Key Stage 3 & 4 School Workshops

GeoBus offers online workshops to primary schools, secondary schools and further education colleges. Workshop descriptions will give you more detailed information on the set-up times, session capacity, running time and target year groups. Please make sure you check the requirements carefully before booking a visit.

What do we offer?

Earthquakes and Seismic Waves 🌍

Year groups: 7-11 (can be adapted to suit most ages) 
Max capacity per workshop: No Limit
Set up time: 5 minutes
Running time: 45 minutes

Learning objectives:
1. Describe the cause of an earthquake.
2. Name two types of seismic wave: P and S and explain that P waves are longitudinal
and S waves transverse.
3. Explain how observations of P and S waves are used to identify the Earth’s core.

This workshop uses 3D glasses and 3D images to show tectonic plate boundaries.

Planets in the Solar System 🪐

This workshop looks at the planets in the solar system and some of the different ways in which scientists study space (without actually going there!). The students will use 3D glasses and 3D images to discover the surface of Mars!

Year groups: 2 - 6 
Max capacity per workshop: No limit
Set up time: 5 minutes
Running time: This session is 45 minutes long

Lesson objectives:
1. Learn the names and order of the planets in the Solar System.
2. Identify the Sun as our nearest star.
3. Identify other objects in the solar system.

Students use 3D glasses to explore Mars in 3D.

Fossils 🦕

Year groups: Year 7 - 11 (can be adapted to suit all ages)
Max capacity per workshop: No limit
Set up time: 5 minutes
Running time: 45 minutes

Lesson objectives:
1. Describe how fossils are formed.
2. Describe the features of different fossils.
3. Explain how fossils are evidence for evolution.

Students use 3D glasses to identify 3D fossils.

Geology (The rock cycle) 🪨

Year groups: Year 7 - 11 (can be adapted to suit all ages)
Max capacity per workshop: No limit
Set up time: 5 minutes
Running time: 45 minutes

Lesson objectives:
1. Describe physical properties of rocks.
2. Describe and explain the rock cycle.

Students use 3D glasses to identify 3D rocks.

Arctic, Sea Ice and Climate ❄️

Year groups: 7-11 (can be adapted to suit most ages) 
Max capacity per workshop: No limit
Set up time: 5 minutes
Running time: 45 minutes

Lesson objectives:
1. State the difference between climate and weather
2. Describe the composition of the atmosphere
3. Explain the greenhouse effect in terms of interaction of short and long wavelength radiation
4. Explain the role of sea ice in maintaining the global temperature.

This workshop uses 3D glasses and 3D images to explore the Arctic climate.

What is Earth sciences? 🏔️

Year groups: Year 11 - 13
Max capacity per workshop: No limit
Set up time: 5 minutes
Running time: 45 minutes

Lesson objectives:
1. Discover the diverse and exciting careers that can lead from a degree in Earth Sciences.
2. Students use 3D glasses to identify 3D rocks, construct a 3D fossil and 3D model of Mars.

Students use 3D glasses to identify 3D rocks, construct a 3D fossil and 3D model of Mars.

Evolution of the Atmosphere ☀️

Year groups: Year 7 - 11 (can be adapted to suit all ages)
Max capacity per workshop: No limit
Set up time: 5 minutes
Running time: 45 minutes

Lesson objectives:
1. Describe the current understanding of how the atmosphere originally formed
2. Describe and explain how the atmosphere evolved over time
3. State the current composition of the atmosphere

Students pop-out and construct the Geological time tower puzzle to learn the stages in Earth’s history.