Rocks and Minerals
Course Description
Students in Geology will explore rocks, minerals, Earth's structure, plate tectonics, and Earth's history. Through models and interactive projects, they will study the formation of minerals, the rock cycle, tectonic plate movements, and the geological history of Earth. Real-world examples and current events will be used to illustrate key concepts, providing students with a solid understanding of geological principles and their applications.
Minerals and Rocks
Learn this: I will learn about the origins and characteristics of minerals and rocks, igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types, the processes that shape the rock cycle, and how these materials are used in the real-world.
Do this: I will create a project that demonstrates that I know how to:
Collect various rock and mineral samples, classify them based on their properties (e.g., hardness, luster, color, streak), and create a display with labels describing each sample's characteristics and classification.
Create a detailed diagram of the rock cycle, including all three rock types and the processes and forces that drive the cycle like weathering, erosion, deposition, crystallization, metamorphism, etc.
Apply my geological knowledge to real-world scenarios by researching how different minerals and rocks are used in everyday life with real-life samples or images.
Grow from: After I get feedback, I'll make my project even better to show what I've learned.
Earth's Structure
Learn this: I will learn about the formation of the Earth, P waves and S waves, continental and oceanic crust, mantle convection, and the characteristics of the Earth’s layers.
Do this: I will create a project that demonstrates that I know how to:
Explain the formation and age of the Earth, encompassing theories of its origin and evolution, including the roles of planetary accretion and differentiation.
Build some kind of visual or a model of the Earth by labeling its compositional and mechanical layers and provide information about its composition and characteristics.
Demonstrate how seismic waves travel through different layers of the Earth using slinkies or computer simulations to explain how P-waves and S-waves help scientists understand Earth's interior.
Grow from: After I get feedback, I'll make my project even better to show what I've learned.
Plate Tectonics
Learn this: I will learn about plate tectonics, sea floor spreading, subduction, convection currents in the mantle, plate boundaries, plate movements, mountain building processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
Do this: I will create a project that demonstrates that I know how to:
Explain the driving forces behind plate tectonics, such as mantle convection, subduction, and seafloor spreading, and the impact of these processes on the Earth's lithosphere.
Create your own world map showing the major tectonic plates, their boundaries, and the direction of their movements using colored markers, labels, and arrows to depict divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries.
Research recent earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, analyze their causes, and link them to plate tectonic activity and then present about the case studies through written reports, presentations, or videos.
Grow from: After I get feedback, I'll make my project even better to show what I've learned.
Earth's History
Learn this: I will learn about the geologic time scale, mass extinction events, the first formation of life on Earth, fossils and their implications, and radiometric and relative dating methods.
Do this: I will create a project that demonstrates that I know how to:
Create an illustrated geologic time scale using a timeline format, highlighting major events in Earth's history like the formation of the Earth, appearance of first life forms, major extinctions, etc.
Examine fossils and research the environment these organisms lived in and what their existence tells us about Earth's past.
Apply radiometric and relative dating techniques to determining the ages of rock layers and geological events and their significance across the sciences.
Grow from: After I get feedback, I'll make my project even better to show what I've learned.