Product Detail: Science Object

Description

Science Objects are two hour on-line interactive inquiry-based content modules that help teachers better understand the science content they teach. This Science Object is the second of four Science Objects in the Rocks SciPack. It provides an in-depth exploration of the conditions and environment required during the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Igneous rock forms from the cooling and crystallization of magma. Sometimes the magma reaches Earth’s surface and cools quickly; sometimes it does not reach the surface and thus cools slowly. Rocks at Earth's surface are subjected to processes of weathering and erosion, producing sediments as they are broken down. Sedimentary rock is formed when sediments are buried and solidified through various processes. Sedimentary rock buried deep enough may be transformed into metamorphic rock or melted down to magma. Rock formed deep within the crust (either igneous or metamorphic) may be forced up again to become land surface and even mountains by the forces that drive the motion of Earth’s plates. Subsequently, this new rock too will erode.

Ideas For Use

Science Objects are two hour learning experiences teachers can use to enhance their understanding of a particular scientific concept. Teachers can access any topic “on demand” from the Internet. Topics are based on the science literacy goals in the national standards (NSES, Science for All Americans, Benchmarks, and the Atlas of Scientific Literacy) and tied to state standards.

Each Science Object provides an understanding of the science content by providing a structured set of learning experiences through simulations and practice assessments. Science Objects challenge teachers to explore and explain real world phenomena and are founded on the principle that learners must be challenged with a problem, observation, data, etc., in order to develop scientific understanding. Science Objects utilize the five phases of inquiry-based learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.

Learning Outcomes:

Rock Cycle: Environments of Formation

• Realize that different rocks have specific origins, and that they are the product of any number of processes.
• Identify the processes through which igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock form.
• Explain the role of intermediary materials such as sediment and magma in the formation of different kinds of rock.
• Provide an overarching description of the steps in the rock cycle, the formation of sedimentary rock, the re-forming of rock by heat and pressure, and the process by which re-formed rock can return to the surface.

Additional Info

Technical