Online
Activities for Students:
This
symbol:
means easy.
This
symbol:
means medium.
This
symbol:
means hard.
==================================
Rock Cycle:
Interactive
Rock Cycle Animation - a great outline and explanation
Rock Cycle Diagram followed by a quiz
This Planet Really Rocks (Thinkquest)
Rock Cycle questions and the answers here.
(Click on the left menu bar under "Activities" for the Rock database with great pictures of common Sedimentary, Igneous and Metamorphic rocks with info links. Also includes a wonderful description of Mineral Properties.
Here's a MS Word question sheet to go with the rock database above. It can be printed or done online. Here are the answers.
Rocks and Minerals Hangman from Quia
Dig Into Geology (Flashcards, Word Search, Matching,
Concentration) from Quia
Online
Rock Cycle crossword in English or Français
Click English or Français for a printable version.
and English or Français for a printable answer grid.
Online
Quiz about the rock cycle vocabulary (aussi en français)
- self-checking (You can email me with the date and time your class did the
quiz if you want me to send you a text file with the results for your class.
Hint: If students click "submit" by mistake and are not finished,
they need to add "2" or something to their name to be allowed another
try.)
Online
Animations of the rock cycle
Techtonics demo (Shockwave)
3D paper model
for a cutaway view of a stratovolcano from the U.S.
Geological Survey
A great model volcano can be easily made by
mixing a cup of plaster with a cup of sawdust (or sand) and about a half cup of
water - about the consistency of modeling clay. Set an open film canister on a
cardboard (at least 20cm square), and form the mixture into a cone shape around
the canister. (Leave an opening at the top!) When dry, put about a
tablespoon of baking soda into the film canister, then add a tablespoon of
vinegar (colored red with food dye if you want more effect!) and watch the
eruption. My kids loved this, (though I'm not sure their moms appreciated
running out of baking soda!)
==================================
Minerals:
Table of
rocks in the school kits provided by Industry
Brainpop - Mineral Identification
Rocks for Kids -
Easy explanations of minerals and identification
Moh's Drill
and castle of doom: on the FOSSweb - Earth Materials web site (left menu bar)
Use drill bits of the correct hardness to drill through various walls before you are squished! Don't waste your hardest bits on softer walls - you may need them later!
Fossweb description of Mineral
Properties.
National
Library of Virtual Manipulatives (Click on the link "Platonic Solids." These allow
you to view and manipulate some crystal solids)
Click here for a few
more examples and some easy print, cut, fold and glue patterns for crystal
forms.
Mineral Clipart and Pictures (plus lots of others as well. Free for K-12 teachers and students to use.)
VIRTUAL
MUSEUM - minerals and rocks - beautiful images
Mineral
Gallery - Interesting Mineral Groupings - Some
wonderful information and images.
Crystal Systems
(Scroll down for a chart with the main shapes and their names.)
==================================
Fossils
Various processes by which fossils may or
may not be formed
==================================
Glossary
And just some good quick reference sources: