Geology Rocks - Lesson Plan

Background

Copper is a vital resource that has been used by people for millenia. The Keweenaw National Historical Park celebrates the relationship of people to the land through the story of the copper mines and the Copper Country's residents.
This module explores geology of the Keweenaw National Historical Park and its relationship to the rock cycle.

• Learn about Keweenaw National Historical Park
• Find out more about the geology of the Keweenaw and how to read the landscape:
  • Keweenaw National Historical Park Geology - A geologic timeline of the Keweenaw peninsula's formation.
  • Keweenaw Mining History - Learn how copper resources have been used for millenia
  • MTU's Keweenaw Geoheritage Website - Go in depth with geoheritage: This website features detailed information on geology of the Keweenaw.
  • National Park Service Geology Website - Learn the story of our nation through its geology.

Geoheritage

Geologic heritage or "Geoheritage" is a term to describe a site or area of geologic importance. The Geological Society of America classifies Geoheritage sites in three ways.

• Scientifically: A site with geologic features, distinct minerals or rock types and unique fossils
• Culturally: Sites where geology has played a role in historical events
• Aesthetically: Landscapes of visual significance and inspire a sense of wonder

The Keweenaw Peninsula features each of these Geoheritage examples. Exploring the park can help students connect to the science of geology, the study of history and the value of natural environments.

The geologic history of the Keweenaw peninsula teaches us how the Earth has changed since its formation.

The Rock Cycle

In this lesson the rock cycle will be the foundation for understanding the geology of the Keweenaw.
The rock cycle shows us how heat, pressure and erosion can alter rocks and even change the chemical elements within the minerals. There are three main types of rocks, but many combinations of materials that make rocks unique wherever you go.

1. Volcanic or igneous rocks like basalt are the result of cooled lava. These rocks are found in the Portage Lake Volcanics – massive lava flows that form the spine of the Keweenaw peninsula.
2. Sedimentary rocks like sandstone form through processes of erosion and pressure. Jacobsville sandstone is an important sedimentary rock that was a very important building material in the Keweenaw. You can find sandstone along the Keweenaw fault line.
3. Metamorphic rocks like marble and slate form when igenous or sedimentary rocks are heated deep in the earth's crust. Many of the igneous and sedimentary rocks of the Keweenaw have metamorphic varieties.

All of these rock types exist in the Keweenaw peninsula, making it an excellent place to explore geology. The geologic history of the Keweenaw peninsula teaches us how the Earth has changed since its formation. Understanding how the rocks of the Keweenaw have shaped the landscape can help us better understand why people have lived here for thousands of years.

Activities

Introduction — Video

Activity Objective: Gain an understanding of what geo heritage is, why it's important, and understand the rock cycle.

• This activity uses visual spatial and linguistic intelligences

First, have the class watch the intorductory video. This will introduce the themes of Geoheritage and the rock cycle.
After the video, have a discussion with the students or have them break into groups to discuss geoheritage, geology and the rock cycle.
Questions to pose to the class:

1. What are the three types of rocks?
2. How are the three types of rocks different?
3. What kinds of changes happen to rocks?
4. What do we use rocks for?

Depth of Time Activity

Activity Objectives: Students gain understanding of geologic time through scale representations.
This activity uses visual spatial, naturalist, logical/mathematical and bodily-kinisthetic intelligences.

The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old. This is a very long time and hard to visualize. Rocks started to form about 4.5 billion years ago. Get the class moving and thinking like a geologist with this self made scale model of the Earth's timeline.

1. Have the class stand up and stretch out their arms horizontally. Their wingspan represents the whole length of time since Earth was created. 4.6 billion years.

2. The distance from fingertip to elbow is 1 billion years.
3. One million years ago to now is represented by just the white part at the very tip of the fingernail.
4. A tiny speck of dust on the tip of the fingernail is the last 1,000 years.
5. Human have been around for around 4 million years, which is not even half of the length of a fingernail.
6. Rocks have been around for the length of your wingspan!

Fill in the Blank Rock Cycle

Activity Objective: Learn the rock cycle and the way different types of rocks are formed.

• This activity uses the visual spatial and interpersonal intelligences.

1. Have students work individually or in pairs.
2. Students can use scissors and glue or pencils to fill in the word boxes on the sheet.
3. All the words will be used once.

Do the Rock Cycle!

Activity Objective: Strengthen students understanding of rock cycle stages through movement. Uses interpersonal, naturalist and bodily kinesthetic intelligences.

In this activity students will be tasked with designing a dance move(s) based on the process of the rock cycle.
Find an instrumental song that will make your students want to move!
Divide students into groups (dance crews) and assign them a rock type or force from the rock cycle. Have each group demonstrate their move(s) to the rest of the class. (Alternatively design the dance moves yourself and teach them to your students). Put all of the dance moves together in the sequence of the rock cycle.

Geologic Comic

Activity Objectives: Learn about how rocks and rock formations formed by using art to illustrate the events that happened billions of years ago. Uses the visual spatial intelligence.

1. Pass out comic templates to students.
2. Instruct students to draw and color in each box a picture or words that correspond to the following:
   • Volcanos
   • Lava Flows
   • Weathering
   • Glaciers
   • Glaciers Melt
   • Present Day
3. Questions for students:
   • How long do you think it took for all the steps in the comic to happen?
   • What forces of the rock cycle are taking place in the panels?
   • Where would we find the three main rock types forming?

Rock Cycle Freeze and Melt Tag

Activity Objective: Learn about the rock cycle interactively through movement. Uses interpersonal and bodily kinesthetic intelligences.

1. Depending on the size of the group select a few students to be "cooling" and one student to be "heating." Hand out printed identifiers to the tagging students. Everyone else is "magma/lava"
2. The game start with lava moving around freely. The "cooling" students try to tag the "lava" students and turn them into rock. When a "lava" student is tagged by a "cooling" student they freeze.
3. The "heating" student runs around and tags the frozen students who are rocks and turns them back into lava.
4. Allow the game to proceed, if time allows switch the "cooling" and "heating" taggers.
5. After the game is over, have students turn and talk with a partner about the following, or similar questions:
   1. Why did people have to freeze when they were tagged by "cooling" students? Think about the rock cycle. (When magma/lava cools it turns into a rock.)
   2. What happens when a rock heats up really hot? (Melts and becomes magma)