School
Weston, MA
Earth and Space Science Activities
- Short Geological History of Boston Geology- Laurentia, Avalonia, and Pangea
- Animation- continental drift
- Rocks vs Minerals
- Sedimentary, Igneous, and Metamorphic Rocks- examine samples
- Glacial Till- Deposited by Laurentide Ice Sheet
- Erratics- Boulders dropped by Retreating Glacier
- Wetlands- High water Table overlying Ledge(Bedrock)
- Bedrock- Massachusetts Geological Map
- Intrusions
- Schoolyard-
Glacial Till; examine various types of rocks
- Abandoned fields- note glacial erractic boulders in stone walls
- Granite Bedrock by Sugar House- note red feldspar, quartz crystals, mica Rocks and Minerals
Rocks and Minerals Resources:
Local Geology:
-
Boston Rocks! by Deb Allen and Mark Goldner, Brookline Schools- http://mgoldner3.home.comcast.net/~mgoldner3/bostonrocks/
-
Newton Geology: http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/planning/Geology.htm
-
Stan Freeman and Mike Nasuti, The Natural History of Eastern Massachusetts ( Hampshire House)
-
Boston Rocks (PDF) - http://www.seanet.com/~wingate/Boston%20Rocks.pdf
- Written in Stone by Chet Raymo
- Roadside Geology of Massachusetts by James Skehan
Rocks
and Minerals Animations, http://www.uky.edu/AS/Geology/howell/goodies/
Mineralogy
4 kids,
http://www.minsocam.org/MSA/K12/K_12.html- Cool online games, etc.
Bill Nye
on Rocks and Minerals:
Experiments:
-
Iron in your cereal http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000034
-
Growing Alum Crystals http://www.ehow.com/how_3865_grow-alum-crystals.html
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Measuring Specific Gravity: http://nature.berkeley.edu/classes/eps2//wisc/Lect5.html
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Moh's Hardness Scale: http://www.ehow.com/how_2107930_use-mohs-scale-mineral-hardness.html
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Mineral ID Tests, http://jersey.uoregon.edu/~mstrick/MinRockID/MinTests.html
- Smithsonian Educators- Crystals and Gems http://smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/minerals/index.html
- Soil testing
- Geology Handout
Revised September 2007 by Jonathan
Dietz, dietzj@mail.weston.org