The Rock Cycle Unit: 4th/5th
grade
Mona Bazzi
EDU 645 Learning & Assessment for the 21st Century
Instructor: Alicia Holland-Johnson
picture retrieved from: connorcc.tripod.com/rockcyclepic.jpg
Introduction
Benchmarks from MI
Curriculum Framework
Geosphere (EG) V.1.
Middle School. 2. Explain how rocks are formed.
Geosphere (EG) V.1.
Elementary School. 2. Recognize and describe different types of earth
materials.
Geosphere (EG) V. 1.
Elementary School. 3. Describe natural changes in the earth’s surface.
I chose to
write my unit plan about the rock cycle for fourth/fifth grade. I chose this
topic for many reasons. One it is
required by the state according to the benchmarks to be taught (see above
standards). Secondly, I always enjoyed
learning about the rock cycle throughout my own elementary experience. The formation of the three different types of
rocks is something I still remember from elementary school. I think that this topic can be taught using a
variety of hands on inquiry methods which will engage and challenge
students. The final reason I chose this topic
was because I feel this topic exposes students to a “big idea” in science:
cycles. Cycles is a big idea which shows
students that something has no beginning and no ending point but rather is
continuous and flowing. It is important and necessary for students to
understand this topic not only in scholarly work but also in the real world.
This unit
is composed of five lessons. Each lesson
builds off of the previous and the final lesson is a culmination and a review
of the whole unit. Lesson one is
entitled Morphing Rocks. In this
lesson students create model rocks out of play dough then test agents such as
pressure, heat and cold to morph or change the rock into a new form. Lesson two is called Sedimentary Rocks. Through this lesson students will use small
candy pieces to model sediment; they will have to compose these sediments into
a solid rock. These first two lessons
have taught the students about two different types of rocks, the third lesson
will introduce the final type of rock Igneous Rocks and Crystallization. This lesson will teach students how the
cooling of magma affects the crystal size in igneous rocks. Now that the
students have learned about the three types of rocks they are ready to classify
them in lesson four: Classifying Rocks. In lesson three students are given different
rocks at their groups, they must then classify the rocks according to their
characteristics. Finally, lesson five is
entitled Rock Cycle Review. This
lesson is a game in which the classroom will have stations and the students
will act as rocks. They will roll dice
at each station telling them what happens to them, they will keep a record of
their journey through the rock cycle. The most important objective of this
lesson is for students to understand the rock cycle is continuous as well to
review all of the stages and transitions of the rock cycle.
Lesson 1: Morphing Rocks
Grade Level:
4th/5th grade
Unit: The
Rock Cycle
Concept:
Metamorphic rocks form from other rocks by adding heat and pressure.
Objectives:
- Students
will be able to explain metamorphic rocks can form from other types of
rocks by adding heat and pressure.
- Students
will be able to visually represent the change that occurs by adding heat
and pressure to sedimentary rocks.
Standard/Benchmark:
Geosphere (EG) V.1. Middle School. 2. Explain
how rocks are formed.
Geosphere (EG) V.1.
Elementary School 3. Describe natural changes in the earth’s surface.
Materials:
Safety Concerns,
Material Guidelines or Cleanup Procedures:
- Be
sure that the students are warned about the heat lamp and are careful and
safe around it.
- Do not
eat anything in the science lab.
- All
materials should be cleaned up before the explain section.
References:
Engage:
I will begin by asking the students, “Have you ever seen
anything that has changed from one form to another?” {Students may respond by talking about water
freezing into ice, cookie dough baking into cookies etc}
I will then ask the students “What factors aided in these
changes?”
I will then show the students a model of a sedimentary rock
made out of layered play dough.
Explorable Question: Then I will say, “Let’s
brainstorm together what types of factors can change a model sedimentary rock?”
{Students may respond by saying heat/cold, pressure, time, crushing, wind,
water etc}
Explore:
In groups students will make their own sedimentary rocks out
of play dough layers. They ill then
choose two or three of the ‘agents’ from their engage brainstorming and test
the effects of that agent on the play dough model.
