Describe the Rock (Observation) Lab (English, Spanish, ESOL, SPED) and PREZI

Simple, easy hands-on lab that will help students get ready for a STEAM activity and connect what you've learned about the Rock Cycle to hands-on investigations!

Describe the Rock Instructions:

O Materials: 4 samples of rock per table group (this can be as simple as going outside and finding the first four rocks that you see and giving students just exposure to vocabulary related to rocks in a hands-on way or it can be used in conjunction with pre-established rock kits. Some great samples to use are obsidian, pumice, sandstone, marble, slate, and conglomerate), Paper plates and a cup or beaker filled with water.

o Procedure: Put 4 rock samples with each table group (I recommend putting them on paper plates so that you can just write 1, 2, 3, 4 on the plate or label them with post-it notes). Make sure you label them in some way. Put a beaker with water on each set of desks or with each group.

o Have students test the rocks for each of the things as described on the sheet. Some of these descriptions are not put in the most scientific form, however, it gives students some exposure to vocabulary in a hands-on way without making it inaccessible. Feel free to add more complexity as needed.

o Repeat for all four samples and record results