Calling All Rockhounds

Calling All Rock Detectives!

Research Process

Activities

Scenario

The construction company remodeling your school has just uncovered a large number of rocks. You know from your study of Earth Science that rocks tell the history of the planet. Because of your knowledge, your principal has chosen you to be on a committee to research and then, present the history of your school from before the time of dinosaurs until now.

Essential Question: Which force has had the most impact in reshaping the surface of the earth?

Task

Your mission is to research information about the rocks which were found and use your research, as well as, your best detective skills, to write a history of how the earth under our school has changed over time. You will be placed with a team of two other detectives and each of you will research one of the rocks found by the construction crew.

You will present the results of your research to your group and, as a group, you will reach consensus about which force has had the most impact on constantly reshaping our area.

Product

A multimedia presentation that contains at least five slides

	On slide one, introduce the group.
	On slides two-four, identify the rock type and what it shows about the forces transforming our school site.
	On slide five, conclude with a short description of what the rocks reveal about the history of our area and the force that had the greatest impact on changing our area.

Click here to view a model student product.

Your teacher may decide to assign an alternate presentation from the list below:

	Poster
	Oral report
	Video Quiz Show
	Pamphlet
	Journal entry

Assessment

Use this checklist to assess your multimedia presentation.

Use this checklist to assess your group work.

Questions

What information do you need to decide which force had the greatest impact on reshaping the Earth?

	Is your rock igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic?
	How does your rock show evidence of the surface processes, like weathering or erosion, that change landforms?
	How do rocks show evidence of the forces that constantly change the earth's surface?
	How does your rock show evidence of the agents, like water or wind, that cause the earth's surface to change?
	What does your rock reveal about the history of our area?

Gather

	Use a variety of sources to gather information.
	Use Destiny to locate books in the Library.
	Use this graphic organizer to record your information. Use these guide sheets for helpful tips during your research:
	Using a Web Browser
	Using a Book Index

Organize

Synthesize: Use the information you have gathered on your planning sheet to create your multimedia presentation.

Evaluate: Review the checklist to make sure you have included all the information required. If you have not answered all the questions, go back and use the resources to find the missing information.

Conclude

Share your multimedia presentation with your class.

Listen carefully as your classmates present their information. After everyone has shared their presentations, decide which force has had the most impact on reshaping the surface of the earth.

Use this voting ballot to record and justify your choice.

As a class, predict what our school site will look like in a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand years from now.

Last update: June, 2010
Created by Sharon Grimes, Library Media Specialist, BCPS Summer Curriculum Development Workshops, July 2002
BCPS Research Model, Copyright 2002, Baltimore County Public Schools, Copyright information