PEBBLES, SAND, AND SILT

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt BACKGROUND Observing rocks and beginning to sort them into groups are the initial steps for students to take in the role of geologists. Observing is a fundamental process in geology.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Summative Assessment

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Investigation 1: First Rocks 1.Three Rocks 2.Washing Three Rocks 3.First Sorting 4.Sorting Games 5.Start a Rock Collection

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 1: Three Rocks Focus questions How are rocks different? What happens when rocks rub together?

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 1: Three Rocks Vocabulary –Rock –Dust –Geologist Respond to focus question

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: Washing Three Rocks Focus question What happens when rocks are washed?

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: Washing Three Rocks

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: Washing Three Rocks Find a Rock

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt ROCK NAMES Basalt is the gray, smooth rock. It was once the hot liquid lava that came out of a volcano. Tuff is the light, soft rock. It has ash in it from the fires of the volcano. Scoria is the reddish bubbly rock. It was once the bubbly top of the lava.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: Washing Three Rocks Vocabulary –Basalt –Tuff –Scoria Respond to focus question

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 3: First Sorting Focus question How are some rocks the same?

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt

Part 3: First Sorting Vocabulary –Rough –Smooth –Pointed –Large –Small –Crystal –Dull

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 4: Sorting Games

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt

Concept Development Vocabulary –Any new descriptive words Respond to focus question

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 5: Start a Rock Collection Focus question What rocks can we find around us?

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 5: Start a Rock Collection If you wanted to find some rocks to collect, where would you look? Where to Look for Rocks

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt FOSS Science Stories Exploring Rocks

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt EXTENSIONS Language Arts –Geologist Tool Kits Math Problem A Math Problem B Art –Make rock people or pets Games –Rock checkers

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Investigation 2: River Rocks 1.Screening River Rocks 2.River Rocks by Size 3.Sand and Silt 4.Exploring Clay

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Investigation 2: River Rocks Background –The solid, liquid, and gaseous materials that make up Earth and its atmosphere are know collectively as earth materials. –Rock that has broken away from the continuos layer of bedrock is found in particles that range from minuscule to the gigantic. –Geologists classify rock particles by size.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Size Ranges Used by FOSS Clay - <0.004 mm Silt mm Sand mm Gravel mm Pebble mm Cobble mm Boulder - >256 mm

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 1: River Rocks Focus question How can rocks by sorted by size?

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt DISCUSS RESULTS

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt

Concept Development Vocabulary –Earth material –Screen –Separate –Size –Sand –Gravel –Pebble Respond to focus question

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: River Rocks by Size Focus question How else can rocks be sorted by size?

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: River Rocks by Size

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Concept Development Vocabulary –Cobbles –Boulder Respond to focus question

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 3: Sand and Silt Look at the vials with sand Look at it carefully and describe how it looks, feels, and sounds Place the sand on a paper plate to do your observations –Use a spoon to move sand around Plate shaking (5 minutes) –Shake the plate gently back and forth on the table. –Place a pinch of sand in the vial and use the hand lenses to make observations.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt DISCUSS OBSERVATIONS Describe what you noticed about the sand. –Are the sand particles all the same size? –What do the sand particles look like?

