Lesson 73 of 84 · Earth Systems
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock RealmWeathering: Breaking Down Rocks (Part 3)
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
- erosion
- weathering
Materials Needed
- water
- plastic tray
- magnifying glass
- newspaper
- spray bottle
- cups
Safety First
- Use materials only as directed in the experiment.
- Keep small objects away from young children.
Steps
Read the introduction and identify the main idea of this lesson.
Test rock hardness using Mohs scale: try scratching rocks with your fingernail, a penny, and a nail. Rank them from softest to hardest.
Use your senses (except taste) to describe what you notice.
Write a summary of your findings in 3-5 sentences.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What causes weathering?
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.
Checkout complete lesson on Earth Systems for 8th Grade
Get the full Earth Systems track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.