Chris King from the Earth Science Education Unit outlines some
activities that develop learning about Earth processes and the
rocks they form through modelling and hands-on practicals
WEATHER
& WATER
The view from
Roque Nublo,
Gran Canaria.
Photo, Colin
Barker
Key words:
CPD
Physical
processes
16
Earth science
it’s all about
the processes
R
eaders of the draft new
English primary science
curriculum (DfE, 2012)
might be concerned to see that
there is much more detail on
the Earth science content than
previously. But if this stays in
the final version don’t worry: the
Earth Science Education Unit
(ESEU) is ready to come to your
rescue. We can help you teach it
in an exciting and interactive way.
We already provide workshops
free of charge to groups of
primary teachers and trainee
primary teachers across the UK,
and we will be extending our
repertoire to include all the Earth
science related material in the new
curriculum.
Primary Science 12 9 Sept/Oct 2013
Spot that rock
A good way to begin a topic on
rocks is to look at the differences
between rocks. The Spot that rock
workshop includes a series of
structured activities that take
teachers and children through the
different stages of studying rocks
to find out how they formed.
For example, a key clue is the
porosity of the rock, investigated
in the ‘Rocky predictions and
explanations’ part of the workshop
(Box 1).
The range of other activities
in the Spot that rock workshop,
including ‘What is a rock?’,
‘Differences in the grains’, ‘Rocky
modelling – a tessellation exercise’
and ‘Weak or strong – which are
the strongest rocks?’, help the
children with their observations
and identification of rocks so
that they are equipped to take an
unknown rock and use the clues
to identify it as ‘sedimentary’ (like
the sandstone) or ‘crystalline’
(like the granite) with a good
probability of success. They may
even be able to go further and
separate the ‘crystalline’ rocks
into ‘igneous’ and ‘metamorphic’
based on further clues.
The next step
So now we can focus on the
exciting part – how the rocks they
have identified were formed. One
of the best ways of understanding
Earth processes in the classroom
is through modelling. When
physical models are used
effectively in teaching they can
engage children very effectively,
while developing their enquiry
and general thinking skills (see
Matthews, 2007; Gobert and
Buckley, 2000; Khine and Saleh,
2011). It is this philosophy that
underpins the practical activities
central to all ESEU workshops.
weather and water
Box 1 ‘Rocky predictions and explanations‘ (from ESEU CPD Spot that rock
workshop booklet)
Ask the children to weigh the red/brown
rock (sandstone) and the speckled rock
(granite) and write down the results so they
can be used later.
Ask
them to
predict
what
will
happen
to the
masses of
the rocks
when
they are
placed in
water, and
to write down
and explain their predictions. Give them
three options – the rocks could: stay the
same weight, get heavier or become lighter.
Then ask the class so that you can get a
feel of what they are predicting. They often
predict that the red/brown rock will get
heavier but the speckled rock
will stay the
same. When
asked why
they have
made these
predictions,
they may
answer that
water will get
into the red/
brown rock
and make it
heavier but it
won’t get into the speckled rock.
Ask them to put the rock samples, at the
same time, into a clear plastic container
of water and watch carefully to see what
happens. They should take them out again
after about 30 seconds.
Ask them to dry the rocks carefully on
towels (paper or cloth) re-weigh them and
check their results against the previous
weights.
Results expected
The children will find that the red/brown rock
(sandstone) has increased markedly in mass
but that the speckled rock (granite) has not
increased at all (unless very sensitive scales
are used, when the remaining wetness of the
granite causes a small increase in mass). So,
the children probably predicted correctly.
If they have observed the samples in the
water carefully, they will have seen a few
bubbles on the surface of the granite.
But many more bubbles come from the
sandstone, and it continues to bubble as the
air is driven out.
Sandstone ‘bubbling’ in a plastic beaker of
water. Photo, Peter Kennett
Discussion
It is useful
to have a
discussion on
how the air is
driven out of
the sandstone.
Do most of the
bubbles come from the bottom or the top?
Does most of the water go in at the bottom
or the top? Are the pores (gaps between the
grains) likely to be interconnected?
The air rises from the top of the rock, as it
has a lower density than water. This allows
atmospheric pressure to push water into the
bottom to replace
it, showing
that the pores
must be interconnected
and that
the rock is
permeable
(permeability
is the rate
Granite not ‘bubbling’ in a plastic
beaker of water. Photo, Peter Kennett
of flow of fluid through a material). So,
the bubbles come from the top as water is
pushed into the bottom.
The science: The rate of flow of a fluid (liquid or gas)
through a material is its permeability – the property
mentioned in the National Curriculum for Science. This
depends on the porosity, which is the percentage of
pore space in the material (and is not a term used in
the National Curriculum). Rocks with a high percentage
of porosity (lots of pore space), where the pores are
interconnected and not too small for fluid to flow
through, also have high permeability. Low porosity gives
low permeability.
Primary Science 12 9
Sept/Oct 2013
17
weather and water
Model river in action
To find out how the sediments
in sedimentary rocks are laid
down, this activity uses a piece
of square-section guttering, with
end pieces, partly filled with
mixed sand and set up to allow
water to flow through it. This
allows children to investigate a
wide variety of Earth processes
and leads to a range of questions
about what is happening (Box 2).
The How the Earth works
in your classroom workshop
contains more practical
activities, including: ‘Save our
soil’; ‘Rock, rattle and roll’ – an
erosion investigation; ‘The DIY
ETD challenge’ – to show how
erosion, transportation and
deposition happen; ‘Panning for
“gold”’; ‘How clean is my pond
water?’ and ‘Make your own rain’.
