Sorting rocks by observation

Launie Shaw adapted the Mapping the Rock Cycle lesson from the Geology workshop for her third graders at Chestnut Ridge Elementary School, an all Amish k-8 public school, in Walnut Creek Ohio. She learned about this activity when she attended the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education summer Geology workshop.

Shaw said, "We did this lesson together as a whole group, with many good side discussions and re-directions back into our classroom textbook for further details and picture clues. The students were engaged and responded well to the lesson even though the content is more difficult. We were then able to move into a small groups and do a rock sort pertaining to the three different types of rocks with a clarification sheet. Again, there were many great discussions and rationale for why or why not a rock should go into this pile or that pile. It was enjoyable to watch the students fully engaged in the sorting activity and actively learning!"

Shaw found the Geology workshop to be very helpful because it gave her the confidence to have the students perform hands-on activities even with varying results.