Encompassing fundamental topics in geology and environmental science, our earth science lab kit and digital curriculum present clear and concise exercises that will support a thorough understanding of earth science. A combination of virtual and hands-on lab activities reinforces the key concepts in earth science. The SI earth science kits were designed to provide students and faculty with improved digital learning resources to further increase student learning outcomes and improve the overall student experience.  

Our earth science content is designed with non-majors courses in mind. Most earth science courses at the higher education level are non-majors, survey-style courses to meet science requirements for graduation. With appropriate lab selection, the earth science course could also be adopted to courses for science majors.

Standard Kit Lesson List

• Geologic Time
• Building a Planet
• Minerals - Digital
• Igneous Rocks
• Sedimentary Rocks
• Metamorphic Rocks
• Earthquakes
• Plate Tectonics
• Weathering and Erosion
• Volcanoes
• Weather and the Atmosphere
• Oceans and Coasts
• Stratigraphy

The list below is an overview of our Earth Science lesson library. For a full list of all lessons, including all versions (e.g., digital options, v-scope/slide options) of individual lessons, and the individual lesson SKUs, please visit the Lesson SKUs by Discipline page.

• Quality Matters Certification
  • The SI Earth Science suite is currently undergoing Quality Matters certification. This section will be updated once the certification is finalized.
• Interactive Introductory Content
  • Every lab incorporates at least one interactive (animation, summary image, interactive activity, etc.) in the Exploration to increase student engagement with the curriculum.
  • These are designed to blend seamlessly into the curriculum and are always called out ahead of time in the paragraph prior with directions as to how to interact with the item.
• Rocks and Minerals
  • Across all of the Geology labs, a total of 18 mineral, 28 rock, and 3 fossil samples are used.
  • A detailed list of the rocks and minerals included in the kit can be found in the FAQs.
• Digital Experiments
  • There are currently XX fully digital lessons available in Earth Science. This includes a mix of stand-alone digital lessons and digital alternatives for hands-on lessons.
• Set-Up Videos
  • Set-up videos are incorporated into experiments to guide students through complicated techniques or orient students to utilizing various assets.
• Safety
  • An updated safety overview is required in all courses, and includes a safety video, safety contract, and all relevant information for students ahead of beginning their experiments.

• Sedimentary Rocks
  • The Sedimentary Rocks lesson covers sedimentary rock formation, composition, and identification.
  • In the experiment, students characterize a series of unknown rocks and determine the identity of the sedimentary rocks. 
  • Students receive a rock identification kit, hand lens, streak plates, glass plates, and other items used for determining the mineral composition of the rocks.
  • Rock identification and classification is a foundational concept for Earth Science courses. No matter what level of customization being done, most geology courses will incorporate rock and mineral identification lessons.
• Earthquakes
  • This lesson covers the causes of earthquakes, the different types of seismic waves, and how an earthquake can be located. It's a great demonstration of a fully digital lesson.
  • In the experiment, students use Google Earth to identify the epicenter of an earthquake.
  • Earthquakes are a major foundational concept in Geology courses, as it relates directly to plate tectonics. This lesson is also a great demonstration of how we develop digital lessons using Google Earth.

• Cloud is WCAG 2.1 compliant.
• All videos are closed captioned.
• All images include Alt Tags.
• Interactives, including digital experiments, are all designed to be screen reader compatible. 

• None of our competitors directly market Earth Science kits as a standalone discipline. 
• However all of our competitors have all of the pieces to create earth science lab kits/virtual lab packages. 
• By combining geology, environmental science, and other labs into a kit (Carolina) or digital lab package (McGraw Hill/Labster), our competitors can support physical science courses.

Is this content Quality Matters certified?

• Earth Science is currently undergoing Quality Matters review.

What level course is this for?

• The standard earth science kit was designed with non-majors students in mind. However, the full suite of labs contains labs that would be appropriate for both majors and non-majors.

Can we reduce the number of rocks/minerals to cut cost?

• No, we purchase the rock and mineral kits pre-built.