20-question multiple choice unit assessment with one short answer question.  Covers the rock cycle/types, classification, plate tectonics and Earth's layers.  **Please be sure to make a copy of the Google Doc prior to using.  **

20-question multiple choice unit assessment with one short answer question.  Covers the rock cycle/types, classification, plate tectonics and Earth's layers.  **Please be sure to make a copy of the Google Doc prior to using.  **

In this activity, learners use crayons to draw conclusions about rocks and the rock cycle. Learners form crayons ((which can be "weathered"--heated, compressed and cooled--like rocks) into models of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks.

This resource provides a 5E style lesson (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) over the rock cycle, including a single-period lab using crayons to model the cycle.  It’s often a difficult concept for students to imagine that over millions of years, one kind of rock will change into another kind of rock.  This lab allows students to see the changes taking place, and learn important qualities of each type of rock and how they are formed.Photo:  Rainbow of Crayon Shavings by Richie Girardin via Flickr

This activity is a classroom hands-on , active learning lesson where students observe and describe a familiar item, to help them observe and describe the physical characteristics of rocks.

This is a classroom activity in which students develop understanding of the rock cycle using wax crayons to model the processes that form the 3 types of rock; sedimentary, igneous & metamorphic.

Students investigate how mountains are formed. Concepts include the composition and structure of the Earth's tectonic plates and tectonic plate boundaries, with an emphasis on plate convergence as it relates to mountain formation. Students learn that geotechnical engineers design technologies to measure movement of tectonic plates and mountain formation, as well as design to alter the mountain environment to create safe and dependable roadways and tunnels.

This activity is a lab inquiry-base lesson on the rock cycle. Students will look at the parts of the rock cycle by examining three rocks. Based on their observations and data they collect they should be able to develop a hypothesis and an experiment to test this hypothesis.

This activity is a quantative writing activity where students will use writing and illustrations to show their knowledge of the basic rock cycle.

This activity is a field investagation where students will discover answers to their questions about the rock cycle.

Students learn the components of the rock cycle and how rocks can change over time under the influence of weathering, erosion, pressure and heat. They learn about geotechnical engineering and the role these engineers play in the development of an area of land, the design and placement of new structures, and detection of natural disasters.

Video Description:   Find out how rocks brought to Earth by the Apollo astronauts have helped NASA learn more about the rock cycle. Compare igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks found on Earth to three types of rocks found on the moon.     Video Length:  4:08.NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Our World videos (grades 3-5) help students understand the differences between science (the natural world) and engineering (the designed world).  These video segments supplement elementary learning objectives not only in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but also in reading, writing, visual and performing arts.

Video Description:  Volcanoes play a role in how Earth looks today. Thanks to NASA's missions, we know more about volcanoes in our solar system. Studying volcanoes can teach us about the interior properties of the planets and moons. Learn how the slope equation is used to identify how a volcano was formed.  Video Length:  4:46.NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Real World segments (grades 6-8) connect classroom mathematics to 21st Century careers and innovations.  They are designed for students to develop an appreciation for mathematics through real-world problem solving.

Through five lessons, students are introduced to all facets of the rock cycle. Topics include rock and mineral types, material stresses and weathering, geologic time and fossil formation, the Earth's crust and tectonic plates, and soil formation and composition. Lessons are presented in the context of the related impact on humans in the form of roadway and tunnel design and construction, natural disasters, environmental site assessment for building structures, and measurement instrumentation and tools. Hands-on activities include experiencing tensional, compressional and shear material stress by using only hand force to break bars of soap; preparing Jeopardy-type trivia questions/answers for a class game that reinforces students' understanding of rocks and the rock cycle; creating "fossils" using melted chocolate; working within design constraints to design and build a model tunnel through a clay mountain; and soil sampling by creating tools, obtaining soil cores, documenting a soil profile log, and analyzing the findings to make engineering predictions.

In this activity, students will complete a handout, using an on-line interactive, to learn about the rock cycle.  Upon completion, students should have a better understanding of how processes on earth can transform rock from one form to another.

This is an activity that will allow you to build upon students' prior knowledge and allow students' to use their creativity to explore the rock cycle. Students will have the opportunity to create a skit, commercial, song, or puppet show about the different parts of the rock cycle. Students love to get creative!

Students reinforce their understanding of rocks, the rock cycle, and geotechnical engineering by playing a trivia game. They work in groups to prepare Jeopardy-type trivia questions (answers) and compete against each other to demonstrate their knowledge of rocks and engineering.

Rocks cover the earth's surface, including what is below or near human-made structures. With rocks everywhere, breaking rocks can be hazardous and potentially disastrous to people. Students are introduced to three types of material stress related to rocks: compressional, torsional and shear. They learn about rock types (sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic), and about the occurrence of stresses and weathering in nature, including physical, chemical and biological weathering.