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt DISCUSS OBSERVATIONS What do you think might happen if you mix sand and water? Use the paper plate as a funnel to put the sand back in the vial. Fill the vial with water. Watch what happens to the water and sand.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt QUESTIONS What happened to the water that was poured on the sand? What happened to the sand? –Place the cap on the vial and shake it. –What happened to the water and sand after you shook the vial? Is the water clear now? –Why not? Let them settle overnight.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt DRAWING SHEETS Draw what you see on the vials (p. 8). –Vials were set up earlier. –What do you see in the vials? –How many layers do you see? –Where is the sand? –What do you see on top of the sand? The layer of material on top of the sand is called silt. Silt is a particle of rock much smaller than sand. It’s the rock size that mud is made of.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt SILT Label the layers in your drawings. The layers should be called: sand, silt, and water. What should the space between the top of the water and the vial cap be labeled? Feel the silt. –Pour off the water in the vials into a 1/4 container. –Carefully, touch the top layer of silt. Try to pull some out and rub it between your fingers.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt CLEAN UP Take vials to clean up area. Add a little water, shake and dump the sand/water in basin.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 4: Exploring Clay Get a cube. Look at this new earth material. –What is this material called? –What is special about this material? –What can you do with it? –What is happening to your hands as you work with this material? –What is the smallest size of rock we’ve worked so far? Clay is made of pieces of rock even smaller than silt. The dust in your hands is actually dry clay particles.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 4: Exploring Clay Pinch off a small piece of clay, about 1 cm. Predict what do you think will happen if you put the small ball of clay in a vial with water. –Put the small ball of clay in the vial. –Pout water into the vial almost to the top. –Watch what happens to the clay in water for a minute or two. –Cap the vial and shake it to see what happens. What is happening to the clay? Is the water changing? –Let it sit overnight

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 4: Exploring Clay If dry, observe and squash the clay balls for a few minutes. How can you get the clay soft and pliable again? –Put ball in a plastic cup and add a little water. Set aside, let it sit for a while. Observe pre set vials. –Compare to shook vials. –Draw the clay vial and label layers.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt QUESTIONS What was the same in both vials? What was different in both vials? Look at the vial with the ball of clay. –What do you see? Save the clay. Clean up. Extensions.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Investigation 3: Using Rocks 1.Rocks in Use 2.Looking at Sandpaper 3.Sand Sculptures 4.Clay Beads 5.Making Bricks

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 1: Rocks in Use Field trip.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: Looking at Sandpaper Review sand Important sand use: sandpaper Pick up sandpaper –Use the hand lenses to observe the sandpaper. –Rub fingers gently over the paper.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: Looking at Sandpaper Vocabulary. –Three textures. coarse - largest pieces medium - middle-sized pieces fine - smallest sand

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: Looking at Sandpaper Place white paper over the sandpaper Rub with the side of a pencil or crayon to record the sandpaper texture Label the rubbings Identify sandpaper with the eyes closed Rub sandpaper together –Share observations Clean up

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 3: Sand Sculptures Review the properties of sand. Sand matrix (make it the night before) –Matrix is a material that holds articles of material together Use two vials of sand and add one spoonful of matrix on top of the sand on a paper plate Mold sand mixture Allow sculptures to dry

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 4: Clay Beads Review properties of clay –Stick together when is molded. –It hardens when it dries. –We will use these properties to make beads, then string the beads into necklaces.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 4: Clay Beads Techniques –Get a 3 cm ball of clay –Smooth with water if it cracks. –Use a pencil or straw to carve shapes and lines on the clay. –Poke with a piece of straw and let dry. –Should dry in 1-2 days. –Paint your creations when clay is dry. –Use a piece of yarn to make necklaces.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 5: Making Bricks Extensions

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Inv 4: Soil Explorations 1.Homemade Soil 2.Soil Search 3.Studying Local Soil

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 1: Homemade Soil Look at new material –Describe the appearance, feel, and smell of the material –Humus (HUW mus) It’s mostly plant material that has decayed or rotted

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 1: Homemade Soil Making new earth material –Recipe: 2 cups of sand, 1 cup of gravel, 1 cup small pebbles –Add humus to the mixing The name for the mixture we just made is soil. Soil is a combination of earth materials. Soil covers almost all of the Earth’s land surface

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt SEPARATING SOIL Place a sample of soil in a paper plate. –Observe. –Try to separate by hand. –By shaking. Discuss observations. Use screens to separate soil. –Where you able to separate the soil with the screens? –Where did the humus end up? How can you separate the humus?

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt START SOIL AND WATER INVESTIGATION Set up your own investigation. Pick up materials from station.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt DISCUSS RESULTS Clean up

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 2: Soil Search Field Trip

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt Part 3: Studying Local Soil Design an investigation. Compare to the homemade soil.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt EXTENSIONS