Sand Grain Observations

Source Institutions

Twin Cities Public Television

In this activity (on page 1 of the PDF), learners will use a magnifier to carefully examine samples of sand from different locations. They record their observations regarding the different grain characteristics to formulate their own explanations of where the sand came from, why the grains are jagged or smooth, and how they may have been sorted. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Earthquakes.

Preparation Time:: 1 to 2 hours
Learning Time:: 45 to 60 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:: $5 - $10 per group of students
Age Range:: Ages 8 - 14
Resource Type:: Activity
Language:: English

Materials List (per group of students)

samples of sand from various sources (e.g., beach, street, playground), in labeled vials
white office paper
notebook paper
hand magnifiers
tweezers
sand characteristics reference (in PDF)

Keywords

Subjects

Earth and Space Science
- Earth Processes
  - Earthquakes
- Earth Structure
  - Rocks and Minerals
- Earth's History
  - Geologic Time
Mathematics
- Data Analysis and Probability
  - Data Analysis
  - Data Collection
The Nature of Science
- The Scientific Process
  - Conducting Investigations
  - Gathering Data
  - Formulating Explanations
  - Communicating Results

Informal Categories

Nature and Environment

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

see
see color
read
touch

Learning styles supported:

Involves hands-on or lab activities

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

Girls
- Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
- Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
- Uses inclusive images of people from this group

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

DragonflyTV GPS: Earthquakes

This resource is part of:

DragonflyTV Parents & Teachers Resources

Access Rights:

Free access

By:

Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.

Source Collection:

DragonflyTV

Rights:

Funding Source:

National Science Foundation, 436260