Teacher Information

This lesson was developed for an assignment for Science Methods course at Manchester College in North Manchester, Indiana.   

This WebQuest is about students discovering the different types of rocks and how the rock cycle functions. The main motivation for the students is for them to save kidnapped geologists.  There are four major activities that each group of three students will complete in order to do this.  After each activity is completed the group will hand their work to the teacher and the teacher will provide the students with Clues to help them figure out where the kidnapped geologists are located so that they can save them.

Learners
This lesson is designed for third and fourth grade students and is designed to teach the students about rocks through science based web activities.

This lesson correlates to a science trail about rocks that was also designed for the Science Methods course.  The main purpose of science trail was to help introduce the students to rocks.  The science trail contained minimal information and merely exposed the students to different types of rocks.  The students observed and manipulated the rocks on the trail.  It was a tool to get the students interested and excited about learn through hands-on activities.

Standards
Indiana Science Standards Addressed:

4.3.6          Recognize and describe that rock is composed of different combinations of minerals.

4.3.7          Explain that smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of bedrock and larger rocks and that soil is made partly from weathered rock, partly from plant remains, and also contains many living organisms.

Students are also learning and developing critical thinking, problem solving, and communications skills through this lesson by working in groups.