Students will record their answers and observations on a
worksheet that will be added to their science journals (see attached).
Each group will also whiteboard their ideas and procedures
to share with the class.
I will be sure to have the students clean up their stations
before we go into the explain, this will prevent unnecessary distractions.
Explain:
During the explain each group of students will share out
loud their procedure and observations with the rest of the class. Their observations will be outlined on
whiteboards to make it easy to present. As they share I will ask them questions
as to why they believe their rocks reacted this way. While they are explaining I will introduce
the vocabulary word, “morph”. Morph
means to change. I will explain that by
changing the sedimentary rocks through heat and pressure together is how metamorphic rocks are formed. Students
will be able to understand the new terms and vocabulary because they will have
just experienced it through the explore. I will also remind the students that
the play dough sedimentary rock was simply a model of a real rock. The model represented the shape, the texture
however between the model rock and the real rock would be much different.
The groups that explored weathering will show us their model
rocks.
The class will be able to see how
the rock was broken apart.
I will ask
the students what they think weathering means. After the students share what
they think weathering to be I will explain that weathering can come in two
ways, mechanical or chemical.
Today we
experienced mechanical weathering.
This
means that a rock is broken down by physical processes, such as the wind or
erosion. Using the same website above I will show the students the geographical
areas of the
United States
which were formed by land erosion. (
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es0602/es0602page02_popup2.cfm)
Extend and Apply:
I will show the students pairs of rocks such as limestone
and marble and shale with slate. I will ask the students to identify which
rocks are the metamorphic rocks. Then I will ask them how the rocks changed?
(by adding heat and pressure).
Performance
Assessment:
To ensure that students understand and comprehend the
objectives of this lesson I will be floating around the room while they are
working through the lesson. This will
give me the opportunity to assist groups as needed and I will be able to see
which students are struggling and which students are leading. Throughout the
whole lesson I will be walking around the room and assessing the students and
their understanding and comprehension of the lesson.
The students will also be asked to draw a picture in their
journals. This picture will be of how
the sedimentary rocks can change into metamorphic rocks. The journal worksheet
page will also be checked for completeness, accuracy and comprehension.
Name______________________ Date___________
Science Journal 1: How Rocks Change
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Factor to be tested:
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How did I test this factor?
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Did this factor cause the model
sedimentary rock to change forms?
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Observations:
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Lesson 2: Sedimentary Rocks
Grade Level: 4th/5th
grade
Unit: The
Rock Cycle
Concept:
Through this activity students will learn that sedimentary rocks form by
compaction and cementation of sediment.
Objectives:
- Students
will be able to differentiate between metamorphic rocks and sedimentary
rocks based on how they form.
- Students
will be able to recognize and explain the processes of compaction and
cementation.
- Students
will be able to explain how sediments form layers in sedimentary rocks.
Standard/Benchmark:
Geosphere (EG) V.1. Middle School. 2. Explain
how rocks are formed.
Materials:
- Journals/pencils
(for each student)
- Worksheet
journal page (for each student)
- Metamorphic
and sedimentary rocks (for each group)
- White
boards and markers (one per group)
- Candy
pieces (1 cup full per group)
- Cups
(two or three per group)
- Hot
plate (per group)
- Glue
(1 bottle available per group)
- Wax
paper (1 roll, to be used by whole class)
- Spoons
(2 or 3 per group)
- Sugar
(about 3 tablespoons per group)
- Water
- Marshmallow
(4 or 5 per group)
- Honey
(2 or 3 tablespoons per group)
Safety Concerns,
Material Guidelines or Cleanup Procedures:
- If
students decide to use heat from the hot plate it must be assisted and
supervised by the teacher.
- Even
though the material is edible DO NOT EAT ANYTHING.
- Pass
out materials after giving directions.
- Clean
up areas (expect for the rock model) before explain.
- Be
careful when pouring water and other liquids.
- Clean
up spills immediately.
- Wash hands promptly
after.
References:
Everett, S. (2005). Natural Science 232: Rock Cycle Lesson. University of Michigan
Dearborn.
