Cupcake Geology adapted by Jess Krim from various sources Content Background (What the teacher should know) There are types of rock sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic. Geologists find out about the earth from many methods, one of these is core sampling. Rocks are formed from temperature and pressure, and get buried by additional layers. When more temperature and pressure is applied, these rocks bend. An inch of a core sample is equal to many years. Core sampling takes place in the earth s crust. The core sample in the cupcake is compressed because of the pressure applied to the cupcake. The air is forced out of the cupcake so the layers appear smaller. The more samples that are taken, the better an idea we will have of what the inside of the cupcake looks like. Lesson Objectives: What knowledge, skills, and dispositions will the students gain from this activity? Concept to be Invented (knowledge) o Scientists took core samples to see the different layers of the Earth o Scientists seek to explain natural world using evidence from core sampling o Explanations in science are tentative and open to change as new information is gathered. Process Skills o Basic Skills! Observation! Communication! Prediction! Inference o Integrated Skills! Forming hypothesis! Modeling! Investigation! Interpreting data Dispositions / values to be developed: o Valuing groupwork as a way of solving problems o Appreciating others opinions o Gained appreciation for exploration of the earth s layers
Next Generation Science Standards: MS. History of Earth DCI: ESS1.C: History of Planet Earth, bullet 1 The geologic time scale interpreted from rock strata provides a way to organize Earth s history. Analyses of rock strata and the fossil record provide only relative dates, not an absolute scale. ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions Maps of ancient land and water patterns, based on investigations of rocks and fossils, make clear how Earth s plates have moved great distances, collided, and spread apart. Crosscutting Concepts (in order of priority): 4. Systems and System Models Defining the system under study specifying its boundaries and making explicit a model fo that system provides tools for understanding and testing ideas that are applicable throughout science and engineering. 3. Scale, Proportion, and Quantity In considering phenomena, it is critical to recognize what is relevant at different measures of size, time, and energy and to recognize how changes in scale, proportion, or quantity affect a system s structure or performance. 1. Patterns Observed patterns of forms and events guide organization and classification, and they prompt questions about relationships and the factors that influence them. Science and Engineering Practices (in order of priority): 1. Asking questions and defining problems 2. Developing and using models 3. Planning and carrying out investigations 4. Analyzing and interpreting data 6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions 7. Engaging in argument from evidence 8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects: Text Types and Purposes: 1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
Procedure e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes. a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. Engage - Ask students questions to probe their prior knowledge. Have them write down everything they know about geology. - What is geology? (the study of the earth) - What kinds of things in the earth get studied? (rocks, minerals, volcanoes, earthquakes) - Who studies the earth? (geologists) - How do geologists study the earth? (many ways, one way is core sampling) - What is core sampling? (drilling a tube through the crust of the earth) - What are the layers of the earth? (crust, mantle, lithosphere, athenosphere) *it is important here to draw a picture of these layers and tell of the characteristics of each layer. Explore (Concept Exploration) Tell students that they have an opportunity to be a geologist during this lesson, and that they will have their own model of the earth s crust to examine. Organize students into groups of 3. Show them a cupcake and explain like the earth, the top is covered, and the sides are covered, and it s hard to find out what is inside. Step 1: no cores - Speculate what s in the cupcake. Have students draw and color a picture of what they think is in the cupcake. Have them present their ideas to the class and explain their thought process behind their drawing. *Coring Procedure students cannot touch the cupcake, and must take a core sample from the top (not through the side of the foil). They can go straight down or at an angle. Step 2: One core have students take one core and then from that information, draw another picture of what they think the inside of the cupcake looks like at this point. Step 3: Three more cores have students take three more cores, and from that information, draw yet another picture of what they think the cupcake looks like at that point. Explain Each student cuts the cupcake in half and finds out if their inference was correct. Have students draw one more cross-section of what the cupcake actually looks like. Discuss findings as a class.
Elaborate (Expansion or Concept Application) 1. Discuss how heat and pressure can make rocks that are originally horizontal bend and fold. Emphasize how students were able to draw a more accurate picture as they took more core samples; with repetition of sampling comes more specific information. 2. Plan cupcakes that will tell a story, depending upon where in the pan each cupcake was selected from. 3. Have students make evidence-based arguments about what continents (cupcakes) were once part of the same land mass 4. Have students communicate findings in the form of a presented lab report. Several groups in the class can report and then come together to create the story of all cupcakes, not just their individual cupcake. Evaluate Have students write down what they learned about the earth from this process.
Name CUPCAKE GEOLOGY It s not possible to see all the stratigraphic layers in the earth. Landscape features or manmade obstacles often hide some sections of rock. Rather than digging up vast tracts of land to expose an oil field or to find some coal bearing strata, samples can be taken and analyzed to determine the likely composition of the earth s interior. To approximate in the most accurate way, one of the methods geologists use is that of core sampling, where a drill drives a pipe deep into the bedrock. The core is then extracted, and geologists then analyze the rock, measuring it, thinly slicing it, looking at it under a microscope, and numerous other measures of analysis. In this activity, you are presented with a model of a section of several layers of rock beneath the earth s surface. Keep in mind that your section of Earth will hold the clues to the class model of the Earth. Before selecting your section, plan with your classmates how you will go about choosing what section to examine. Then, after selecting your section, It will be your job to take core samples in a methodological way to explore what layers of rock your section of earth contains, without peeling away the wrapper or scraping off the icing. Measuring carefully, create a stratigraphic map showing what you think your earth looks like. Combine this map with the other students in class to discovery the mysteries that the earth contains. 15 10 5 0 0 5 10 15 all measurement is in cm. Finally, after constructing your map, cut your earth in half, and see if your hypothesis was correct!