In this classroom guided inquiry lesson, students will explore the properties of rocks. Students will make observations of granite and develop a hypothesis explaining what makes a rock.

This activity is a lab presentation where students gather data about rocks from their area and hypothesize what the rocks are and where they came from.

This activity is a field investigation where students gather data on rock types and geologic formations to construct a geologic column that will help them to interpret the geologic history of the Cannon Falls area.

Students will make observations of weathering on different rock types in a cemetery. Students will also make observations of rock types of the Minneopa Falls.

This activity is a combination of a field investigation and direct instruction at Minnehaha Falls. We are investigating Twin Cities rock types and weathering from the flowing water.

In this lesson students will learn about rock formations and fossils within rock layers. Includes video links, discussion, and activity instructions.

NGSS: 4-ESS1-1

Time: 1 hour

Materials: bucket of clay and plastic animals

The Apollo 15 astronauts were trained in geology and sampling techniques. Complete your own geology training by completing these activities to become a Lunar Explorer.

Study geologic formations to learn more about what Al Worden saw as he flew over the Moon. Part of the Lunar Explorer Training Unit

Regolith slides and activity that explore how regolith is created and its presence on the Earth, the Moon, and Mars. These slides support the Lunar Explorer Training Unit

This article profiles Dr. Anne Grunow, curator of the United States Polar Rock Repository, and discusses her work as a polar geologist.

This outdoor investigation involves students observing, recording, comparing and pondering the differing landscapes and rocks located along a river. Follow-up class sessions involve student generation of investigable questions, student-generated studies with required write-up and a mapping activity.

Free Open Educational Resources for the Geosciences. The landing page provides links to three textbooks designed for use with introductory courses in Physical Geology, Historical Geology, and Mineralogy. Content contained within each of these books can be utilized across many related courses. The text is written as much as possible at a high school level. Interactive content and quizzes are sprinkled throughout for a better student experience.

Stratigraphy students are tasked with documenting an outcrop (sketches, photographs, and rock descriptions) and providing a three panel display of the results. Students work on the lab in class and receive direct mentoring in rock and outcrop description, then for homework they craft digital professional quality reports to present the data to others. These reports are graded, then returned to everyone simultaneously so they can be placed side by side. Students directly observe how others interpreted the same deposits, which underscores the concepts of sound data documentation, and separating data from interpretations.

This activity is a field investigation where students reconstruct parts of Winona's Paleozoic environment through observations of a local outcrop and the application of basic geologic principles.

Join Jerry Bode and Warren Smith as they recount the fascinating history of the geological collections at Scripps. (57 minutes)

Updated Fall 2023

This textbook was designed especially for Community College students, as a resource to instill the knowledge and adventure that the discipline of geography holds for so many of us. The following units will cover a wide array of topics such as: Earth’s grid system, weather, climate, rivers, oceans, deserts, basic geology, and cartography. This book also integrates virtual field trips and interactive multimedia.

The Text Has 19 units;
Unit 1: Introduction to Geography as a Discipline
Unit 2: Earth’s Place within the Cosmos
Unit 3: Introduction to Geology & Geologic Time
Unit 4: Mapping Earth’s Surface
Unit 5: Earth-Sun Relationships: Reasons for the Seasons
Unit 6: Earth’s Atmosphere
Unit 7: Elements of Weather & Climate
Unit 8: Basic Mineral Development
Unit 9: Igneous Rocks
Unit 10: Sedimentary Rocks
Unit 11: Metamorphism & Metamorphic Rocks
Unit 12: Weathering & Soils
Unit 13: Earths Dynamic Surface: Plate Tectonics
Unit 14: Earths Dynamic Surface: Tectonics Force
Unit 15: Earths Dynamic Surface: Volcanoes
Unit 16: Shaped by Coastal Processes
Unit 17: Shaped by Rivers & Running Water
Unit 18: Shaped by Wind as a Geomorphic Agent
Unit 19: Shaped by Glaciers

Physical Geology is a comprehensive introductory text on the physical aspects of geology, including rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciation, groundwater, streams, coasts, mass wasting, climate change, planetary geology and much more. It has a strong emphasis on examples from western Canada, especially British Columbia, and also includes a chapter devoted to the geological history of western Canada. The book is a collaboration of faculty from Earth Science departments at Universities and Colleges across British Columbia and elsewhere.

This activity is a field investigation where students observe and develop ideas about rock outcrops and rock characteristics.

Suggestions and resources for hands-on activities to teach elementary students about rocks and minerals.

This lab helps students link concepts about how rocks form with observations about how rocks look. It is designed to help them learn rock classification in a more connected manner than is usual.