This is
THE BEST
way I know to teach the rock cycle. When I added this lab to myclasses, test scores
soared!
Have students bring
wax crayons from home, which are your building blocks for a great
simulation of the entire rock cycle!
CAPSULE:
Weathering: shave crayons, Erosion:
pick up crayons and move them, Deposition,
drop crayon shavings
onto aluminum foil & fold into packet. Compaction
to form
Sedimentary Rocks: put packet
into vise & apply light
pressure. Heat &
Pressure to form Metamorphic Rocks: put
packet into vise & apply heavy pressure. Melting
and Cooling to
form Igneous Rocks: melt crayon
shavings, pour over ice cubes to
form "pumice," into ice water to form "obsidian," and over warm/hot
water to form intrusive rocks, such as "diorite" and granite."
Cut
& Paste
Rock Cycle Vocab
Click
here for
a nice cut & paste
vocabulary review. Remember: "big" kids get a lot out of this kind of
"little" kids exercise.
Rock
Cycle Puzzle
Make
flashcards
showing names of
different formation processes, arrows, types of rocks, characteristics
of different rock types. OR Put on
one piece of paper and
enlarge on "Poster Machine" & cut out. Give to teams of
students.
They assemble into Rock Cycle Diagram with arrows showing formation
processes and characteristics matched to proper rock types. Have each
team assemble on a desk top and/or paste to newsprint.
Rock
CycleLab
A
traditional
rock cycle lab can
acquire a new "spin" after the Rock Cycle Simulation. Give the students
a
tray with 12 rocks, four from each rock type. Don't give them the
names! Give them a key instead. By using a Rock Cycle Key
and what they already know about rock
characteristics produced by the different formation processes, they can
figure them out! I
don't make them
memorize rock names, because I'm more
interested in the students learning the
formation processes and rock type characteristics.
Ride
the Rock
Cycle
From the
Illinois State Museum -
Geology Online. For this activity students roll a die and
travel through different stations to learn about the rock cycle. After
their journey, they use the information from the "trip" to create a
comic strip. Click
here.
"Show
Me the
Rock!" Game
After both
Rock
Cycle Labs in
which
your students have learned the three rock types and their formation
processes, review with this game. Each team listens carefully to your
clue, such as: "Show me the rock that is made of rounded pebbles
cemented by sand and clay (Conglomerate)," or, "Show me the rock that
is formed by heat and pressure and has medium to coarse texture
(Gneiss)." Each team picks out the rock from their lab tray that they
think answers the question, sends a member up to the teacher, while
hiding their rock in their hand, then reveals the rock when the teacher
says, "Show me the Rock!" Point for each team that picks the correct
mineral.
How
to Write a
Good Science Lesson
The Rock Cycle Teaching Packet is available here.