“Who am I?  Where do I stand?” asks the 6th Grade-aged child.  “Good question, I answer,  “Let’s look at that rock…”

Rocks are individuals, just like students.  Each one is unique and special, and not at all easy to understand, birthed through a process that is both miraculous and mysterious.  In our mineralogy block we studied that each type of rock contained characteristic minerals, and that rocks are being created and recycled all the time through a “rock cycle” of sorts.    Examining many specimens in the classroom, we learned to distinguish the name igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.  Understanding that underneath the fairly calm exterior of our planet is a boiling-hot cauldron of molten rock and metal which makes up the inner earth, we studied the ways the liquid magma (molten rock) forces its way to the surface and cools as lava, forming mountains of various shapes.

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We also studied the other ways mountains are created, including the movement of continents and the changes that can happen to our earth over enormous (and almost unimaginable for humans) amounts of time. We explored the formation of coal and oil deposits deep under the ground as well.

This study included a trip to the Mt Lassen Volcanic National Park, one of the only places in the entire world where a person can see 4 different kinds of volcanoes with one set of eyes.  At Lassen we climbed a real cinder cone volcano and looked down inside its middle, hiked some challenging trails, and swam in the very cold waters of Juniper Lake.  These experiences of social bonding and personal growth accompanied a growing appreciation and respect within the students for the greater forces at work in nature, and also in their lives.

This block of study was particularly notable for the resulting beauty of the main lesson books. It is always inspiring to see how different the student work can be, even  when the topic is the same...

Enjoy!
 

MLB Samples... Volcano!

Families of Rock

The "Recycle" of Rock... basic...

Regarding Minerals...

Related to Study and Trip to Mt Lassen