Lesson Plan Outline

Teacher: Jennica Quenville Class & Grade: 4/5

Date & Time: N/A Topic/Subject(s): Rock Cycle

Approx 45 minutes.

Learning Intentions I can identify the different processes of the rock cycle.

Lesson Overview
The students will have already had lessons on the three different types of
rocks, how they are formed, and learned about how the processes of
heating, cooling, erosion and weathering can cause rocks to transform
from one type of rock to a different type of rock (The process of the rock
cycle). This lesson will help students deepen their learning of this
content through a hands on activity; involves

Curriculum connections Big idea: Earth materials change as they move through the rock cycle
and can be used as natural
resources.
Core competencies: Thinking-Creative, Critical and Reflective
Curriculum competencies:
● Make observations in familiar or unfamiliar contexts
● Communicate ideas, explanation, and processes in a variety of
ways.
● Identify questions to answer or problems to solve through
scientific inquiry.
Content:
● The rock cycle (Gr. 5)
● The effect of temperature on particle movement (Gr. 4).

Lesson: Step by Step

Time & Description & Adaptations Equipment/Materials Needed

Activity

Intro T discusses with class that they are going to be doing a

very exciting activity that will help them remember the
key processes of the rock cycle (they will have been
introduced to these processes one time previously) - tell
Setting up students it will involve them having to use starburst - T Experiment materials
Activity sets expectation that these starbursts they are working - 78 starburst
with cannot be eaten but if everyone manages not to eat - 26 zip lock bags
5 min their starburst then everyone will get new starbursts at the - 26 paper plates
 end of the activity that they can eat. - 52 small squares of wax
paper
*Due to this class needing more structure and Student materials
management, I will also be doing this experiment and - Permanent marker
leading the class through it step by step, rather than - Scissors
having them following the instructions on their own or in - Pencil
small groups* - Pencil crayons

T explains to the students that they each are going to

receive a sandwich bag that has 3 starbursts inside and
two pieces of wax paper (one where I have already
written the students name on it). T asks for volunteers to
come hand out the baggies to the students - while I will
hand out the Starburst rock cycle sheet.

Activity T: “We are going to imagine that these starbursts were Filled in version of worksheet
once super hot lava that was erupted from a volcano and
then cooled. I want everyone to close their eyes and think
of what the type of rock is called that was once lava but
has cooled and hardened...when I count down from 5
everyone can say the name of that type of rock out loud”
(Igneous)

T and S write igneous in the first spot.

Approx 10 T: Reminds students of how they learned that overtime

min until rocks can break down, which is called weathering, will
movement instruct students to cut their pieces of starburst into 4
break pieces each and as a class we will repeat “Weathering
rocks means it breaks down, weathering rocks means it
breaks down.” Then I will ask for volunteers to share
ways that we could imagine our igneous rock (starburst)
was broken down? (examples: frost, plants, chemicals,
etc)
● Students fill in weathering by the arrow
T: describes how these tiny pieces of stones are
sediments - writes it in on sheet.

T: Describes that now we are going to imagine a huge

rainstorm has happened and it has moved these pieces of
sediments beside each other.
● Instructs students to take their hands and scoop
the sediments next to each other and have them
repeat “Erosion is the process of sediments
moving from one spot to another”)
● Ask for volunteers to share other than rain, what
else can cause erosion? (Ex. gravity, wind, etc).
● Draw picture of the sediments and writes erosion
by the arrow.
 Short movement break in class

Back to lesson
T: Instruct students to put one piece of the wax paper
under the sediments and the other piece of wax paper
over top (like a sandwich)
● “Now I want you to imagine that over years other
20 min until more erosion will occur and more layers of
short recess sediments will layer over top of each other and
create more weight/pressure on your sediments”
● Instructs students to take the palm of their hand
and press down on their sediments and repeat
“compaction, compaction, compaction - the
process of sediments being pressed together.”
● Instructs students to keep pressing until the
sediments have stuck together, which means
cementation has happened - repeat
“cementation!”
● Instruct/model writing in cementation and
compaction by the next arrow.

T: instructs students to Think pair share - with someone

beside you discuss what type of rock you think you have
made now (Sedimentary). Then ask for volunteers to
discuss how they know this.
○ S fill in the word sedimentary on their
sheet and draw the picture.
T: Instruct students to take the starburst out of the wax
paper and put the starburst (sedimentary rock) into the zip
lock bag.

T asks for students to now imagine that overtime more

and more layers of rock build up on top of your
sedimentary rock so that it starts to move deeper into the
earth - what two things is there more of the deeper we go
into the earth? (heat and pressure)
● Instructs students to use their hands to apply heat
and pressure (squishing it together until it is
formed in a ball).
● Get students to write in heat and pressure by the
next arrow and “metamorphic” on the blank line.
● Get all students students to call out the answer to
the question: “They have now formed a new type
of rock out of heat and pressure, what type of
rock is it?” (Metamorphic).
● Write in metamorphic and draw a picture of their
rock.

Walk and stop (part of lesson but gets students moving as

 well) - students will walk around the classroom without
talking/touching and will look at their peers
metamorphic rocks. When I say stop they will talk to the
person closest to them and they will discuss what has to
happen to this metamorphic rock before it can turn into
an igneous rock. (It needs to melt and become magma). T
instructs students to return to their desk.

T: tells students to imagine that their rock has moved

even deeper into the interior of the earth and has been
exposed to extremely high temperatures and pressure -
what could happen to the rock? (* instruct students this is
a no hands question and that the teacher will call on
anyone to give an idea of what could happen*- the rock
would melt and turn into magma)
● T will demonstrate this step and put her own
starburst rock on the paper plate and puts it in the
microwave and takes out the melted starburst and
shows to class.
● Instruct students to fill in the word melting by the
next arrow and magma in the corresponding
blank spot.

Short recess break

● T notifies students that while everyone is out at
recess, she will melt the students rocks and then
they will be cooling as they come back in.
● When bell rings - T leads students back in and
has them sit at their desks

Back to activity

The lava will be in the process of cooling or already

completely cool by the students are back at their desks.
● T does a no hands questions: asks students to
2 min think about and be ready to share what they
notice has happened to their rock that melted
(here we will talk about melting, mixing together,
cooling and hardening)
● T instructs students to write the word cooling by
the last arrow.

5-10 mins Closure

depending ● Students can fill in their pictures of the different *Need 52 starburst to hand out*
on time. stages with pencil crayon and while they are
colouring the teacher will prompt the class with
questions that will review the content they have
learned and also help keep students focused
during their colouring.
 ○ When you were cutting up a rock what
processes were we showing?
(weathering/erosion).
○ What process did the use of the
microwave show us? (Melting)
○ What process were you showing by
pressing down on the sediments so that
they were lightly touching each other and
the starburst looked flat but not mixed
together? (compaction and cementation)
○ What two things did we add to the
sedimentary rock when we were
squishing it with our hands? (heat and
pressure).
● Everyone will be given their two starburst that
they are rewarded with at the end (If they have
not eaten any of their candy during the
experiment).