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small flower pots
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different samples of soils
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seeds
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water
Students may use flower and vegetable seeds or average six to eight weeks will be required before results can be expected.
Have students obtain the above materials and plant the seeds in the different soil samples. Observe which soils are best for growing plants.
Below is a table they may be useful to students when doing this activity.
(figure available in print form)
ROCKS
Rocks are an important part of Connecticut geology. Every boy and girl who has ever picked up a few strange-looking rocks is gradually becoming a rock collector. The real interest is being able to identify and find, knowing something of their history, how they came to be in that particular place. There are rocks that can be traced back to an origin of living things such as coal and coral. There are logs of stones, such as those that can be seen in the famous Petrified Forest.
The rock you might hold in your hand tomorrow could contain evidence of a world once filled with dinosaurs or a continent once under water. Rocks are all around us. They are in the walls of rushing streams, along cliff faces and mountain sides. If a rock was taken apart and examined closely one would find that it is made up of bits and pieces of minerals. Some minerals are the building blocks of rocks.
The kind of rocks included in this unit are the ones found in Connecticut as well as in other places.
IGNEOUS ROCKS
are formed from molten minerals or lavas deep within the earth’s crust. Granite and basalt are examples of this kind of rock. (See Appendix C)
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
generally result from the cementing together, under pressure, of weathered particles from other rocks that have been deposited from suspension in water. Sandstone, limestone and shale are examples of sedimentary rocks. (See Appendix D)
METAMORPHIC ROCKS
are those formed from either igenous or sedimentary rocks which have been under great pressure or under high temperature or both. Under these conditions the size of the mineral crystals were changed to create a denser rock material. Gneiss, schist, marble, slate and quartzite are the most common metamorphic rocks. (See Appendix E)
In eastern Connecticut we find mostly metamorphic rocks such as gneiss, schist, and quartzite, with some igneous rock, granite. We also find metamorphic rocks mostly in the western part of the state. However, some limestone, a sedimentary rock exists along the western boundaries and particularly in the northwestern corner of the state. In the central part of the state is a low land, consisting of red sandstone and shale, both sedimentary rocks. Within this low land arise hills, consisting of the igneous rock, basalt, commonly called traprock.
When a complex rock surface is subjected to sudden changes of temperature, the different minerals within the rock do not expand or contract equally. As a result of unequal pressures developed by unequal expansion and contraction on heating and cooling, the rock tends to crack and flake. Water finds its way into the cracks and crevices. Freezing temperatures transform this water into ice which expands and acts as a wedge to split the rock into smaller fragments. Coarse-grained rocks which develop larger cracks break down faster than do the fine-grained rocks which develop smaller cracks.
As the rocks are reduced in size some of the more soluble minerals combine with water and form new compounds or minerals. Some minerals dissolve completely and are eventually carried off in the drainage water. Others, such as quartz and the clay minerals, remain and these become an important part of the soil.
LESSON PLANS FOR SCIENCE
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A. 1. Introduce the three types of rocks
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igneous
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sedimentary
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metamorphic
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2. Discuss the three types briefly
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3. Review in greater detail the characteristics of each type of rock
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4. Have students collect different samples of rock from within their area and examine them. Look for similarities or differences.
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5. Obtain different rocks of each; igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Have students classify them and name the mineral or minerals contained in each.
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6. Discuss with students the difficulties that is encountered when attempting to classify rock samples.
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7. Obtain slide of different rocks. Show these to students to help them visualize the similarities and differences among the rock samples.
LESSON PLANS FOR MATH
Field trip to a quarry if possible. Invite someone from the quarry to speak to the class. Provide students with background information about a quarry.
When students visit a quarry, have them collect data for the purpose of writing and computing simple word problems dealing with measurements and costs.
SAMPLE WORK PROBLEMS
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1. The Department of Transportation is paving five miles of I-91 highway, two tons of gravel is needed for each 1 1/2 miles. How many tons of gravel are needed to do the job?
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2. The city of New Haven installed fifty feet of sidewalk at Troup Middle School. The rock used in the cement cost $18.50 per linear foot. The gravel cost $37.50 per linear foot. Labor cost $75.00 per hour. What was the total cost? Including Labor?
