Rock around the rock cycle

Students will study the rock cycle to understand the relationship between the three types of rocks, sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous, and the conditions needed to transform one type of rock into another. This hopefully will be accomplished through visual learning with computer activities and the demonstration and through auditory learning with the discussion. The student can then apply the knowledge they learned through a story.

A lesson plan for grades 9–12 Science

By Mark Clinkscales and Carrie Palmer

Learn more

• Moorland School Moorland School's Earth science website with the rock test for use in activities
• Rock Cycle a simple diagram of the rock cycle for students
• BBC Education description of the rock cycle and the evolving Earth with a list of experiments

Related pages

• Rocks really rock! A lesson on the classification of rocks: This lesson will help students classify various rocks according to specified criteria. It will also help students classify a given rock using selected mineral identification tests. Students will use a graphic organizer to display their findings.
• Time: This lesson is part of chapter one of the unit "Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks." Students look at a chart of geologic time dating back to the beginning formation of the earth through modern times, noting that many geologic changes occur over millions of years. They also look at photographs of recent geologic change to learn that some geologic changes occur in a human time frame, as well.
• Round and Round It Goes; Water, Where It Stops Nobody Knows: This experimental lab lesson will show the process of the hydrological cycle as it relates to the earth's atmosphere by showing three different scenarios.

Related topics

• Learn more about environmental science, geology, labs, metamorphic rock, rock cycle, science, sediment, and sedimentary rock.

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Learning outcomes

The students will learn about the three types of rocks and the processes that change one type of rock into another type through several different styles of learning.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

50 minutes

Materials/resources

• paper
• pencil
• crayon shavings
• two pieces of wood
• candle or some type of heat source
• aluminum pie pan
• goggles
• heavy duty aluminum foil
• hammer
• tongs or clothespin
• blackboard and chalk

Technology resources

Computer with internet access

Pre-activities

We would like the students to already have background information on the three types of rocks from appropriate readings in their books.

Activities

Step 1: Computer Activities

1. Go to the Moorland School earth science website. Parts of this website, including the rock test (may not display in all browsers).
2. Let the students read through the entire page that is available.
3. Let the students test their knowledge at the link at the bottom of the page called the rock test and then let them check their answers.
4. Discuss any of the questions that the students got wrong.
5. Have the students draw out a rock cycle diagram in their notes.

Step 2: Demonstration of the rock cycle and discussion

1. This demonstration is from the ThinkQuest library.
2. Remember safety first, so always wear your safety goggles.
3. Lay one piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil of about twenty centimeters by ten centimeters inside another piece of heavy duty aluminum foil of the same size.
4. Make enough crayon shavings of different colors to represent sediment. There should be enough shavings to make a pile six centimeters by six centimeters and one to two centimeters thick.
5. Make a packet of “sediment” within the aluminum foil.
6. Place the packet of aluminum foil between the two wooden boards and hammer on the top board. Open the packet and ask the class what type of rock this represents. Give names of different types of sedimentary rocks and what type of sediment it is formed from. For example, shale is formed from clay sediment.
7. Rewrap the packet of aluminum foil with the “sedimentary rock” inside. Replace the two boards and hammer the top board with more pressure than before. Open the packet and ask the class what type of rock this represents. Talk about the other factor, temperature, needed to make metamorphic rocks. Follow the transaction of low, intermediate, and high-grade metamorphic rock using slate as the example.
8. Rewrap the packet of “metamorphic rock.” Place packet over a heat source using your tongs. After the packet has been heated for a few minutes, let cool for another few minutes. Open the packet and ask the class what type of rock this represents. Talk about the characteristics of intrusive igneous rocks and extrusive igneous rocks.

Step 3: The story

1. Let the students prepare a story that makes them pretend that they are an extrusive igneous rock and they want to go through sedimentary and metamorphic rocks to become intrusive igneous rocks.
2. Let the students be creative, but make sure they use the correct information on the processes they have to go through to become another type of rock and the characteristics of that type of rock they become.
3. This can be continued as homework.

Assessment

Collect the story after the students are able to finish it for homework. The story should be graded on the mastery of the material such as describing the three types of rocks and the processes that transform the rocks into different types.

Supplemental information

Comments

The story activity is adopted from a ProTeacher story activity.