Tarbuck, E. J. and Lutgens, F. K. (2003). Earth Science 10th Edition. New Jersey: Prentice
Hall.
Engage:
I will have rocks set up at the front of the classroom. I will start by asking the students what they
think rocks are made of. Some expected
responses would be, “dirt, sand, pebble, leaves”. I will ask the students what
they think causes these various pieces to stick together creating a rock. I
will show the students a tray of candy, honey, sugar, water, marshmallows and
other items. I will explain that these
candy pieces are going to represent what the students just explained as my rock
pieces, dirt, sand, pebbles etc. I will explain that today we are going to
create our own rocks.
Explorable Question: What cause the candy pieces to
stick together and form a model rock?
Explore:
I will first go over safety concerns with the class. Then in
groups students will use candy pieces to model the sediment. They will then devise an investigation to
make the sediment stick together. The students
will test their investigations and use whiteboards to display their
observations and processes. Students may
use any materials necessary to help their sediment form together into a “rock”. Students will be instructed that their rock
must be able to be picked up and stay “whole” and “put together”, we do not
want any liquid rocks.
Explain:
Students will share their results with the whole class. As they are explaining I will introduce new
vocabulary words: Cementation and Compaction. Students will most likely be describing these
processes by using words such as “pressure”/ “squished” or “glue”/ “sticking
together”. We will then discuss the
layers of sediment which through cementation
and compaction form sedimentary rocks. This occurs because like sediment fall
together. This explains why many
sedimentary rocks look like they have lines/layers.
Extend and Apply:
I will show the students examples of metamorphic rocks and
sedimentary rocks. The students will be familiar with metamorphic rocks from
the previous lesson. These rocks will be labeled with their proper names, to
make it easy to fill out the journal page. I will ask the children to classify
them into piles, metamorphic or sedimentary.
They will fill out a journal page about this activity (see attached).
Performance
Assessment:
The students will be assessed throughout the whole
lesson. They will be given credit for
cooperative working in groups, explaining their observations and participation.
They will also be assessed based on the journal page.
In addition I will hold up a see through glass jar
containing “pieces of rocks” that we listed in the engage such as pebbles,
leaves, dirt, sand etc. I will ask the
students to write two or three sentences in their science journals explaining how
these pieces can form a solid rock. When reading these responses I will be
looking for the key words compaction, cementation and sedimentary.
Name
_______________________________ Date ____________
Science Journal 2: Classifying Sedimentary
and Metamorphic Rocks
DIRECTIONS:
List the rock name under the proper
classification and write how you know it is a metamorphic rock or a sedimentary
rock.
METAMORPHPIC
ROCKS
1. ________________
How I knew:_________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________
How I
knew:______________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________
How I knew:_________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
1. ________________
How I knew:_________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________
How I knew:_________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________
How I knew:_________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Lesson 3: Igneous Rocks and
Crystallization
Grade Level:
4th/5th grade
Unit: The
Rock Cycle
Concept:
Smaller crystals form in igneous rocks when the magma cools faster.
Objectives:
- Students will be able to define igneous
rocks as being formed by the cooling of magma.
- Students will be to distinguish igneous
rocks with large crystals from igneous rocks with small crystals.
- Students will be able to explain that
fast cooling magma produces small crystals and slow cooling magma produces
large crystals.
- Students will understand how igneous
rocks form above the ground.
Standard/Benchmark:
Geosphere (EG) V.1. Middle School. 2. Explain
how rocks are formed.
Geosphere (EG) V. 1.
Elementary School. 3. Describe natural changes in the earth’s surface.
Materials:
- About
25 paperclips (3 per group)
- String
- Scissors
to cut the string
- About
25 small Dixie cups (3 per group)
- 25
popsicle sticks (3 per group)
- Permanent
markers (1 per group)
- 1 Bunsen
burner and 1 stirring rod (teacher use)
- Water
- Epson
salt
- 8
white boards with dry ease markers and erasers
- 25
Student text books.
Daniel, L.,
Hackett, J., Moyer, R., Vasquez, J. (2000). Science:
4th grade. New York:
Macmillian and McGraw-Hill Company.
