Amy L. Piccirillo
Chocolate Chipping Away at the Rock Cycle
Understanding and hands on investigation of how chocolate chips can be changed just like the rock cycle changes rocks
Materials:
Hot plates
Coffee mug
4 different colors of chocolate chips
milk chocolate
butterscotch
white chocolate
dark chocolate
Wax paper
Piece of aluminum foil
Plastic knife
2X4 piece of wood
Plastic cup
Pot holders
Goggles
Apron
Directions:
1.
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Put on apron and gloves.
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2.
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Cover your lab desk with a piece of wax paper.
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3.
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Collect 4 small medicine cups containing the 4 different colored chocolate chips.
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4.
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CAREFULLY use your plastic knife to shave down each chip into small pieces. One person can do one type of chip while another group member can work on another. Make sure not to mix your chips.
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5.
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Take your piece of aluminum foil and place one color of chocolate chip on half of the sheet and fold the other half over the chips.
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6.
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Using your mug press the shavings into a flat patty.
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7.
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Take your aluminum foil and put it on the floor and place your large piece of wood on top for about 2-3 minutes. Stand still so not to rip the aluminum foil and your chips leak out.
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8.
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Place your foil back on your lab desk and carefully open it.
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Answer the following questions:
1.
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What happened to your chips?
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2.
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What type of rock did you form after step number 6?
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3.
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What did your piece of wood represent in this activity? What about the person standing on the piece of wood represent?
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You will do steps 5 through 8 for each of the colored chips. After you have a layered patty of each color you will place them altogether in an aluminum tray.
1.
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Put on goggles if they already haven't been on!
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2.
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Place your aluminum tray on the hot plate, be very careful! It is HOT!
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3.
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Let your chip shavings melt, this may take a bit, so be patient!
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Answer the following questions:
1.
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What has happened to the chips?
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2.
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What does the hot plate represent?
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After your chips have melted, turn off the hot plate and remove the tray to an area given to you by the teacher. Let your chip patty cool! Be careful not to mix any shavings while transporting them!
Answer the following questions:
1.
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What type of rock do the cooled chips simulate?
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2.
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Draw a rock cycle diagram and replace the regular steps with those from your candy chip lab. Explain why this lab does not explain how the rock cycle really happens in nature.
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