Geological Survey Site Erupts

There's an array of lesson plans, educational materials, and class project ideas at the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) new site, The Learning Web (www.usgs.gov/education), designed for K-12 students. "We hope to provide an easy way for kids and teachers to see what's going on in the environment and in their own backyard," USGS Educational Coordinator Carolyn Bell says of the new Web site. "We hope kids in Maine can learn about earthquakes in California, and California kids will learn about the barrier islands in North Carolina."

"Teacher packets" appropriate for various grade levels come with instructional booklets, fact sheets, links to credible sites, suggestions for helpful books and articles, posters, and project ideas. There's a paper model project of the Antarctic ice sheets, and "real time" information on the latest earthquakes, while "VolcanoCams" provide a live view of volcanoes around the world.