Play the Rock Cycle game

Continuing our theme of games, today ELI presents "‘Rockery 2’ - rock cycle game; model the stages of the rock cycle - with your pupils."

This activity models the stages of the rock cycle and can be used in both science and geography lessons  - - - it is great fun!

Other related activities about the rock cycle can be found in our Rock Cycle category.

New ELI today is 'Make your own aquifer – 2 The London Basin; model the aquifers in the London Basin with sponges'. 

Watch a video of the activity

This activity uses sponges to demonstrate water in pore spaces in sedimentary rocks. It may be used in science and geography lessons when studying the water cycle or water management.

Click here to find other watery Earthlearningideas.

Keeping our watery theme, have you tried - - 'Well, well, well! Making a working model of a well'?

Choose one version of the model to make, depending on the time and equipment available, and use it to demonstrate how water percolates through the spaces between the grains of a sediment or rock to accumulate at the bottom of a well.

Click here for other watery Earthlearningideas.

Make your own aquifer using sponges instead of rocks

New ELI today 'Make your own aquifer – 1 with sponges; a clean way to demonstrate water in pores in rocks'.

Teaching video

This Earthlearningidea uses sponges to demonstrate water in pore spaces in sedimentary rocks. It may be used in science and geography lessons when studying the water cycle or water management.

In the category Earth as a system, Water cycle, there are many related activities.

An investigation into how to get clean water from dirty water

Continuing our watery theme . . .  '"Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink"; investigating how to get clean water from dirty ‘pond water'.

This activity could be used in any lessons involving water supply. People have always needed to find clean water to drink. It is a vital factor in where people can live.

Many other 'watery' Earthlearningideas can be found in our 'Earth as a system' category.

Grain of sand on a window sill

Following the ELI 'A world in a grain of sand', the activity today is 'Sand on a sill; what will happen to a sand grain left on a window sill? – a rock cycle discussion'.

This ELI involves a pupil group discussion based on what will happen to a sand grain left on a window sill. This activity has been devised to encourage pupils to think about rock cycle processes in the context of the area outside their own school.

Related activities about the rock cycle can be found here.

Water cycle game for young children

Teaching the water cycle? This morning we have another game for you to try but this time for young children - 'Watery world game; climb through the watery world but watch out for snakes!'

The game can be played in any science or geography lesson and has cross curricular links with literacy and numeracy. It is also a useful water cycle introduction or revision exercise.

Other related activities can be found here.

Limestone springs; the flow of water underground

The new Earthlearningidea today is 'Limestone springs – the wells of Wells; modelling the underground flow of water through limestone passages to springs'.

This activity uses a simple model and specimens of sandstone and limestone to explain groundwater flow though limestone caves and passages to springs.

Many more watery Earthlearningideas can be found here. 

 

Greenhouse effect

'Is the greenhouse effect happening outside today? A classroom discussion to consolidate understanding about the greenhouse effect'.

A discussion to reinforce learning and to counter misconceptions about the greenhouse effect. Many people wrongly think that the greenhouse effect occurs because there is a layer of greenhouse gases in the sky that act like a pane of glass in a greenhouse, trapping the heat that originally came as visible light from the Sun. This view is often reinforced by misleading animations and diagrams on the internet and diagrams in textbooks and elsewhere. 

Many activities involving the greenhouse effect can be found by using the search engine on our website. 

Demonstrate the water cycle, latent heat and global energy transfer

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

A lab demonstration of the water cycle that can be used to develop thinking skills and to understand latent heat transfer and its global effects.

The other ELI water cycle activities showing the progression of thinking skills are as follows:

Changing state – transforming water
    Practical activities to change the state of water; solid, liquid, gas,

Mini-world water cycle
    A water cycle demonstration model in a box

Water cycle world
    A discussion activity on the natural water transformations on Earth

The amazing journeys of rubber ducks around the world

New ELI today 'Lost at sea – the amazing journeys of rubber ducks around the world; studying ocean currents following the Friendly Floatees ocean spill'.

Our new ELI uses a real case to study ocean surface currents. The activity provides an opportunity to address the topic of ocean circulation by means of a real case reported by the media. It also promotes awareness of the connections between local and global sea pollution.
Many more interesting case studies can be found on our website by putting the topic into the search engine or by using the alphabetical index.

Laying out the rock cycle

Today's new videos are 'Laying out the rock cycle'.

Pupils are asked to place a series of rock cycle products in the correct places on a diagram of the rock cycle, then to consider how all these are linked by rock cycle processes.
Other teaching videos and a copy of the Dynamic rock cycle workshop can be found in our new Teaching videos and workshops page on the website.

New ELI today ‘Tagging’ nitrogen atoms – to explore the nitrogen cycle: a thought experiment to investigate nitrogen cycle processes'

Drawings showing the cycling of matter are abstract concepts and so difficult for pupils to understand. Using the pretend ‘tagging’ method helps them to gain a more concrete idea of the different steps involved and so can be used to teach or consolidate understanding of the nitrogen and other cycles.
More activities involving chemistry in Earth science can be found in Teaching strategies on the website.

The carbon cycle

'The carbon cycle through the window; how much evidence of the carbon cycle can you see through the window?'

The carbon cycle can be introduced when teaching many topics including the atmosphere, photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, combustion and fossil fuels, climate change and so on. Possible answers are provided in the activity.
Many more activities relating to the Earth as a system can be found on our website.

Rock cycle - product and process

'Laying out the rock cycle: product and process; sorting out the rock cycle products – and then adding the processes'

In this activity pupils are asked to place a series of rock cycle products in the correct places on a diagram of the rock cycle, then to consider how all these are linked by rock cycle processes.
Many activities about the rock cycle can be found on our website.

Pressures underground

From our ELI+ series - 'Under pressure: calculating the intense pressures underground'

This activity uses lab measurements of the force applied by different depths of sand and water to calculate their downward pressure and then uses these figures to extrapolate to likely pressures at crustal depths.
Many more ELI+ activities can be found on our website.

Sorting, naming and putting rocks into the rock cycle

Today's new ELI is "From ‘Rock detective’ to ‘Laying out the rock cycle’: investigate rocks to sort them into groups, add them to the rock cycle and name them"

This activity uses sorting cards to link two Earthlearningideas together - ‘Rock detective’ and the ‘Laying out the rock cycle'.
By doing this pupils can investigate a range of rocks from first principles, identify and name them and then build understanding of them in a rock cycle context. It helps them to name rocks, not just by recognising them but by using first principles of observation and investigation.
A variety of activities about rock types and the rock cycle can be found on our website by using the alphabetical index.

Greenhouse effect

New ELI today - 'Is the greenhouse effect happening outside today? A classroom discussion to consolidate understanding about the greenhouse effect'.

This activity involves a discussion to reinforce learning and to counter misconceptions about the greenhouse effect.
Earthlearningideas involving climate change can be found in teaching strategies on our website.

Rock cycle in wax

'The rock cycle in wax; using a candle to demonstrate the rock cycle processes'

In this ELI a candle is used to demonstrate several rock cycle processes, and is effective in consolidating understanding of the rock cycle at the end of a lesson.
Many activities related to the rock cycle can be found on our website.

Rock cycle discussion about a sand grain

Have you tried the ELI '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, as described in the activity.
Many other activities about the rock cycle and its processes and products can be found in 'Teaching strategies' or in the index on our website.
You can also take part in the international research project.