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3. Mount St. Helen erupted at 1:00 pm. At 2:00 pm, Lava was flowing at a speed of 120 mph, by 10:00 pm the speed had dropped to one-fourth of the speed at 2:00 pm. What was the speed at 10:00pm?
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4. The rock machine at the quarry breaks larger rocks into smaller one. The machine breaks 8 tons of rocks in 6 3/4 hours. How long would it take the machine to break twice the number of tons?
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5. How many square yards of concrete are required to cover a lot measuring 14ft. 6in. by 14ft. 6in.?
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6. Darrell wants to build a wall to enclose his patio. The measurements are; 18 1/2 feet by 22 1/4 feet at a cost of 7c per brick. How much will it cost Darrell to build the wall?
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7. A construction site measuring 34 meters by 42 meters was dug to a depth of 6 meters. How many cubic meters of soil had to be moved?
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8. A team of four geologists mapped out a rectangular plot 58 meters by 43 meters to be studied for signs of past civilization. What is the area of the site?
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9. Find the cost of cementing a driveway 9 feet by 16 feet at a cost of 55c per square foot.
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10. How many square feet of sod are needed for a lawn measuring 42ft by 42ft at .25 per square foot? What is the cost of the sod?
MINERALS
Minerals are contained in rocks and soils. They are an important part of Connecticut geology. Minerals have a definite chemical structure and they are composed of certain elements in specific proportions. The minerals may occur in the rocks in large masses or in mixture. A mineral is a solid element found free in nature. There are some two thousands minerals. About thirty are known as “rock forming” because they are likely to form a large part of each rock they are in.
In Connecticut, minerals were not plentiful. In times past metals were found in tiny quantities scattered through rocks. The combination of metals and rocks are called ore. There were small amounts of great many metals, but only in a few areas was there enough of any one metal worth mining. Some places were discovered and mines were open up. Mining for metals has been abandoned. The copper ores were soon used up in Connecticut and iron mining stopped for several reasons; one, it was too costly. One other type of mining was marble quarrying which was important for a short period but also had to be given up.
Connecticut still have some minerals that are dug out and being used. The most important are the traprock, clay, and limestone. Traprock is found in ridges throughout the central valley. There was once huge quarries where this rock was blasted out, broken into smaller pieces and sold as road material.
Clay was found in the central valley, it was dug, mixed with sand and baked in huge kilns to make bricks. The third major minerals used in Connecticut was limestone and marble. The limestone and marble was quarried and ground down to powder size and sold. The major uses were for agriculture and construction. (See Appendix F)
APPENDIX A
(figure available in print form)
THIS SIMPLIFIED DIAGRAM OF THE STATE’S LANDFORMS
APPENDIX B
(figure available in print form)
A SIMPLIFIED SOIL MAP TO SHOW HOW SOME OF THE LARGER AREAS OF SOIL TYPES ARE DISTRIBUTED AROUND THE STATE.
APPENDIX C
SOME COMMON IGNEOUS ROCKS
Examples—Most important characteristics.
INTRUSIVE ROCKS
Granite
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It has large crystals
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It is composed mostly of Feldspar
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It is generally pale gray, pink or reddish color
Diorite
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It has large crystals
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It is composed most of feldspar, also beach mica
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It is a dark heavy rock
Synite
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This rock contains 90% feldspar
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It contains large crystals
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It is a light colored rock
EXTRUSIVE ROCKS
Felsite
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Contains small crystals
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Fine-grained crystalline structure
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They are formed by a surface flow of lava that cooled quickly
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It is a light colored rock
Basalt
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Very small crystals
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A fine crystalline structure
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It contains feldspar
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It is a dark colored rock
Scoria
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No crystals
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Very hard rock
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Filled with large air spaces
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It is usually dark, brown or black
APPENDIX D
SOME COMMON SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
(figure available in print form)
APPENDIX E
SOME COMMON METAMORPHIC ROCKS
(figure available in print form)
APPENDIX F
SOME COMMON MINERALS
(figure available in print form)
RESOURCE LIST
East Rock and Edgewood Rangers
P.O. Box 1416
720 Edgewood Ave
New Haven, CT
Sarah Blodgett
787-8022
Transportation for Field Trips
Ralph Golia
21 Wooster Place
New Haven, CT
787-8418
Yale New Haven Teacher’s Institute
53 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06520
(203) 436-3316