Monday 28 September 2015

Sand on a sill - a rock cycle discussion

The new ELI today is 'Sand on a sill; what will happen to a sand grain left on a window sill? - a rock cycle discussion'
This discussion activity has been devised to encourage pupils to think about rock cycle processes in the context of the area outside their own school. By leading the small group discussion using questions such as: ‘What might happen next?’, ‘And then?’ or ‘Can you think of another idea?’, teachers should be able to encourage pupils to consider a range of different processes and products of the rock cycle and how these link to other Earth cycles.
This Earthlearningidea is an international collaborative research project 
The project derived from a discussion on research into Earth science education at the International Geoscience Education Organisation conference, GeoSciEd VII, in Hyderabad, India in 2014.
Please take part in this project by filling in the Observer Evaluation sheet and returning it to the Earthlearningidea Team. You may also find the Group Prompt sheet helpful


Monday 21 September 2015

Ripple marks on paving slabs?

Have you every wondered what caused the ripple marks you can often see on paving slabs? Try the Earthlearningidea 'Sand ripple marks in a washbowl'. You can now demonstrate this out of doors by using an empty CD container, as shown in this extension idea.


There are lots more ideas for teaching Earth science outside the classroom on our website.

Monday 14 September 2015

How do you conserve a geodiversity site?

Today's new Earthlearningidea is 'So, you want to conserve a geodiversity site?' 


If you found the most amazing geological site, like one of those shown in the photos, and thought it should be conserved for all to see, for many years to come, what could you do? This is a planning activity focussed on conserving a site of geoscientific importance.
After doing this activity pupils can:
- explain why a geological site is valuable and important;
- describe the different factors that need to be taken into account to preserve a geodiversity site;
- prepare a case to be presented to others arguing for the conservation of a geological site.
Many more teaching ideas about the environment can be found in Teaching strategies on the website.

Monday 7 September 2015

Demonstrate the water cycle, latent heat and global energy transfer

'Cycling water and heat in the lab – and the globe; demonstrating the water cycle, latent heat and global energy transfer'


This ELI is a laboratory demonstration of the water cycle that can be used to develop thinking skills and to understand latent heat transfer and its global effects.
This is the last in a series about the water cycle; other ELIs can be found under 'Watery activities in Teaching strategies on the website.