- 12-15
Examples of igneous rocks. Enough for at least 2 rocks per group.
- Student
journals and pencils.
Safety Concerns,
Material Guidelines or Cleanup Procedures:
- Do not
throw any of the rocks or materials. Please be gentle with them so they do
not break.
- Do not
eat anything in the science classroom.
References:
Daniel, L.,
Hackett, J., Moyer, R., Vasquez, J. (2000). Science:
Teacher’s edition 4th grade. New York: Macmillian and McGraw-Hill
Company.
Engage:
I will engage the students by initiating a class discussion
about the rock cycle unit, which we are in the middle of. “We have learned
about two types of rocks so far.
Can
anyone name them for me?
{Students
should know Metamorphic and Sedimentary rocks from lessons 1 and 2} We also
know how they are formed.
How were
metamorphic rocks formed? How were sedimentary rocks formed?
Well today we are going to learn about the
third and final type of rock. I will show the students the webcam of
Mt. Saint
Helens. (
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/)
I will tell the students that
Mt.
Saint Helens is an active
volcano. The students are familiar with volcanoes and magma from 3
rd
grade. I will explain that today we are going to explore what happens when the
magma cools, and how the crystal size is affected by the cooling.
Explorable Question:
How does the speed of the magma cooling affect the size of crystals?
Explore:
I will start the explore by reminding the students of all
safety concerns and procedures. I will have prepared a supersaturated solution
of Epson salt and water before the lesson.
Each group of four students will have three Dixie cups full of the solution. The students will label their cups with their
names and “place”. Each group will have
to put each of their three cups in a spot in the classroom representing a
different temperature. (Under heat lamp, by the window, fridge, on a shelf
etc). The students will also create a
hanging paperclip attached to a string and a popsicle stick. These paperclips will hang into the Dixie cups. Once the students have their cups labeled and
prepared with paperclips they will bring them to the front of the room and I
will distribute the solution into each students cups. I will encourage the
students to place their cups in the different temperatures around the room.
The students will fill out a worksheet about their process
thus far. The cups will have to sit overnight in order for the crystals to
grow.
I will tell the students that we will observe the cups again
in the morning and see what has happened.
The following day the students will record what has happened
to their cups. They should notice that crystals have grown.
Explain:
During the explain the students will share their process and
observations with the rest of the class.
They will share where the put the cups, and how large the crystal size
was. We can make a chart on the board to
show the whole class data by using tallies.
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Environment
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Large Crystals
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Medium Crystals
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Small Crystals
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Warm Environment
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Room Temperature
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Cold Environment
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I will have the students read with a partner from their book
the section about igneous rocks this will explain that during the cooling
process different size crystals form (Daniel, L., Hackett, J., Moyer, R.,
Vasquez, J. 2000). When the magma cools
quickly small crystals form. When the
magma cools slowly larger crystals form.
After the students have read from the book we will discuss
why the crystals in the warmer environment formed smaller than the crystals
placed in a cold environment. The students should be able to explain that the
warm environment sped up the rate of cooling therefore smaller crystals formed.
I will tell the students this same process happens when magma is cooled. The faster the magma is cooled the smaller
the crystals are. The slower the magma is cooled the larger the crystals form.
The rocks that these crystals form are called igneous rocks. I will write this
new term on the board.
Extend and Apply:
I will show the students the same website about Mt. Saint
Helens and ask the students what types of rock
would corm by the eruption and cooling of magma. (The students should know
igneous rocks) I will have the students apply their new knowledge by asking
them a series of questions.
·
What size would the
crystals in the rock be if the magma cooled over 3 years?
·
What size would the
crystals in the rock be if the magma cooled over 3 days?
Performance
Assessment:
To assess if the students have understood and met the
objectives I will show them some examples of igneous rocks. I will put these rocks on the tables the
students are working at and ask them to examine the rocks. I will then have them write in their science
journals if they feel this rock cooled fast or slow. They will have to justify their answer.
Lesson 4: Classifying Rocks
Grade Level:
4th/5th grade
Unit: The
Rock Cycle
Concept:
Through this activity students will be able to classify rocks into sets
according to their attributes.
