Summary Shake rocks in water to show how water weathers (breaks apart) rocks into small particles of sand and mud. Science content Earth/Space: Landforms, Erosion (3) Earth/Space: Rock cycle, Earth Materials, Natural resources (5) Science competencies (+ questioning + manipulation + others that are in every activity) Questioning/predicting: predicting (1 up), hypothesizing (7) Evaluating: inferring (3 up) Lessons activity is in Beach Exploration and Studies Water and rain Materials screw cap tubes or jars, filled with water rocks to test, a range of hardness ideal e.g. granite pieces from a gravel field, quartz, sandstone and limestone (from a beach), chalk if rocks are not available, use pieces of a terra cotta plant pot, about 2cm square or equivalent Procedure Give each table group a selection of rocks with containers. Explain that they will mimic how rain, flowing rivers or crashing waves interact with rocks. Students to add their rock/pottery pieces to the container, screw on the cap, then vigorously shake - they can pass it around. They are mimicking water hitting the rocks, and wearing them away - the process of weathering. Compare the different rocks and how fast they are worn away. The igneous rocks (granite, quartz) are very hard and will not wear down at all. The sedimentary rocks (sandstone, mudstone, chalk) and the pottery will rapidly break into smaller pieces. The water may even become cloudy from fine particles. All rocks are weathered, each at very different rates - some rapidly and some over millions of years. They are all worn into small particles of sand and mud. These particles are then moved away in the process of Erosion (by water, or wind, or ice). Attached documents sandy_beach_workbook_grades_23.pdf sandy_beach_workbook_grades_k1.pdf Notes Try chemical weathering with a dilute acid over several days. Vinegar and chalk. TeachEngineering activity: Rocky-to-Sandy Beach: A Weathering Model uses candies of different kinds and sugar cubes to show weathering. Grades taught Gr K Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 4 Gr 5
