Here’s an effective hands-on explanation of the rock cycle for middle school students. You need some crayons, a scraper of some sort, aluminum foil, and some hot water and you are ready to make igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic “rocks.” The lesson plan is very well laid out and explains just what to do. There are hyperlinks to additional information that your students might need as a prerequisite to this lab. There is also a downloadable diagram of the rock cycle for your students to fill out when they finish their experimentation. Have samples of the three types of rocks on hand so the students can compare their crayon rocks to the real thing.
courtesy of Knovation
