The BIG question: How do rocks get EVERYWHERE?

1. Read-aloud (HIST): The Statue of Liberty Lesson: What different kinds of weathering can we see in New York City? (on-going) Mechanical weathering LAB: DO all rocks carried along in a stream undergo the same physical changes?? Field Investigation: Central Park Glacier Striations Data Collection. EQ 2: How can we model weathering and erosion of rocks by abrasion? (on-going) Rock Tumbler LAB: Which rock samples will be the most resistant to weathering? EQ: How will the topography of Central Park affect the flow of the glaciers that covered this area during the ice age? The BIG question: How do rocks get EVERYWHERE? Lesson: What causes big rocks to turn into small rocks or even sand? Big idea: weathering is when rocks break down into smaller rocks that break down into smaller rocks that break down into smaller rocks . . . (physical weathering is caused by wind, water, ice, plants, animals; chemical weathering is caused by acid rain and gases in the atmosphere) EQ 1: What are glaciers and how do they move? 1.1 Activity: “Then & Now Glaciers” What do glaciers look like and how do they change over time? Video: An Inconvenient Truth Big idea: Glaciers erode the Earth by two mechanisms: plucking and abrasion. Plucking is when the glacier “plucks” pieces of rock from their parent rock (or a mountain). This occurs through a series of events, beginning with the glacier melting a little bit. Scientists believe that the glacier floats on the melted water. The rock then freezes to the bottom of the glacier during seasonal or global cooling. The water also seeps down into cracks in the rock, and water that was in the rock cracks is now ice, which expands the cracks (see Figures 1 and 2). The glacier itself accumulates snow and ice on its surface, and under this added weight and pressure, the glacier slides down the mountainside. 1.2 Demonstration: “Glacier Plucking” How do glaciers “pluck” up rocks? Discussion (Socratic seminar): How does global warming work? What evidence can we see of global warning in glaciers? What are the consequences of global warming that affect us? Is there ANYTHING we can do?

2. Materials Then & Now Glaciers • images (1 per team of 2) • “Glacial hitch hikers worksheet” Glacier Plucking Model • Small plastic container, dirt, pebbles, small rocks, water, ice cubes • “Glaciers: Then and Now” Mechanical Weathering of Rocks Lab • Goggles • Granite, halite (20 g each per group) • Magnifier • Small vials (2 per group) • “Neo/Sci Student’s Guide Mechanical and Chemical Weathering of Rocks” lab Rock Tumbler Lab • five different rock samples, each approximately 7.5 cm in diameter by 2.5 cm in width • rock tumbler • sand • water • Balance • “Take a Tumble” Lab Glacial Striation Lab • Compass • “Glacial Striations Lab” An Inconvenient Truth • DVD, or Netflix • “Global Warming: The Film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’” viewing guide • “Socratic Seminar Discussion Notes"