Roger
Weller, geology instructor
Elementary
Geology Instruction
Lisa Davila
Physical Geology
Spring 2005
Geology In The Classroom
“Children are fascinated by rocks and
minerals. When rocks and fossils can be
studied, tested and discussed in a classroom, students tend to learn and retain
more information.” (Lisa Alter Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute) The focus of this paper is to provide a
sample lesson plan that will cover learning objectives and activities to be
used in an elementary classroom studying rocks and soil classification. This material is directed to the lower
elementary grades to peak interest and form a geological foundation for future
learning.
Getting Started
The first activity is a
rock swap, to make things a little more interesting try and get another class
involved, this will provide a larger variety of rocks and provide some
interaction between classes. (Rock hounds)
The Friday before starting the unit send home a homework announcement
asking parents to please aid their children in collecting three rocks from
their neighborhood along with a paper bag to store their specimens.
Activity Objective:
This is a fun hands on
introduction that will make children more aware of the rocks in their
neighborhood and also get their parents involved in the
learning process.
Materials
Needed:
·
Brown paper lunch bags
·
Large butcher paper
·
Magic markers
Activity Description:
When students return with their specimens thank them for
contributing to the class rock collection and set them aside until the
scheduled swap takes place with the other class or classes. Have some extra rocks available in case
someone forgot or was sick when the project was announced. After the swap occurs have students sit in a
circle with the rocks in the center and begin to brainstorm what they know
about rocks. Organize this information
by creating a word web of facts on the butcher paper.
To
help children in the brainstorming process ask them the following questions and
record the results:
Word
webs such as the one shown above are a wonderful collaborative exercise that
can be proudly displayed in the classroom for parents to see and for students
to refer back to during the unit.
Explain
to the students that the earth’s crust is made of Rock. A good example is that the earth is like a
Briefly
discuss the three types of rocks; sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. Igneous means made from fire or heat. Igneous rocks form when molten lava (magma)
cools and turns to solid rock. The magma
comes from the Earth’s core, which is molten rock. Sedimentary rocks are formed when erosion
occurs and the little bits of rock worn away get deposited as sediments. Over time, these sediments harden as they get
buried by more sediments and turn into sedimentary rocks. Metamorphic rocks are the least common of the
three kinds of rocks. Metamorphic rocks are
igneous or sedimentary rocks that have been transformed by great heat or pressure. (rocksforkids)
Next
break students into groups of two to four.
Each child takes three rocks from the class collection. As a group have the children sort and
classify rocks. Walk around and give
students clues if they are having trouble.
To conclude
today’s lesson read a book about rocks that is grade level appropriate one
example is Rock Collecting by Roma Gans, suggested for grade levels K-5.
Day 2
Activity: How are Soils Classified?
Activity
Objective:
Students
will be able to list the three texture groups soils are classified in and be
able to classify a soil sample as sandy, silty, or clay soil.
Materials
Needed:
Silty
soil
Clay
soil
(These
soil samples can be prepared using base soils obtained from a local garden
shop.)
The three main texture groups are
sandy, silty, and clay.
Procedure:
Have
students work in small groups.
Have
students write a short conclusion including illustrations of the process and
what the results for each sample were.
Day 3
Activity: What are the effects of erosion?
Activity
Objective:
Students will have an understanding
of how erosion happens and that this is a part of the rock cycle.
Materials
Needed:
Sand
Straws
Sprinkling
watering can
Procedure:
Have
students work in small groups. Instruct
each group to create their own mountain of sand. Encourage students to be creative by adding
twigs as trees and rocks to represent boulders.
Once their mountains are complete give students a straw. Have them blow through the straw and see what
effect the “wind” has on their mountain.
Discuss how wind erodes the land in this same way.
Next
use a watering can that has a sprinkling head and have students sprinkle the
water on their mountains. Have them
observe the changes and discuss what they are.
Tell the students that rain effects the world in the same way. Tell the students that wind and rain erode
bits of the earth everyday. Many of
these eroded particles are washed downstream and settle at the bottom of ponds,
lakes, and oceans. After many years have
elapsed and layers and layers are added on top of each other, the layers at the
bottom will slowly begin changing into rock because of the weight and pressure
on top of them. (Rock Hounds)
Unit
conclusion:
To conclude the unit talk and recap the
recent activities with the students, ask them what they learned, and if they
look at rocks differently now. Give
students a piece of paper and have him or her draw a picture of their favorite
activity. Display pictures on a bulletin
board or around the room to display all the effort they put into the unit.
For
Added Fun:
Have students mine for
minerals.(Pattie Elem)
Activity Objective:
Students will have fun and enjoy a
yummy snack.
Materials Needed:
Chocolate chip cookies (regular not
soft or chewy)
Toothpicks
Procedure:
Have students mine for minerals
(chocolate chips) using toothpicks to chip away at cookie. This can also be made into a competition, the
student with the most chocolate pieces wins.
As an elementary education major I am
required to take four lab sciences of different fields. It is a lot of science and is sometimes
challenging but I can already see the future benefits. As an elementary teacher I have to be
prepared to teach on all subjects from math to reading to geology and everything
else needed to mold my young students into future scholars. In this paper I have used a collection of
lesson plans found on the Internet and mixed and matched ideas and made small
changes to create a lesson plan I would use in a 2nd grade classroom. Teachers have wonderful resources now with
all the information available on the Internet; it really is the classroom of
the future. I am really glad I chose
geology as one of my sciences because I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know
about my surroundings and I really feel I have retained a lot of useful
information for the classroom as well as my everyday life.
Works Cited
“Geology of
Pattie Elementary http://sln.fi.edu/fellows/fellow4/nov98/lessons/geoplans.html
Rock Hounds www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98//index2.html
Rocks for Kids www.rocksforkids.com/RFK/howrocks.html
Other Lesson
plan links