Ride The Rock Cycle - Nevadaoutdoorschool

Ride the Rock CycleStudents will travel through the Rock Cycle and learn that like the water cycle, the rockcycle has various stages and does not necessarily move linearly through those stages.Grade Level: 5thPhenomena:Are rocks able to go throughstages to change theirappearance?Objectives: Students will examine the rockcycle through different stations. Students will identify thevarious stages of the rockcycle. Students will interpret the rockcycle and create their owncomic strip version of a rock’sjourney.Next Generation ScienceStandardsMS-ESS2-2. Construct anexplanation based on evidence forhow geoscience processes havechanged Earth’s surface atvarying time and spatial scales.Science and EngineeringPractices (SEP):Analyzing and interpreting data.Disciplinary Core Ideas:Earth’s materials and systems.Crosscutting Concepts:Scale, proportion, and quantity.Time Considerations: Preparations: 45-60 minutes Introduction: 15 minutes Activity 1: 20 minutes Activity 2: 15minutes Activity 3: 10-15 minutes Activity 4: 5-10 minutes Conclusion: 10 minutesRelated Lesson Plans:Strand 1—Questioning, Analysis,and Interpretation Skills: E)Organizing Information—Learnersare able to describe dataand organize information tosearch for relationships andpatterns concerning theenvironment andenvironmental topics.G) Drawing Conclusions anddeveloping explanations—Learners can develop simpleexplanations that addresstheir questions about theenvironment.Strand 2—Knowledge ofEnvironmental Processes andSystems. Strand 2.1– The Earthas a Physical System: B) Changesin matter—Learners are able toidentify basic characteristicsof and changes in matter.Materials: Dice (1 per station—See pages6-8) Station cards Student worksheets Examples of different kinds ofrocks if available (sedimentary,igneous and metamorphic) Rock Cycle Poster PiecesAppendixes: Student Sheet pg. 6 The Rock Cycle pg. 7 Rock Pictures pgs. 8-13 Dice Templates pgs. 14-16Excellence in EnvironmentalEducation GuidelinesThis lesson has been adapted(based on “Ride the Rock Cycle” lesson from Illinois State Museum Geology Online)Backgroundbrought to the surface by avolcanic eruption, it mayThe three major rock types,solidify into an extrusiveigneous, metamorphic, andigneous rock. Magma maysedimentary, are shown. Asalso solidify very slowlyyou see, each may form at the beneath the surface. Theexpense of another if it isresulting intrusive igneous rockforced out of equilibrium withmay be exposed later afterits physical or climaticuplift and erosion remove theenvironment by either internal overlying rock.or surface forces.Magma is molten rock beneath The igneous rock, being out ofthe earth’s surface. Igneousequilibrium, may then undergorocks form when magmaweathering and erosion,Illinois State Museum Geologysolidifies. If the magma is1

Online (http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us) and the debris produced istransported and ultimately deposited (usually on a seafloor) as sediment. If theunconsolidated sedimentbecomes lithified (cemented orotherwise consolidated intorock), it becomes a sedimentary rock.Create a poster/visual aids of rocks: igneous, metamorphic,the rock cycleand sedimentary.Set up “Ride the Rock Cycle”activity by hanging signs forthe five different stationsaround the room and placedice at each the station.Describe how the process bywhich each rock is formed.During this explanation, passaround a rock that representseach of the rock types.Create a rock cycle comicstrip to use as an example in When the rocks are returned,teach students the followingActivity Four.As the rock is buried thebody movements that representadditional layers of sedimentDoing the Activityeach type of rock. Theseand sedimentary rock, heat andmotions will be used in ActivityIntroduction:pressure increases.Two.Tectonic forces may alsoBeginbyaskingstudentstolookincrease the temperature andpressure. If the temperature and out the classroom windows and Igneous Rock: Start withhands at your side and bringpressure become high enough, describe what they seeyour arms upwards as to actusually at depths greater than(mountains, sage, theseveral kilometers below theout an erupting volcano.playground, etc).surface, the original sedimentary Metamorphic Rock: Form arock is no longer in equilibriumFocus their thoughts on theand recrystallizes. The new rock mountains. Ask the class whatfist with one hand and a flatthat forms is called asurface with the other hand.the mountain is composed of?metamorphic rock.Bring the two hands togetherRocks!forcefully and say repeatedlyIf the temperature gets very highExplainthattherearethree“Heat & Pressure).the rock melts and becomestypes of rocks, all of whichmagma again, completing the Sedimentary Rock: Usemoves through a process tocycle. The cycle can beboth hands to modelrepeated, as implied by thewhich they can change tolayering, by stacking handsarrows. However, there is noanother from. This continuingreason toon top of each other.process is known as the rockexpect all rocks to go throughcycle.To ensure students know theseeach step in the cycle. Forinstance, sedimentary rocksmotions, quiz students by sayingThe goal for this lesson is tomight be uplifted and exposed todiscover how the three types of a type of rock and look for theweathering, creating newcorrect motion to be done.rocks form and to understandsediment.how rocks move through the Make dice for stations (seerock cycle.attachments) and stationActivity 2: Rockin’ GameActivity 1: Rocky BrainstormcardsExplain to the class they willAsk the class to first namenow test each other’sPreparationdifferent ways rocks can formknowledge in a Rockin’ Game.(volcanic eruptions, Collect examples ofunderground, dried mud, etc).sedimentary, igneous andThe goal of this game is formetamorphic rocks ifstudents to learn the three typesBy using their examplespossibleof rock and how they areintroduce the three types offormed.2

