Educator Resources: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth

A wide shot of the Museum’s Hall of Planet Earth, including the Wallace Gilroy Bronze Earth model in the center of the frame.
This hall uses specimens, models, videos, and interactives to investigate the history and composition of Earth and the ongoing processes that shape it. 

Educators Guide and Materials

Cover of Educator's Guide titled "Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth" featuring an image of Gottesman Hall and close-ups of rock specimens.

Hall of Planet Earth Educator's Guide

Get an advance look at the exhibition's major themes and what your class will encounter. This eight-page guide for K-12 educators includes a Map of the Exhibition, Essential Questions (important background content), Teaching in the Exhibition (self-guided explorations), Come Prepared Checklist, Correlation to Standards, and Glossary.

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Activities

Grades 3–5

Students observe a natural phenomenon—that landform features on Earth occur in observable patterns—to investigate how plate tectonics shape Earth's surface and create the landform features of our planet.

Grades 6–8

Students observe a natural phenomenon—that rocks have different colors, shapes, and textures—to investigate what features of rocks can tell us about the rock cycle and the internal forces that shape our Earth.

Grades 9–12

Students explore Earth's climate system and the impacts of changing climate to investigate how human activity is influencing our planet's climate system. 

Specimen Observation

Use this activity with any specimen in the Museum. 

More Resources

Curriculum Unit Antarctica: The Farthest Place Close to Home Take your students to the world's most extreme environment with this curriculum. Curriculum Unit Deep Sea Vents Show your students that the age of exploration has barely just begun at the ocean floor by introducing them to the incredible environment... Curriculum Unit What Rocks on Your Block? These tours provide an example of how we can use the constructed world to teach geology and Earth science in our own communities. Educator Materials Climate Change Find out why Earth's climate is changing and what you can do about it. Educator Materials Earth The Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago. and has been changing ever since.