Lesson 3 of 11 · Earth Systems
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock RealmThe Rock Cycle
Earth Systems.
🎯 Your mission
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
⚡ The twist
Today's mountain was yesterday's ocean floor.
Mind = Blown
🌋 There are 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth right now.
Make a hypothesis first
Guess: where will the water go first?
What You'll Learn
The rock cycle shows how rocks change from one type to another. Igneous rocks form from cooled magma, sedimentary rocks form from compressed sediment, and metamorphic rocks form under heat and pressure.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- rocks
- water
- plastic tray
Safety First
- Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards and keep the material away from your face.
- Mop up spills straight away so nobody slips, and keep liquids away from sockets.
Steps
Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.
Model erosion: tilt a tray of soil and pour water from a cup at the top. Observe how channels form. Try adding plants or rocks to slow the erosion.
Compare the before and after states.
Write your conclusion: did the results match your hypothesis? What would you change next time?
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What type of rock forms from cooled magma?
Where you see this in real life
Today's weather, tomorrow's beach, next century's coastline — all this.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Look at the sky for 5 minutes and try to predict tomorrow's weather.
For the dinner table
“What's the slowest change you can think of?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Ready?
The Rock Cycle
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
Full screen — no distractions
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