Students are constantly bombarded with new information throughout their school years. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to them, and sometimes the subject doesn’t hold much interest for them, but they still need to learn the material. An example of this is the rock cycle, a subject which often bores middle school kids, yet they still need to know it. Fortunately, there are many creative ways to help them to grasp and retain their lessons. According to an article in the Iowa Science Teachers Journal, one of those ways is through the use of creative and interesting activities which give the students opportunities for hands-on learning. Adding some fun and entertaining games to a unit on the rock cycle will help your students better learn and retain the concepts involved.
Rock Cycle Journeys
The Science Spot suggests that you set up different learning stations in the classroom which relate to the different phases of the rock cycle. Assign each one a number. Split the students into the same number of small groups as there are stations. Have each group roll a die (or two dice if you have more than 6 stations) and journey to the station with the corresponding number, then complete the activity there. If it is occupied, they roll again. They must work through the stations until they have completed each one, continuing to roll the die and going to whichever station corresponds to the number rolled. Once students have finished all of the activities they proceed to the final station, which represents winning the game. (This is a game where everybody can win.) The last station provides materials (pencils, markers, crayons, paper, etc.) for the students to create a song or story about rocky and his journey through the rock cycle. They must include at least 3 of Rocky’s transitions. Let them be as creative as they desire. Rocky’s story could be a rap song, or the students can make a comic book, children’s book, or other illustrated tale.
Crayon Geology
The Iowa Science Teacher’s Journal suggests using crayons to help students understand the rock cycle. Pair up the students. Give each child of the pair a different colored crayon to break into small bits. Have the students make observations about the nature of the crayons such as composition, feel, etc. Have each student put some crayon bits into a small, zip-top plastic bag and try to squish the bits together to make a new crayon. Ask for their observations on how well this works.
Now have the students carefully heat their crayon bits in small aluminum foil bowls (shaped by them). Show them how to fold the foil over the warm wax, add some pressure to the warm wax, and note the result. Discuss with the students the difference between the non-heated and heated crayons when smashed together. Most will note that the heated crayons bits stuck together much better than those which had not been heated. Compare this to rocks which have been altered by heat and pressure to provide an illustration of the rock cycle in action.
Rock Cycle Animation
“How Do Rocks Undergo Change?” is an online interactive activity which allows students to view an animation of the complete rock cycle. By clicking on different parts of the graphic, students can see details of how each part of the environment affects the earth and the rock cycle. Illustrations are clear, explanations are simple, and there are many opportunities for students to interact in order to investigate the rock cycle.
The Science Spot: Earth Science Lesson Plans
http://www.sciencespot.net/Pages/classearth.html#Anchor6
Iowa Science Teachers Journal: Colorful Geology
http://ists.pls.uni.edu/istj/issues/34/1_winter_07/rock_cycle.pdf
Class Zone: Exploring Earth: How Do Rocks Undergo Change?
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es0602/es0602page02.cfm?chapter_no=investigation
