Demonstrate how metamorphic rocks form with some educational classroom activities.
Get your second grade class rocking and rolling with some exciting lesson plans to help teach them about the various types of rocks. Devote all or part of a class day to getting your students acquainted with metamorphic rocks; plan a variety of entertaining activities to help demonstrate the concepts you cover in your lesson.
Science Experiments
Affected by heat and pressure, metamorphic rocks become soft and flexible deep inside the earth. Use hands-on science experiments to demonstrate this bendable consistency. For instance, use plasticine or modeling clay to form round balls and then freeze them. Once frozen, place the balls on a flat surface and lay a large brick on top of them. Have the students record their observations about what happens to the balls as they transition to room temperature, and then discuss what the activity demonstrates about metamorphic rock under heat and pressure.
Metamorphic Rock Haikus
Combine your metamorphic rock teaching material with a lesson on write a haiku; this type of poetry should work well with your rock lesson since a haiku typically contains lots of imagery about natural objects or phenomena. Give your students some background facts about metamorphic rocks and the way they are formed, and then discuss the specifics of writing a haiku. Allow the students time to ask questions about what you've covered, and then devote some class time to writing haiku poems about metamorphic rocks. At the end of the day, have the students come forward to present their short poems.
Geologist for A Day
Use visual aids to help your students grasp the concepts in your lesson about metamorphic rocks. Tell the class they will be geologists for a day, and that their task will be to make observations about real specimens of metamorphosed rocks; give each student a hand lens to make him feel like an official junior geologist. In notebooks or on scrap pieces of paper, have the class record notes and observations regarding the physical properties they see. As the various metamorphic rocks are passed around, discuss the physical attributes of the specimens and how they differ from other types of rocks.
Culinary Creations
For a fun and tasty interactive lesson, incorporate concepts concerning metamorphic rocks into your class snack time. Dole out three different colored pieces of taffy or another candy of a similar consistency to each student. Have the students unwrap the candies and then stack them one on top of the other. Give the children a moment to make initial observations about the physical appearance of the stacked candies. Then, have the students place the stacks in their hands to slowly push down on and compress the candies; this will simulate the application of heat and pressure in metamorphic rock formation. Have the students compare the resulting stacks with their pre-compression observations and discuss how the activity relates to metamorphosed rocks.
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