Coarse to fine sediment in one sedimentary bed? Graded bedding

Have you tried the ELI 'Graded bedding'? It is one of a series of activities explaining sedimentary structures. 'Make your own graded bed - one depositional event, but with coarse to fine sediment'.
This activity can be used in any lesson dealing with the origin of sediments and the interpretation of past environments.
Lots more good ideas for ways to teach about sedimentary structures can be found on our website, either by using the search facility or the alphabetical index.

Is that rock sedimentary or igneous?

The new ELI today is 'Questions for any rock face 4: rock group (sedimentary or igneous)'. This activity provides teachers and leaders of field trips with questions to ask when looking at any rock exposure. The answers are used to distinguish between exposures of sedimentary and igneous rocks using simple criteria. (For simplicity, we are leaving metamorphic rocks until later in this ‘Questions for any rock face’ series).

Many more ideas for fieldwork can be found on our website.

2016 International Year of Earth Science Educator Stories

Welcome to 2016, our International Year of Earth Science Educator stories.

The stories of those who influence Earth Science education locally and across the world will appear every Thursday on the IGEO website through 2016 and beyond. Through this, we hope that the work, wisdom, initiative and enthusiasm of the 'storytellers' will inform and inspire the next generation.
So, please:
REGISTER for regular alerts to the stories on the IGEO website by giving your email address on the register page
READ the stories as they appear - and add comments on the IGEO webpage
SEND this message far and wide through all the networks available to you
SUGGEST new contributors by looking through the current list of contributors and letting Chris King know of anybody else who should be sent an invitation to contribute - anyone who feels they have contributed something to Earth science education is invited to submit a 1000 word story, with photos of themselves 'doing something'
OFFER your own story if you too have an inspiring or motivating story to tell, covering any area of Earth science education.
We hope that in this way, 2016 and beyond will be a motivational year for all of us.

Questions to ask about soil

We continue this series with 'Questions for any rock face 3: soil; what questions about soil might be asked at any soil exposure?'

Soil is the mixture of material at the Earth’s surface that can support the growth of plants. It has four key components: rock fragments (from the rock beneath or brought into the area), decaying plant material, water and air. It often has a vertical sequence of layers, called a soil profile.
Show your pupils the soil at the top of the rock face, if a good profile can be seen in cross section, and ask them these questions:
- How many different soil layers can you see?
- How does rock become changed into topsoil?
- Is this a rich or poor soil? (Generally, the greater the number of growing species there are, the richer the soil)
Many more activities about soils can be found on our website.