Lab

Students will research 8 common metamorphic rocks. Marble, quartzite, hornfels, slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss, and amphibolite. Students will have a better understanding of what foliated vs. non-foliated rocks look like. They will understand what a parent rock is and review some of their mineral knowledge by researching what some of the most dominant minerals are in these particular metamorphic rocks. Finally, when they are done they will discuss with their groups some higher-order thinking questions that will drive the class discussion when the assignment is completed.

In this activity, students will hone their observation, inference, and making conclusions skill by trying their best to use a dichotomous classification key to determine the name of their rocks. This Earth Science lab also contains a dichotomous key used for teaching students how sedimentary rocks are classified.

Find more Earth Science lessons and labs at EarthScience.xyz.

Other rock and mineral identification labs can be found at:

In this activity, students will use Google Earth to find the coordinates of some awesome Geologic Formations. Students will have a greater understanding of latitude and longitude. They will gain an understanding of how to use Google Earth to make discoveries. A link to a presentation that contains images and the geology behind many of the formations is also available. There are two parts to the assignment. First students will type in the coordinates into Google Earth to make a discovery.

In this activity, students will engage in a topographic map exercise. When a student is finished they will understand what contour lines, elevation, contour interval, contour index, and quadrants are. Students will analyze a map of Snowflake AZ, you can pick your own map if you wish, and discover why it is important to understand topographic maps.

For more Earth Science Labs and Resources visit EarthScience.xyz

In this exercise, students will use a Geologic map to discover what types of rocks, faults, and ages of those rocks are. They will read about the different environments that Arizona has had over the ages. They will also get a review on words like conglomerate, intrusions, sills, igneous and sedimentary rocks.

For more Earth Science labs and resources visitEarthScience.xyz

In this activity students are going to find a small rock, decide what rock type it is, weight it, place it in a tumbler and then over a two week period observe it to see how much mass a rock can lose if it went through a 24 hour a day process of bouncing around other rocks. Students will get a first-hand look at the power behind water and abrasion. Students will make a statement of conclusion and calculate the rate of mass decrease.

For more Earth Science labs and resources visit EarthScience.xyz

In this Earth Science lab, students will design an experiment to answer the following question. Will rock weather faster or slower if it has more surface area exposed? Students will use Alka-Seltzer as their rocks. They will have to come up with a control and two other variables, They will need to list their hypothesis, step by step procedures, observations, and create a statement of conclusion. When they are finished they will understand the relationship between surface area and rate of weathering.

In this lab students design and experiment that will oxidize a penny. The purpose of this lab besides demonstrating chemical weathering is to assess how well students are understanding the scientific method as well as their ability to think outside the box by taking content knowledge and applying it in a lab situation. I stand back from this lab to see how well students perform. Students will observe their pennies each day until their pennies are dry or for 3 or more days, depending on how they set up their design.

In this activity, students will determine the type of soil they have as well as figure out the pH level of the soil. Students will reinforce their soil vocabulary in this lab: sand, clay, silt, loam. Students will practice using a soil pyramid.

For more Earth Science labs and activities visit: http://EarthScience.xyz

In this activity students will discover information about the four mass movement types: creeps, slides, falls, flows, slumps. They will discover the most costly and deadliest landslides in the USA. You can either print out copies for students or have them use Google Docs. Other words discussed are erosion, deposition, and lahar. Students will research what natural and human events can trigger landslides. They will also research methods that humans are currently using to try and prevent mass movement.