Demonstrate how the game isplayed by creating a group atthe front of the class (eachgroup will have 5-6 students).Explain one person will stand inthe middle of the circle, to whichthe remaining students form.The middle person turns in acircle and chooses one personfrom the circle by pointing andstating one type of rock. Thechosen person must quicklyrespond by doing the correctbody motion. If the chosenperson responds with thecorrect motion he or she is safeand remains as part of thecircle. If that person takes toolong or does the wrong bodymotion, they switch spots withthe person in the middle andcontinues the game.Once this is demonstrated,divide the class into groups andbegin!Alternative Game:Have all students form a circle(preferably outside) anddemonstrate actions for thethree different rock types:Sedimentary: 2 people standacross from each other andlayer hands over and oversaying “layers and layers andlayers and layers”.Igneous: 2 people stand acrossfrom each other reaching armsout to form a volcano. A thirdperson crouches down betweenthem saying “magma magma”and then standing up reachingtheir arms out saying “lava”.Metamorphic: 4 people stand ina circle with each personrubbing their hands together andsaying “heat” and then pushingthem on the hands of the peoplenext to them saying“pressure” ”heat and pressure,heat, heat, and pressure ”Once these are alldemonstrated inform studentsthe instructor will be calling out arock type and they must find thecorrect amount of people foreach action. If anyone isn’t ableto find a group for each roundthey will be eliminated.Begin the game with everyonemoving around while singing“mineral, mineral, mineral,mineral, mineral, mineral”. Thenshout out a rock type.After each round studentsshould be eliminated and theycan help the instructor shout outthe rock type for each round.This may be done any numberof rounds depending on time,and can be played until thereare two people left standing.Activity 3:Riding the Rock CycleGather the class and explain it istime to use their new knowledgeof rocks by catching a ride in therock cycle!Explain to the class they willinvestigate how sedimentary,igneous, and metamorphic rocksmove through the rock cycle,along with magma andsediments (two other importantparts of the rock cycle).At this point, ask students topredict whether they think therock cycle moves in apredictable order. Take a classvote and record the results onthe Ride the Rock Cycle.pdf3

Demonstrate the activity beforehanding out any materials.have gone next in the rockcycle.Explain to students they willmove from one station toanother, depending on what thedice rolled. Identify each stationaround the room and if neededexplain what magma andsediments are at this time.When students are complete,and if time is permitted, havestudents share their comic stripswith each other.Using the rock records sheet(page 6). demonstrate tostudents how they should recordtheir journey.Distribute rock records, andhave students move to anystation to begin. State to theclass students will have fifteenminutes in this activity. Remindstudents to first record wherethey are starting, then begin!Activity 4:Rock Cycle ComicsWhen time is finished gatherstudents back into their desks.Students, instead of sharingimmediately, will create rockcycle comic strips from theirrock records.Use an already made comicstrip to show students yourexpectations for this activity. Use field guides and handlenses and go for a rock huntoutside.Use multiple comic strips to fill inthe rock cycle on the board. Usearrows and different coloredmarkers to show howcomplicated the rock cycle is.ConclusionReturn to the class predictionabout the movement of the rockcycle. Does the rock cycle movein a simple manner or is itcomplicated? Does it happenover a short period of time?Review the three types of rocksand the five different parts of therock cycle and how they areconnected.AssessmentCollect comic strips to assessstudent understanding of theprocesses that occur as rockschange from one type to anotherin the rock cycle.Assess student audibly bylistening to how students explaintheir rock cycle journey to theirpeers.Students are to choose foursequential parts of their recordto create a comic strip. Between Extensionseach box, students need to label Allow students to create ahow exactly they moved fromshort skit that describes howonce station to another.a rock can move through therock cycle.In addition, instruct students toadd a fifth box in their comicstrip and add where they could4

VocabularyThe Rock Cycle: A neverending process in which rockschange from one kind intoanother.Sediment: The solid matterthat settles at the bottom of aliquid.Sedimentary Rock: A rocktype that has been created bythe deposition and compressionof sedimentMagma: molten rock in theearth's crustIgneous Rock: rock formedby the solidification of magma orlava.Figure /lessons/rocks/rockcyc.htmMetamorphic Rock: Any typeof rock which changes in textureor composition, after it's originalformation, as a result of extremeheat, pressure, or chemicallyactive fluids.Sources (http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us) http://www.google.com/search?hl en&&sa X&ei KJNETJvsMIOisQO2mKWJDA&ved 0CAQQBSgA&q define%3A The Rock cycle%3B&spell 1 sclinks.cfmImages:Fig. 1. http://www.usc.edu/org/cosee-west/Mar192011/Ride the Rock Cycle.pdfFig. 2. lessons/rocks/rockcyc.htm5