hands-on

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Home : 2001 : September : 24

hands-on
By Rebecca

Here are a few ideas that I use during my Rocks and Minerals Unit...
Layers of the Earth- We write items that have layers(birthday cake, hamburger, pizza, etc.) and list the layers on the board under each. Then I give
each student a ziploc with the following items...
chocolate covered cherry
sandwich cookie
fruit with pit
paper plate
wet paper towel(for clean up)
worksheet with each of the foods pictured
They have to take each item apart and find each layer. They have to label it on their worksheet.
This gets us started talking about layers--could be

done in centers.

We read and discuss in our book about the layers of the earth.

On another day, we make a model of the earth and its layers with playdough.
We take a small piece of red playdough for the core and roll it into a ball. Next we take a small amount of yellow and gingerly place it around the red. This is the mantle. Then we put pieces of blue and green over all to make the crust. Then we slice the ball in two (with a plastic knife) to expose the layers of the earth.

I have another super idea that is hands-on for the rock cycle. It is a little involved to write but it is NOT hard to do in class! My kids love it and it involves food, once again! Email me and I will be happy to snail mail the page to you!