BRINGING OUTSIDE INSIDE: USING ROCK AND MINERAL SAMPLES TO TEACH ABOUT THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EARTH

This is a critical time for students to understand the general characteristics of the Earth and how it works as a system. Basic knowledge of Earth science is essential to meeting the environmental challenges and natural resource limitations of the twenty-first century. For this reason, the Redpath Museum has developed a comprehensive, hands-on teaching kit for topics of Earth science.

Here we present the “Rock On!” rock and mineral identification kit, which is now available, at no cost, for loan to Quebec educators. The kit includes unmounted specimens of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, as well as ores, gemstones, and common rock-forming minerals. Several examples of each specimen are included in the kit so that students may appreciate the variety of physical forms that rocks and minerals may have. Samples are not precious and students are encouraged to handle them. Each specimen is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated identification card that lists key physico-chemical parameters of the specimen and outlines possible uses in everyday life.

The kit also includes common tools that geologists may use to identify minerals in the field, including hand lenses, streak plates, hardness indicators, magnets, and dilute acid. The kit is accompanied by a 16-page Guide and Activity Booklet that provides basic introductory information about the general characteristics of rocks and minerals. It describes how minerals are identified using colour, crystal shape, and hardness and how different rock types are formed on Earth. Additionally, it includes several sample classroom activities that have been customized for various learning levels.

The RockOn! kit allows educators to bring the outdoors indoors in a tidy, meticulously labelled package. The goal of the kit is to enhance the engagement of Earth science teaching with visually-spectacular specimens and hands-on learning activities. This applied nature of this kit for teaching Earth science topics will help learners appreciate its relevance to their lives and to their communities, serving to highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers to society.