Download Gr. 4 Unearthing Geology Study Guide

Grade 4 unearthing geology Pre-visit Review
Synopsis
A 60-­‐minute program offered to 4th grade students. Students experience a fun obstacle course during which they build, form and erode land forms to gain points for their team. They learn about earthquakes, plate tectonics, seismographs, the rock cycle and rock classification. Through a Seismograph simulation, the Junior Geologists become familiar with measuring and collecting data, as they shake things up in their classroom and unearth geology! (Science Standards: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 5c, 6a, 6c, 6d.) Tuition: $5/student (minimum 20, maximum 40 per session). Aspects of this program also correlate with California’s Environmental Principles and Concepts from the Education and the Environment Initiative (Assembly Bill 1548 and 1721). Objectives
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Students learn how to differentiate among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks by referring to their properties and methods of formation (the rock cycle). Students learn that moving water erodes landforms, reshaping the land by taking it away from some places and depositing it as pebbles, sand, silt, and mud in other places (weathering, transport, and deposition). Students learn about seismographs and how they work. Students learn that iron is found inside of the earth’s core as well as inside of food that we consume. Vocabulary & Concepts to Review:
1. Geology is the study of the earth and the forces that change the earth’s surface. 2. Earthquakes, volcanoes, meteorites, and erosion can change the shape of the earth’s surface. 3. The inside layer of the earth, which is made of solid metal on the inside and liquid metal on the outside is called the core. 4. The middle layer of earth, which is made of hot, liquid magma (lava) is called the mantle. 5. The outer layer of the earth, which floats on the mantle, is called the crust. 6. The Earth’s crust is divided into pieces called the tectonic plates. 7. Geologists have a theory, or a guess, that the Earth’s crust is broken into enormous plates that are in motion. It’s called the theory of plate tectonics. 8. Lithosphere plates are moving. 9. A crack in the earth’s crust is called a fault. 10. An earthquake is a sudden motion along a fault. 11. Earthquake liquefaction occurs occasionally as a result of a strong earthquake shaking on weak soils or loose, saturated sand. Liquefaction essentially means that the soil is turned into a liquid. 12. When the oceanic plate slides beneath the continental plate, it crates lots of pressure, causing the magma to rise to the surface and create a volcano. 13. Erosion is the wearing away of the earth’s surface by water, wind, temperature change and gravity. 14. Sedimentary rock is formed when sand, mud, or small pieces of rocks are squeezed under more and more layers that pile up on top of it. 15. Metamorphic rocks are compacted by pressure and heat from deep inside the earth. 16. Igneous rocks are formed from magma from the earth’s mantle. 17. A Tsunami is a kind of wave occuring in an ocean or other large body of water when a certain type of earthquake displaces large amounts of water. 18. Tsunami is the Japanese word for "harbor wave." Volcanoes, meteorites and landslides can also cause tsunamis. A tsunami could wash away an entire town in just a few seconds. 19. A tsunami may be less than a foot in height on the surface of the open ocean, which is why sailors do not notice them. 20. Geologists study all aspects of the earth, including the soil. A scientist who studies soil is called a pedologist. 21. Soil is formed slowly as rock erodes into tiny pieces near the Earth's surface. Organic matter decays and mixes with rock particles, minerals and water to form soil. 22. A paleontologist is a scientist who studies paleontology, learning about the forms of life that existed in former geologic periods, chiefly by studying fossils. Curriculum Covered 4a. Students know how to differentiate among igneous, sedimentary, and
metamorphic rocks by referring to their properties and methods of formation
(the rock cycle).
4b. Students know how to identify common rock-forming minerals (including
quartz, calcite, feldspar, mica, and hornblende) and ore minerals by using a table
of diagnostic properties.
5.a. Students know some changes in the earth are due to slow processes, such as
erosion, and some changes are due to rapid processes, such as landslides,
volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.
5b. Students know natural processes, including freezing and thawing and the
growth of roots, cause rocks to break down into smaller pieces.
5c. Students know moving water erodes landforms, reshaping the land by taking it
away from some places and depositing it as pebbles, sand, silt, and mud in other
places (weathering, transport, and deposition).
6a. Differentiate observation from inference (interpretation) and know scientists’
explanations come partly from what they observe and partly from how they
interpret their observations.
6c. Formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships.
6d. Conduct multiple trials to test a prediction and draw conclusions about the
relationships between predictions and results.