With all this modelling and
hands-on experience children
can explain more clearly the
processes of erosion as they
‘water works’ and the crucial
role it plays in depositing the
sediment that may eventually
become sedimentary rocks.
Coastal crumble
The questions posed focus on
Of course, not all sediments
clear observation and then
are laid down in rivers, and
articulation of this – key skills to
people near the coastline may
being scientific.
be much more familiar with
So why not try out these
the sediments on beaches.
activities for yourself, starting
ESEU’s ‘Coastal crumble’ activity
with rocks and ending with
helps children to visualise the
the potential ‘wow’ part – the
processes involved when waves
processes. To increase the ‘wow’
hit the coast and cause coastal
factor you might like to create
erosion. The model used to
a ‘storm’ in your model river or
investigate the power of waves
on your model coastline – but
in coastal areas uses a box with
this will need some cleaning up
a sandy ‘coastline’ and waves
afterwards (as after many real
made by a paddle in the ‘sea’.
storms!).
Children are asked to investigate
Even better, why not contact
the system though the activities
ESEU and book a workshop?
given in Box 3.
Our excellent feedback shows
Conclusion
that ESEU’s wide range of
Through these modelling
workshop activities bring Earth
activities, and others in the
processes into the classroom in
ESEU workshops, children
ways that children interact with,
can ‘see’ for themselves how
understand and remember.
recognise patterns between
water flow and speed, and
deposition rate.
the bank of the channel (river bank);
a plunge pool, as found under a waterfall;
a micro-delta (mini version of the Nile and
Mississippi deltas).
Ask the children:
Trainee teachers
studying a model
of water flow in
a river at an ESEU
workshop. Photo,
Peter Kennett
Box 2 ‘Model river in action’
(from ESEU CPD How the Earth
works in your classroom
workshop booklet)
Ask the children to point out:
a channel, like the channels that rivers
have;
the bed of the channel (river bed);
18
Primary Science 12 9 Sept/Oct 2013
Where is most of the erosion happening?
Answer: (a) In the plunge pool and (b)
on the outsides of curved channels, often
undercutting the channel banks. This is
where the water is flowing most quickly.
Where is most of the transportation
happening? Answer: In the channel beds.
Where is most of the deposition
happening? Answer: (a) On the insides
of curved channels, where the water is
flowing most slowly, and (b) in the pool at
the bottom of the gutter, forming a microdelta.
What is likely to happen if the water
flow is increased? Answer: Erosion,
transportation and deposition will occur at
greater rates.
If you were visiting a real river like this,
where would be the safest place to stand?
Answer: Do not stand on banks that are
being undercut by flowing water – they may
collapse. If there was a sudden storm and
the whole area was flooded, the best you
could do would probably be to climb a tree.
weather and water
Box 3 ‘Coastal crumble’
Set up a large waterproof tray
containing sand and water and
fixed at a low angle.
Make a beach using the
washed sand.
Use a piece of wood to make
waves that come in parallel to
the shoreline – observe what happens.
Make waves to come in at an angle to the shoreline – observe what happens.
Place lolly sticks at right angles to the coastline at intervals as
groynes.
Try making cliffs of damp sand along the coastline and
placing a Lego block as a house on top.
Small pebbles can be placed at the base of the cliff to
represent a coastal protection scheme.
Crumbling cliffs
at Weybourne,
Norfolk. Photo,
Colin Barker
Ask the children:
If you visited an area of crumbling cliffs like
this, where would be the safest place to
stand? Possible answer: NOT on top of or
beneath a crumbling cliff. Probably the
safest place is as far back from the
cliff edge as possible, since the
beach beneath the crumbling cliff
could be subjected to a storm with
big waves that would erode the
cliff even more.
Modelling coastal erosion in the ‘Coastal crumble’
activity. Photo, Peter Kennett
About the ESEU
workshops
ESEU’s primary workshops are
aimed at primary teachers and
primary teacher trainees and
cover Earth science elements of
both the primary geography and
the primary science curricula.
Each ESEU CPD workshop is
90 minutes long and is free of
charge (apart from travelling
and incidental expenses) to
teacher training institutions and
to groups of primary teachers.
To find out more, or to book
an ESEU workshop, consult
the ESEU website, www.
earthscienceeducation.com, or
contact Steve Kilner, eseu@keele.
ac.uk, 01782 734437.
Learnt a lot and recapped
knowledge I hadn’t used since
GCSE level. My knowledge has
greatly improved and I will
definitely use the experiments
when teaching my own class.
(Primary teacher, Crewe)
References
A range of fun and easy science
experiments were shown that
could easily be incorporated into
the primary classroom. (Primary
teacher, Lincoln)
I found the structure of the session
and resource pack very supportive.
The children will have greater
Feedback on the workshops has
opportunities for ‘hands-on’
been excellent, with comments
learning. (Primary teacher, Frome)
such as:
Chris King is Professor of Earth Science Education at Keele
University and is Director of the Earth Science Education
Unit (ESEU).
Department for Education (2012)
National Curriculum for science: Key
Stages 1 and 2 – Draft. Available
at: http://media.education.gov.
uk/assets/files/pdf/d/draft%20
national%20curriculum%20for%20
science%20key%20stages%20
1%202.pdf
Gobert, J. D. and Buckley, B. C. (2000)
Introduction to model-based
teaching and learning in science
education. International Journal of
Science Education, 22(9), 891–894.
Khine, M. S. and Saleh, I. M ed. (2011)
Models and modelling: cognitive
tools for scientific enquiry.
Dordrecht: Springer.
Matthews, M. R. (2007) Models in
science and science education:
an introduction. Science and
Education, 16, 647–652.
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