Great Minds® began as a small group of K–12 advocates with a passion for knowledge and has grown into teams of hundreds of teacher–writers on a mission to elevate education in every classroom. Our teams include former teachers and content experts who apply their experience to create knowledge-building, high-quality curricula for math, English language arts, and science.
Our team created PhD Science® to appeal to students’ curiosity about their world. By grounding deep science content in compelling, knowledge-rich phenomena and engaging experiences, PhD Science inspires students to wonder about the world and empowers them to make sense of it.
Score: 7
Science Discipline: Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Length: Unit
Year Reviewed: 2024
An underwater volcano near Iceland erupted in 1963 and left behind a surprise island. Named Surtsey, this tiny island grounds students’ investigation of Earth’s changing land. Students examine land composition by investigating their own local land samples. Next, they explore the ways water and wind change land, and they design a system to prevent a lighthouse from sliding into the sea. Finally, students compare volcanic eruptions with other natural events that change land, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods. They find that changing land can take mere minutes—or many lifetimes.
Reviews & Questions
No comments submitted