Sand Grain Observations
Source Institutions
-
Twin Cities Public Television
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In this activity (on page 1 of the PDF under SciGirls Activity: Earthquakes), 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.
- 1 to 2 hours
- 45 to 60 minutes
- $5 - $10 per group of students
- Ages 8 - 14
- Activity
- English
Quick Guide
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)
Subjects
- Earth and Space Science
- Earth Processes
- Earthquakes
- Earth Structure
- Rocks and Minerals
- Earth's History
- Geologic Time
- Earth Processes
- Mathematics
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Data Analysis
- Data Collection
- Data Analysis and Probability
- The Nature of Science
- The Scientific Process
- Conducting Investigations
- Gathering Data
- Formulating Explanations
- Communicating Results
- The Scientific Process
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:
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
Source Collection:
- DragonflyTV
Rights:
- All Rights Reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., ©2006
Funding Source:
- National Science Foundation, 436260
