Grade Level: Elementary
Objective: Students will build on their knowledge of plate tectonics and volcanoes, learning about the rock cycle.
Key concepts: Weathering, Erosion, Deposition, Sediment, Sedimentary Rocks, Metamorphic Rocks, and Igneous Rocks
Today we:
-Did a BBC interactive tutorial on the rock cycle
-Used a fun-size Snickers bar to demonstrate chemical weathering (with our saliva), physical weathering (with our teeth), erosion (swallowing), and deposition (the Snickers bar in our stomach)
-Created our own rock cycle using crayons...
We:
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| Shaved the crayons (aka weathering) and moved the shavings onto tin foil (erosion and deposition) |
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| Pounded the "sediment" (crayon shavings) with a hammer (aka made sedimentary rocks through compaction) |
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| Hammered(/compacted) the "sedimentary rocks" again then floated them in a mason jar of hot water to make "metamorphic rocks" |
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| Heated the "rocks" on a hot plate and poured them over ice imitating the magma/lava process which creates igneous rocks |
