Welcome to the Earth Exhibition!

We’ve been trying to make the timeline of the Earth riveting for ages for our 7th grade scientists. Geologic ages. Finally, we called on our local 4th and 5th graders to the rescue.  Here’s what we did, ‘learning opportunities’ and all, so you could try something similar to get an authentic audience for your next PBL project.

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Developing teaching materials to engage younger students is very motivating for our students and at 7th grade, it’s wonderful to get them outside of their heads and their dramatic social lives. They were so excited to be doing something real, for real kids and also to see their beloved elementary teachers again.

We probably should have checked with the principal of the elementary school BEFORE launching the project challenge with students – “Write a story in a geological setting to be read out loud to elementary students. Then make a slide show to show the science behind it.” Here’s the overview of Rock a Story Set in Stone including links to examples, templates and rubrics.

We had a second project we wanted to share at the same time “Teach the timeline of the Earth using an interactive model or game that will engage elementary students.” Here’s an overview of the Timeline of Earth Project.

We were lucky that both the principal of our school, and of the local elementary school agreed um, in principle. With the proviso that the experience be interactive and not just a show-and-tell.

We made a little slide show of kids making the exhibits (open with QuickTime), plus links to a couple of the best projects to send out as an invitation to our elementary colleagues teaching 4th and 5th grade classes. We were also lucky to have a 6th grade colleague who agreed to bring her students in to fill in the gaps when we couldn’t find enough elementary classes to come in. Ideally, you need one class of ‘audience’ to one class of ‘teachers’ to have the classroom feel vibrant and to minimize the number of students standing around without an audience.

We set up a Doodle for teachers to sign up and amazingly, some did, walking their classes over the mile or so in the threatening rain, taking a valuable hour and a half from their busy curriculum. We invited admin and counselors too.

Here’s the lesson plan we used. A 45 minute class was a perfect amount of time. 5 minutes intro, 30 minutes for kids to share stories (in 3 little ‘pods’ around the edge of the room), share their exhibit or play their timeline board game. The board games were the big hit by the way. I was not expecting that. Then at the end, we ran a Kahoot where 7th graders each found a younger student or two to pair with. That was super fun and a great way to end the class – the last question asked what they’d liked best about the day and all the alternatives were right. Here’s a link to the Kahoot we used.

Next year, we will re-do the schedule so that elementary classes can visit all our classes – 7th graders felt much more comfortable reading to children a couple of years younger rather than 6th graders. Younger students asked more questions and were more visibly thrilled to be there too. Also great to connect with our elementary colleagues who seemed to think it was so wonderful that they will tell their colleagues at our other elementary schools to build momentum for next year when we’ll invite all elementary schools (this was a trial with our nearest elementary school). We might also move the story telling circles to one classroom so it’s easier to hear. But otherwise, we are tired but pretty happy at the end of this slightly crazy day.

 

 

 

Model the Formation and Structure of the Earth. In one easy lab.

I used to think that geology was basically memorizing the layers of the Earth, and boring collections of rocks. Like most middle school science teachers, I’m a biologist by training and now I have to teach it with the integrated NGSS courses mandated in California. I’m getting more and more excited about the subject matter as I learn more, and hopefully passing that on to my classes.

I dreamed up this lab to help teach the underlying big-picture concepts for both layers of the Earth and an intro to plate tectonics. It went really well. Kids seemed lit up by the concepts and of course, stirring stuff and poking warm wax. I’m excited to share it with you. Not so excited about cleaning up the wax all over almost everything. But worth it. Really 🙂

So welcome to the sawdust, wax, sand and water jam-jar model of the Earth’s formation.

THE SET UP: Grate candles. Get sawdust (or beans will do) and sand. Have a couple of kettles. Boil ahead of time so the water is hot but not boiling. Have some non-slip oven hits. Have a box of ice. A quarter cup measure is handy for the sand and sawdust, a tablespoon of wax is enough. Mason jars or other heat-safe glass jars, one per table. Have a tub for students to wash out jars at the end so that wax and sand does not clog your sinks. Wash out the jars between each class.

SET THE CHALLENGE:

How did the Earth Form? – brief pair-share discussion to expose prior knowledge.

How does the Jam Jar Model relate to how the Earth formed and to the layers of the Earth? – The title they wrote in their journals.

THE DIRECTIONS:

Demonstrate: Put a scoop of grated candle wax, a scoop of sand and of saw dust in a Mason jar. Show how to use the hot water safely but don’t do that step or you’ll give it away. Have students wear eye protection when shaking or swirling the mixture.

Have one student from each group get the materials cafeteria style, Swirl it up. Add very hot water. Swirl some more. Let it settle and cool in the middle of the table. (Don’t do it for them, stop short of showing what happens.) I had students complete a poster of the layers of the Earth if they didn’t have enough to do – this is really a one-kid demo.

Show a video clip like this one from National Geographic “Birth of the Earth”, first 11 minutes.

Have students figure out how the settling and cooling ingredients relate to the real events that geologists think led to the formation of earth and the tectonic plates.

Whiteboard lesson plan

Students guessed the stages of earth’s formation on whiteboards

As they waited for settling and cooling, they worked on earth layer posters

Cafeteria-style collection of materials

Comparing the model to the Earth layers.

 

SAFETY: Demonstrate how to use the hot water from the kettle – pour when the jar is on a counter or sink. Swirl, rather than shake up. Use eye protection and an oven glove during this process.

WRAP UP: Ask/discuss/write answers to these questions:

Why did the layers form? Use words like floating, sinking, density and buoyancy. The denser sand sinks to the bottom, then the sawdust, then the water and the least-dense wax floats on top. 

Compare the layers in the jam jar model to the layers of the Earth in a ‘t’ chart and/or as a diagram. See the illustration above. The densest minerals ‘sink’ to the center of gravity in the center of the Earth. The crust is the least dense – basalt and granite ‘float’ on top of the slowly convecting mantle minerals. 

How does this model relate to plate tectonics? The wax layer is thin and will break if there are currents swirling beneath, like the tectonic plates over the much more slowly convecting plastic mantle. 

How is this model NOT an accurate representation of the formation of the earth and it’s layers? The shape – it’s not spherical. The water is much more liquid than the mantle which is more plastic and convects very slowly. The sand is not radioactive and made mainly of iron and nickel etc.