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Earthworks
Earth System Science for Secondary Teachers
Geology Lesson Plan
Objective: Teach students about local geology and introduce them to minerals and the rock cycle
Why? Meets state standards and create awareness of local topography and environment and allows appreciation of Earth processes.
Who? At-risk high school students
Resources needed? Transportation, rock hammers, hand lenses, mineral test kits for in the classroom, large variety of rock specimens.
How to nurture student interest and get it into curriculum?
Day 1 (depends on how many days and time blocks available within school)
- Take students on field trip. Give mini-historical local geo lesson while collecting specimens from various locations with various rock types.
- Have students bring in any type of rock samples that they can find (i.e., gravel from driveway and even gems from jewelry).
Day 2 (possibly Day 3 if not block time)
- Have students perform categorization of all rocks (can be color or anything they want). Have them question themselves about categories -are they really the same? How else could distinguishing characteristics be represented?
- When they have a handle on differences, rocks being the source of gems, etc., then have them perform matching exercise with source rocks and products.
Research project:
Students are given a variety of rocks to choose from (some contain gem minerals, some contain fossils, and some are from different origins).
Students will then determine:
- depositional environment or rock
- origin
- mineral content
- chemistry
- approx. geologic age, etc.
In geology, the past is the key to the present.
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