience resources for the classroom

Classroom Visits  |  CAST Member Discount  |  Classroom Resources  |  Virtual Field Trips

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Classroom Visits

Would you like to invite a geologist to your classroom? Our committee members are available! We're available for both in-person and virtual sessions. We are all geologists, and some of us have been (or are) also teachers. We'd love to come visit your classroom and talk with your students about any aspect of geology or geosciences. Click on the button below or email edoutreach@rmag.org to get in touch and discuss what you need. We look forward to hearing from you!

Request a Geologist Visit

CAST members!

Did you know that members of the Colorado Association of Science Teachers (CAST) can join the RMAG at a discounted rate? $20 per year gets you access to RMAG member benefits including access to our monthly free online lunch talks, discounts to continuing education courses, access to our quarterly peer-reviewed journal The Mountain Geologist and more! Contact the RMAG office for more information. The CAST membership page also has more details.

Classroom Resources

Resource Title	Grade Levels	Description
American Geosciences Institute (AGI) Education and Outreach Programs	K-12	Contains several areas of interest to teachers, including a collection of resources to aid in K-12 teaching, Earth science curricula, and professional development resources for K-12 teachers.
AGI Education GeoSource	K-12	A searchable database of geoscience education resources compiled from a variety of organizations that provide credible and accurate Earth and Space Science resources.
Colorado Scientific Society	K-12, undergrad	The Colorado Scientific Society's Education Outreach page contains a number of educational links for all ages, and broad geoscience educational resources designed specifically for K-6 grade levels. You can also find links to Colorado geology resources, virtual self-guided field trips, and many geoscience organizations and University geoscience departments in Colorado.
Dinosaur Ridge	K-12, undergrad	Dinosaur Ridge, in Jefferson County, provides online resources primarily for fossil education. Their education resources include video tours of the Dinosaur Ridge site and other geological sites and hands-on activities for students.
Interactive Geology Project	Middle & high school, undergrad	Founded by Paul Weimer at the University of Colorado, the IPG contains 40 videos that show and discuss various aspects of Colorado geology. Although many of the videos are quite short, some are longer and VERY teacher and student friendly, such as "A Brief History of Colorado Through Time."
Science Education Resource Center (SERC)	K-12, undergraduate	The Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College is an extensive website dedicated to teaching and understanding STEM subjects, including Earth Science, at all education levels. The site has four portals: Higher Ed, K12, Teaching Resources, and Shortcuts to search the website. Developed over decades, the SERC website is one of the world’s largest collections of pedagogic resources, constructed by collaborating with hundreds of instructors, institutions, and national organizations.
Skype A Scientist	K-12	​Skype a Scientist has a database of thousands of scientists and helps them connect with classrooms, families, libraries, scout troops, and more all over the globe! We give students the opportunity to get to know a real scientist and get the answers to their questions straight from the source
SERC K12 Portal	K-12	The SERC K12 Portal contains science activities, collections of lessons, teaching/learning strategies, toolboxes, curriculum/assessment, selected topics such as Energy, Climate Change, Earthquakes, and Plate Tectonics, as well as an area divided into K-8 and 9-12 activities.
Switch Energy Alliance Switch Classroom Portal	K-12, undergrad	Dedicated to inspiring an energy-educated future that is objective, nonpartisan, and sensible. Includes extensive video library and other teaching materials. The classroom portal has areas for students and teachers. Both require free registration to use the materials.
Utah Geological Survey Teacher Resources	All	A wide variety of geology educational resources, including multi-media materials. Primarily Utah focused but includes basic general geology materials.

Virtual Field Trips

Resource Title	Grade Levels	Description
Arizona State University Virtual Field Trips	All	Topic based interactive and educationally rich experiences captured during real expeditions with scientists doing current research.
Denver Building Stones: An RMAG Virtual Field Trip	All	RMAG members Rob Diedrich and David Schoderbek offer a virtual tour of the stones used to build many of downtown Denver's iconic buildings, including the Colorado State Capitol and Trinity Methodist Church. The geology, history, and manufacture of Colorado quarry stones, such as the Yule marble and Lyons sandstone, are discussed.
Golden Rocks! Geology and Mining History of Golden, CO	High school, undergrad, adult	Dr. Donna Anderson discusses the geology of Golden, Colorado, in this virtual field trip.
Idaho Geological Survey: 1983 Borah Peak Earthquake Virtual Field Trip	High school, undergrad, adult	This short video is a virtual fieldtrip to the site of the 1983 M6.9 Borah Peak earthquake. The Borah Peak earthquake was the largest recorded earthquake in modern history within Idaho. Spectacular scarps left behind by the fault surface rupture are easy to visit and provide a record of Basin and Range faulting.
Inspiring Futures: Geoscience - STEM	Elementary School	Arranged by the Girl Scouts of Colorado, Geoscientists Holly Lindsey and Lisa Wolff share their journey to becoming Geoscientists and the work they do now. Sharing examples of what their work looks like today.