Objectives:
- Students
will be able to classify rocks according to physical attributes.
- Students
will describe rocks using adjectives.
Standard/Benchmark:
Geosphere (EG) V.1. Middle School. 2. Explain
how rocks are formed.
Geosphere (EG) V.1.
Elementary School. 2. Recognize and describe different types of earth
materials.
Materials:
- Pictures
of rocks in natural settings (such as Grand Canyon, Garden of Gods,
volcano, walking path, beach, etc)
- Whiteboards
and markers
- Science
Journals and pencils
- Set of
rocks (containing a variety of types of rocks about 15 rocks per set) 1
set per group.
Safety Concerns,
Material Guidelines or Cleanup Procedures:
- Do not
throw any of the rocks or materials. Please be gentle with them so they do
not break.
- Do not
eat anything in the science classroom.
References:
Daniel, L.,
Hackett, J., Moyer, R., Vasquez, J. (2000). Science:
Teacher’s edition 4th grade. New York: Macmillian and McGraw-Hill
Company.
Engage:
I will begin the lesson by showing the students pictures of
rocks, such as pictures of a canyon, beach, Garden of the Gods in Colorado, a volcano, a
walking path and other pictures which have rocks in them. I will ask the students what all of these
pictures have in common. {Students
should say that all of the pictures have rocks in them.} I will tell the students that rocks can be
grouped together according to many different characteristics. Rocks have many similarities and
differences. I will ask the students how
the rocks in the pictures are similar and how they are different. I will explain that these traits the students
just named are also called “characteristics”.
I will tell the students today we are going to explore this idea.
Explorable Question: Then I will say, “In what ways
can we classify rocks?”
Explore:
I will start by explaining the safety concerns for this
lesson, we do not eat anything in science.
Also it is important to be gentle with the rocks so that they do not get
broken or lost. Finally, the students
should all be reminded that rocks are not weapons and we do not throw things.
In groups students will be given a variety of rocks to work
with. Each group will have to decide how
to sort and group their rocks. I will
explain to the students that each category can only have one characteristic.
For example if they use group A for black rocks it can not be used for small
rocks as well. Each group of students will have different characteristics that
they sorted by, therefore all of the classification groups will be different. I
will walk around the room and ask questions to engage students in active
exploration. I will encourage every
group to classify their rocks into at least three different groups; they may
have more groups if they need. Once
every group has their rocks sorted into groups I will tell them to write a
sentence explaining the characteristics of each group. For example: “Group A has black rocks. Group
B has smooth stones”.
Explain:
The students will leave their rock piles and sentence
describing them on their tables. They
will then get up and walk around the room to observe how the other groups classified
and grouped their rocks. The students
will have about three to five minutes to do this. They will then sit back down and can ask
questions of other groups as to why they grouped their rocks how they did. The students should notice and discuss that
although all groups were given the same rocks every group classified them
differently.
As the students describe the characteristics they grouped
their rocks by I will introduce vocabulary as needed. For example, if they grouped their rocks
according to shine, this is called luster. If they grouped their rocks according to how
hard it is, this is called hardness or
malleability. We will also discuss
such characteristics such as color, sediment size and shape.
I will then explain that it is very important to be able to
classify things. By looking at things
from this approach we are being scientists.
We can classify many things, not just rocks. By learning to classify rocks we can learn a
lot such as the origins of it, the age of it, and how it was formed.
Extend and Apply:
I will ask the students to name an example of a rock that we
use or see everyday. {Answers will vary but can include driveways, playground
etc). We will list the characteristics
of these rocks on the board, and discuss how they are similar and how they are
different to each other.
Performance
Assessment:
In addition to walking around the room to assess the
students as they are working, I will have the students answer the following
questions in the science journals.
Finally, I will ask the students to compare two rocks (that
are on their tables already) and write down three likeness and three
differences.
Lesson 5: Rock Cycle Review
Grade Level: 4th/5th
grade
Unit: The
Rock Cycle
Concept:
The rock cycle is a continuous cycle and can take many paths.
