Rock Cycle in the Lab: Earth Products and the Processes That Link Them

In this activity, students will become familier with the rock cycle. During the first part of the lesson, students work in small groups, each group having a copy of the rock cycle on a sheet of paper and a selection of small-scale samples and photographs that represent the products of the rock cycle. The students lay out their samples and photographs next to what they consider to be the correct boxes on their copy of the rock cycle. In the second part, the teacher constructs a large scale rock cycle throughout the room while the students check their efforts. Students discover that all the parts of the rock cycle are linked together into a sort of global machine and that this machine is driven by energy from the sun and from inside the Earth. They will also realize that the rock cycle involves physical, chemical and biological processes. Copies of both the large scale and student size rock cycles are available at this site. Educational levels: Middle school