2nd Graders Rock!

Over the past few weeks, 2nd grade has been making and recording observations about three igneous rocks: scoria, basalt and tuff. They have described how it looks, feels and even smells as well as what happens to the rocks when they are rubbed together over black paper.

Using a double T chart to help organize observations.

The gray rock, basalt, is smooth.

The scoria, reddish rock, is rough.

The tuff rock leaves a little white on my fingers.

Rubbing the two scoria together makes rock dust!

The tuff is so soft it can even flake off onto the paper.

The gray rock makes white marks on the other grey rock, but
doesn't make dust.

Recording observations in our science notebooks
helps us remember.

2nd graders work together and share information just
like scientists do.

Next they put the rocks, one type at a time, into water and wrote down our observations.  We were so surprised that something happened to each type of rock, but it was important to be patient and watch!

The basalt rock turned darker in the water.

The scoria rock turned darker or brighter depending on the
original color.

Some of the tuff changed colors - orange, cream
and even purple.

The water looks a little dusty.

There are bubbles!

The rocks are smoother when they are wet.

There are tiny bubbles coming from the rock.

It's so cool to see the rocks change colors.

The tuff looks all crackly.

A Geologist Visits Science!

Before the December vacation, Ms. Rausa's class (1-222), had a special visit from Belle Hallady's grandfather, John Hughes.  He is a mineralogist and a geology professor at the University of Vermont.  Professor Hughes has been involved in the discovery and description of over 40 minerals.  He even had a new mineral named after him - hughesite - from a mine in Colorado.

Hughesite - (Na3Al (V10O28.22H2O)

We found out that minerals are mined, they don't come from plants, animals or any other living thing.

Belle Halladay and her grandfather talking about minerals.

The amazing selection of rocks and minerals that we looked at and that
Professor Hughes left for our school collection!

We write with minerals - graphite.

Three minerals from Belle Halladay's collection.

So many questions!

Who knows what this is?

What color is this?

When a black light is shown on this mineral,
it changes color!  It's a fluorescent mineral.

Susan, Belle Halladay's grandmother (also a professor at UVM),
had us look around the classroom to find things that
had minerals in it.  We found pencils, glass and the wall!

  

We heard about some great websites to look at to learn more about minerals. 

http://www.mineralogy4kids.org/

https://franklinmineralmuseum.com/

http://sterlinghillminingmuseum.org/

And now for the fun part!  

Everyone donned goggles and got ready to smash a geode!

Belle Halladay's mom, Amy, supervises
breaking the geode! Each person gets
three hits with the hammer! 
The geode is in the sock!

The broken geode!  It had white crystals inside.

A big thank you to Belle Halladay's grandparents for such an exciting science class and for the mineral donations to the school!  We hope you will come back next time you are in Brooklyn!