Objectives:
- Students
will be able to describe the various stages of the rock cycle.
- Students
will demonstrate how to move through the rock cycle.
- Students
will be able to identify by name the processes involved with the rock cycle.
Standard/Benchmark:
Geosphere (EG) V.1. Middle School. 2. Explain
how rocks are formed.
Geosphere (EG) V.1.
Elementary School. 2. Recognize and describe different types of earth
materials.
Geosphere (EG) V. 1.
Elementary School. 3. Describe natural changes in the earth’s surface.
Materials:
- Science
Journals and pencils
- Worksheets
(1 per student) Travel logs printed from geology online website
- 7
Station Signs
- 7
Station Dice
- 1
Rock Cycle Transparency Overhead
- 1
Overhead projector
- Chalkboard
and chalk
Safety Concerns,
Material Guidelines or Cleanup Procedures:
Students will be instructed to not throw the dice or damage
them. They will also be told to be
careful and use walking feet and indoor voices because this can be a loud
activity. Students should change centers
upon hearing the bell ring, and should follow all directions given in the
explore.
References:
Yates Elementary School.
(2005). Newport VA.
http://yates.nn.k12.va.us/images/rocks.gif
Engage:
The students will
brainstorm about the rock cycle. Any
terms, processes, or words associated with the rock cycle and previous lessons
will be listed on the board. I will also
engage them in a discussion about what else they wish to know about the rock
cycle that they feel we have not covered.
Then I will tell the students that today we are going to review
everything we have learned about the rock cycle. We will discuss the different processes and
paths that a rock can go through during the rock cycle.
Explorable Question: What are the different paths
that rocks can go through in the rock cycle.
Explore:
The students will play the rock cycle game. The classroom will be set up with seven
centers. These stations are: 1. Earth’s Interior, 2. Soil, 3. Volcano, 4.
Clouds, 5. Mountains, 6. Ocean, and 7.
River. Each station will have a game cube that the students will roll, this
will determine what they will do. The
student may move on to another station, or they may stay at the station they
are at for a few turns. The students
will record what is happening (as they move, or stay) on their “journey chart”
(Baker 2001). Start the game by
assigning two or three students to each station. Ring the bell and tell the students to roll
the dice. Every time you ring the bell
the students should roll the dice and move on to the next station, they will
not stay with the same people throughout the whole game that is ok. Ring the bell and have them change stations
every three or four minutes. It should
not take long for them to roll the dice and move on. Allow the game to continue
until each student has had twelve turns. When the students are done, they will
be given about ten minutes to create a flow chart in their science journals of
their trip. This will help them visually
represent how they went through the rock cycle, and the changes that happened
to them.
Explain:
At their tables (of 4 or 5) students will share what paths
they took during their journey on the rock cycle. By sharing these experiences students should
notice that not everyone had the same journey, some students stayed at a
station for a long time while other students moved quickly through but took
separate paths.
After the students have had an opportunity to share within
their groups I will show the class a transparency overhead of the rock cycle
(SEE ATTACHED>>>>) I will ask the students where the beginning and
the end of this cycle are. The students
should respond by saying that there is no beginning or end because you can
start anywhere. I will give two or three
examples to demonstrate this idea. (EX:
I start as magma and cool into igneous rocks then through heat and pressure I
turn into a metamorphic rock that then erodes into sediment and gets compacted
into sedimentary rock and then melts into magma) While giving these examples we will trace the
outline on the overhead.
Extend and Apply:
I will show the students an example of a rock, (ie
Sandstone). We will discuss how
sandstone would travel the rock cycle using the overhead as a guide. One route it could take would be as follows:
Sandstone is a seminary rock could undergo heat and pressure causing it to
become a metamorphic rock known as quartzite. The metamorphic rock could
undergo weathering by wind and rain breaking it apart into sediments or sand.
Performance
Assessment:
I will give the students a starting position in the rock
cycle and then ask them to complete the journey of this rock through the rock
cycle. They should write their journey
in their science journals. This will
show if the students understand that the rock cycle can take many paths.
Overhead lesson 5
