4.22 Geology Lab. Each lab focuses both on science activities and on a genre of children's literature, developing correlations between the science process and the process of reading. In addition to a teacher's guide for each of the 8 labs, the STAR program includes a mentor's guide for scientists, engineers, and others assisting in the classroom. In Geology Lab , a story about the discovery of a geode by a character in a fictional classroom provides a backdrop and source of background information for a series of geology lab explorations.
Students first conduct a rock-hunting expedition around the schoolyard.
They learn how sedimentary rocks are formed by making artificial sandstone. Students use clay models of folding rock layers to show how movement in the earth's crust creates mountains. They use large blocks of ice to simulate glacial action and its effect on land. During the unit, students examine the format and features of nature guides as a model for writing their own geology field guides. The guide provides a list of resources including books, computer software, and audiovisual materials.