Weathering Experiment

Students investigated a model of weathering rocks before I introduced them to the term weathering.  Students worked in groups and used crackers and sugar cubes for their first investigation.  Students rubbed 2 crackers and 2 sugar cubes together with gentle pressure for 10 seconds over their tray. Then, they recorded their observations in their science notebooks and shared with partners, paying attention to the differences between crackers and sugar cubes.  Afterwards, they took 2 rocks and did the same thing.  Would we see the same results? (yes--sand would fall off or the rocks might break, different kinds of rocks might break apart differently). They recorded their observations and shared with  the class. Then I introduced the term ‘weathering’ and we added it to our word wall. Weathering is the breaking apart or wearing away of rock material. Following this experiment, students were given 3 different types of soil samples from Grapevine Lake to explore and record the properties.