Week 7: Rocks and the Rock Cycle

 

1.      What did you do in lab today?

In lab we had a long discussion about grades and what the meaning behind them. This was thought provoking and impactful for me. I learned that grades have continued to be inflated since WW2. It made me think about the purpose of scores and how we assess students. We discussed the curve for our unit test and what letter grade corresponds with each score.

We also did a lab where we explored sedimentary, metaphoric, and igneous rocks. We used starburst to demonstrate these. We applied pressure and heat to the starburst to create a demonstration of the different types of rocks.




2. What was the big question?

The big question we discussed was: What are the different types of rocks and what are their characteristics?

2.      What did you do in Thursdays discussion?

In Thursday’s discussion we were introduced to the rock cycle and the three types of rocks. Additionally, we observed if cans of soda would sink or float. We discussed how if something is denser than water, it will sink. We observed the full sugar pop sinking and the diet pop floating. This is because sugar is dense. We read a story about a king and gold. In this story the king was wanted to make sure that the crown was equal to the amount of gold that he gave the man.

Specific gravity = W (air)/ W (air) – W (water)

Example:

127.5 grams in air

56.3 grams in water

= 1.79

When we teach geology to kids, we want to engage and show them interesting things.

4. Read the online textbook chapter 2. 

  • What did you learn?

One thing I learned from the textbook chapter was how geodes are formed. Geodes have cavities of crystals inside of them. There are a few different ways that geodes are formed. One way that this happens is when a bubble of carbon dioxide and water forms in hot lava. Another way is that the outside of the rock cools first and then the inside cools. This causes crystals to form. The geodes that are most commonly found in Iowa are formed from sedimentary rocks and erosion.

·       What was most helpful?

Something that was especially helpful to me was seeing the different types of rocks and having the characteristics listed directly below. It was helpful to have all this information in one place. It made it easy to compare and contrast the different types. We had discussed them in lecture and lab but having them written down and more detail was very helpful in my understanding.

·       What do you need more information on?

Something I need more information on is what the state rocks are in the other states. I think this is interesting to learn about, and I would love to learn more about specific types of rocks. Many of them have cool patterns and details.

5. What questions, concerns, and/or comments do you have?

I do not have any further questions or comments. 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 1: Sun, Earth, and the Moon

What did you do in lab today? ​ In lab, we were given an earth, moon, and green laser that represented a geometrical plane. We explored what causes the phases of the moon, what causes seasons, and what causes a lunar eclipse. We used the materials given to help us visualize and answer these questions.  I learned that seasons are  based on direct sunlight; not necessarily how close the earth is to the sun but the amount of direct sunlight the earth gets. For example, when the tropic of cancer is hit by direct sunlight, it will be summer. Additionally, I learned that the moon takes about 28 days to make a full orbit around the earth. Lastly, I learned that a lunar eclipse occurs when the earth is directly between the sun and the moon. What was the big question? ​ The big question we were trying to answer is the relationship between the sun, earth, and moon. What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion? ​  These are my notes and what I lear...
Read more

Week 10: Layers of Earth, Convection Cells, and Plate Tectonics

Image
        What did you do in lab? In lab we did a lab that shows the different types of tectonic plate movements. A convergent boundary is when one plate dives under another. A convergent boundary forms a mountain. A real-life example of this is the Himalaya Mountains in India. We watched a video about the theory of continental drift and plate tectonics. Plate tectonics is the cause. Continental drift is the effect of the movement. Scientists are starting to find new species in the trench in the ocean every day. We did an activity that showed the transform boundary, divergent boundary, and convergent boundary. We used graham crackers, rice cakes, and whipped cream to show the different types of boundaries. The whipped cream was the “magma” and it pushed up to fill the gaps. ·        What was the big question? The big question we discussed was: What are plate tectonics and how are they related to earthquakes and volcanoes? · ...
Read more

Week 8: Geology that kids see

Image
1.       What did you do in lab today? In lab we explored fossils that are found in Iowa. We sorted the fossils and looked at them under a microscope. We found lots of brachiopods and corals. Both were animals that would stick to the sea floor. Next, we looked at 11 different types of sand under a microscope. We wrote down observations and characteristics of each type. It was surprising to see how many differences there were because before looking at them under a microscope they all looked very similar. We finished lab by visiting the museum of Natural History in MacBride Hall and looking at the animals that were previously found in Iowa. Sand 1: not as much variety in the size, opaque colors, white, beige, brown Sand 2: orange color, some brown colored rocks some opaque rocks various sizes Sand 3: darker color, black, crystals, larger size   Sand 4: clear/white smaller size ricks, not as much variety in size Sand 5: multicolored rocks, red, ora...
Read more