1. A Rock Cycle Investigation What are cycles?
What cycles can you think of? (water cycle, carbon cycle, life cycle, 1 Earth revolution around the sun, 1 day: one earth rotation round its axis…etc.)
Today, we are going learn about the Rock Cycle. On Earth Rocks change from one type to another by certain processes, such as melting, cooling, erosion, etc.
Let’s look some examples of each type of rock, talk about their characteristics, and what processes form them.

2. THREE TYPES OF ROCKS… SEDIMENTARY IGNEOUS METAMORPHIC
CAN BE ORGANIZED IN A FLOW/CYCLE CHART

3. Sedimentary Rocks youngest oldest Depositional Environment sandstone
What type of rock is in this picture? What characteristics do you recognize?
Where are the oldest rocks, where are the youngest rocks?
What do you think the rock would look like if you went and got a sample?
Where today do we see places that are sandy? So, what might this place have looked like in the past, when the sand was being deposited?
What processes might have caused the Grand Canyon to form?

4. Igneous Rocks volcano magma Basalt rock layers EXTRUSIVE mantle
Slow cooling
magma
Fast cooling
rock
layers
Igneous Rocks
EXTRUSIVE
volcano
What is going on in this picture?
What type of rock is forming?)
What do you think the rock would look like if we went and collected a sample?
More specifically, what kind of rock is it? (Basalt: Igneous, extrusive)
Is this rock cooling SLOWLY inside the Earth or FAST on the surface on the Earth?
Basalt
magma

5. Igneous Rocks Pumice Volcanic Ash
What is going on in this picture? What type of rock do you think is forming?
What do you think the rock would look like if we went and got a sample?
Why does this rock have air bubbles? How do you think they got there? Could metamorphic rocks have air bubbles, why or why not?
What kind of rock is it? (Igneous, extrusive)

6. Igneous Rocks rock layers INTRUSIVE Granite mantle Fast cooling
Slow cooling
magma
Fast cooling
rock
layers
Igneous Rocks
INTRUSIVE
Granite
What do you see in this picture (besides my tent)?
What color are the rocks?
What might the rock look like if we went and collected a sample? (big crystals)
How did this type of rock form? Did it cool slowly inside the Earth or Fast (from a volcano) on the surface of the Earth?
Ok, so it Intrusive or Extrusive?

7. Pressure from rocks above
Earth’s Surface
Molten rock
Metamorphic Rocks
Gneiss
What do you see in this picture?
What color are the rocks? Do you see any texture?
What might the rock look like if we went and collected a sample? (Banded)
How did this type of rock form to get Bands of different colored minerals?

8. Instructions

9. A Rock Cycle Investigation
The materials you need:
1 pencil or pen
Your science binder
- On the top of a new page in the lab section of your binder write:
A Rock Cycle Investigation Date
Sample # 1
Sample # 2 …
Sample #15
A Rock Cycle Investigation Today’s Date

10. Step 1: Rock Observations
In your group, sit around the lab table. Each person should selects 2-3 rock
Samples.
On your lab paper list at least 5 observations of each rock sample
(for example: luster, color, density, presence of minerals – look for crystals, hardness – scratch test with penny).
Write down if you think it is a Sedimentary, Igneous, or Metamorphic rock.
Go around the circle and have each person share:
(1) descriptions of their rock
(2) what type of rock you may have and WHY!!
As a group, put your rocks into 3 piles (Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic) in the center of your circle based on your characterizations & descriptions
*Raise your hand and I will come by and check your
rocks

11. Step 2: Can you complete the chart?
Look at your incomplete rock cycle chart
Use your notes and observations to fill the blanks in your chart.
The list of words below the chart will help you complete it correctly.
White squares represent the major steps in the rock cycle
Arrows are Processes that cause change to rocks (melting, compacting etc.)
Write the process in the Parenthesis near the arrow
squares
squares

12. Step 3: Does your chart look like this?
Metamorphic
Rock
Igneous Rock
Magma
Sedimentary
Sediments
Heat & Pressure
Melting
Weathering & Erosion
Heat & Pressure
Weathering & Erosion
Melting
Cooling
Compacting & Cementing
Weathering & Erosion

13. Post-Lesson
Discussion

14. Discussion Questions
What was the easiest part of constructing your rock
cycle? What difficulties did you have?
2. Did the other group’s Rock Cycle look like yours?
What was the same or different?
Students can either answer these questions in their notebooks or use them as group discussion.
3. There is no rock cycle on the Moon. Why might rocks be
‘recycled’ on Earth and not on the Moon?
4. How might you tell apart an Igneous extrusive rock from an
Igneous intrusive rock?
5. What type of rock forms deep in the Earth due to intense
heat and pressure (but does not melt)