This list was compiled by a group of Pattie teachers, but Mariam Hieber allowed her students to choose from this list. The students in her class are grouped, and students in the different groups were assigned a different number of projects they must choose to do. The results were quite good, and her students have their work sprinkled throughout the "Journey to the Center of the Earth" web site.

• Gather Information on the theory of Pangea.  Present your findings to the class.

• design a survey of ways people use soil, sand, and rocks.  Survey family or family friends.  Graph the ways to show the frequency of each usage.
• Use clay, shells, leaves, and twigs to investigate how fossils form.  Identify different types of fossils, imprints, molds and casts.
• Compare and contrast the importance of a rock as seen through he eyes of any artist, a geologist, and a gem merchant.
• Collect and label 6-10 rocks.  Arrange in a display to share with he class.  Write a brief description of the rocks' characteristics and origin.
• Determine how the minerals of the ocean may be divided fairly among the countries of the world.  Make notes for a five minute speech to justify your plans.
• Research a volcanic eruption such as Vesuvius or Mount Saint Helens.  Write a magazine article about it, as if you were an eyewitness.  Include the location of the volcano, when it erupts and other interesting facts about it.
• Label the Earth's major plates.  Explain the concept of plate tectonics.
• Explain the different ways the Earth changes and illustrate each.  Include weathering and erosion examples.
• Develop a time line to illustrate the earth's geological history.
• Draw a series of three pictures to illustrate commonly used products which are made from rocks and minerals.
• Make a list of all the ways you can think of that people change the earth's surface.
• Design a cut-away model of the layers of the earth.
• Develop a VENN diagram to identify, compare, and contrast the 3 types of rocks:  Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic.  Create a graphic organizer to show the rock cycle.