BECOME%20A%20ROCK%20DETECTIVE

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BECOME A ROCK DETECTIVE
Rock Detective Geoscience Education
Presents

• AN EARTH SCIENCE TEACHING PROGRAM BASED
• ON THE IDEA THAT
• WE LEARN BEST WHAT WE DISCOVER FOR OURSELVES

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ABOUT US
Rock Detective Geoscience Education is a
non-profit 501(c)(3) organization formed in
1996.
Our mission is to provide carefully designed
programs to help K-12 students and teachers who
may have little or no background in Earth
Science. The programs are customized for
students from preschool to college, and we find
that they are very popular with students of
middle school age (10 years to 14 years old).
The programs are based on a unique, hands-on
teaching approach that gives students a chance to
discover exciting Earth processes. Our goal is
to inspire students to learn more.
All of our materials are distributed at
cost. Since 1996 we have provided an estimated
80,000 samples of rocks, fossils and minerals to
over 2000 schools and educators. The program has
been exported to European, Asian, and Mid-Eastern
countries, and is used in every state in the US.
We estimate that Rock Detective programs have
reached over one million students from 6 years
old to over 20 years old. A generous selection
of program activities, called Mysteries and the
Instruction and Resource Notebook have been
translated into Spanish for simultaneously
teaching both Earth Science and English.
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BECOME A ROCK DETECTIVE IS AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS
(AND THEIR TEACHERS) IN SEVERAL WAYS

• CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS
• VIDEO CONFERENCE
• COMPLETE TEACHING KiT IN A BUCKET

All Become a Rock Detective programs consist of
rock, fossil and mineral specimens, each with
Mystery Questions for kids to solve and Answer
Sheets for teachers. By handling and examining
the specimens and thinking about the Mystery
Questions, students begin to discover basic earth
science concepts on their own -- they get the
"Oh, Wow!" of science. At a "Staff Meeting"
described on the Answer Sheet, all students
gather to share their ideas and help solve the
mysteries. Together, students and teachers
discover Earth Science. To help explain the
program well take you on a quick tour of a
typical teaching kit.
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To Become Rock Detectives, you and your students
can solve the Mysteries in this kit and will
discover how the Earth works.
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THE MYSTERIES ARE CAREFULLY STRUCTURED

• To explain important and exciting Earth
  concepts, which we call, Oh, Wows!
• To lead students to discover the Oh, Wows!

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SOME EXAMPLES OF MYSTERIES
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The Mystery
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The Sample
The Oh, Wow!
Volcanoes of Alaska result from the subduction of
the huge Pacific Tectonic Plate. The plate melts
and molten magma rises to erupt as an arc of
volcanoes. Mt Spurr, which erupted in 1992 is
part of the Aleutian Island Arc.
Map showing the Aleutian Islands Volcanic arc,
Alaska
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The Mystery
The Sample
Halite A rock made of salt Jurassic Age
The Oh, Wow!
An OCEAN must evaporate to produce thick layers
of rock salt. This sample tells us that 180
million years ago during the Jurassic Period of
geologic history, a shallow ocean was evaporating
on the North American continent. Today this area
is a desert.
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The Samples
The Mystery
Granite
Gabbro
Core, Mantle, Ocean Crust and Continents
The Oh, Wow!
CONTINENT
Continents made of granitic rocks FLOAT on the
slightly heavier gabbroic rocks of the mantle.
This is why ocean crust slides under the
continents, and why when two continents collide
(like India and Asia) they rise upward into huge
mountains like the Himalayas.
CORE
MANTLE
Melted MANTLE rises up under the ocean crust
OCEAN CRUST
CONTINENT
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EACH MYSTERY INCLUDES AN ANSWER SHEET

• Description of the sample

• Teaching Objectives

• Answers

• Teaching Techniques

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Instructions
Geologic Time Scale
Each kit contains a notebook with instructions
and resources
What is a Mineral - Element - Atom
Mohs Mineral Hardness Scale
Testing Results
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Each Bucket is a CompleteTeaching Unit
Containing

• 25 mysteries for dozens of Earth Science
  concepts
• 35 or more, rock, fossil, and mineral samples
• A notebook with Mystery QA sheets, teaching
  instructions, and helpful resources
• One each of the following 3x/6x magnifying
  glass, streak plate, magnet, and glass plate

Recommended Additional Accessories and Consumables

• 25 - 3x/6x magnifying glasses
• Five - white streak plates, 5 cm x 5 cm x 6 mm
• Five - glass plates, Mohs hardness 5.5
• 10 - magnets
• One plastic inflatable globe approximately 35 cm
  in diameter showing oceans, and continents with
  mountains and deserts.

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To contact Rock Detective
Executive Director Ruth Deike Business
Office 14655 Betz Lane Red Bluff,
California 96080 USA Phone
530-529-4890 Cell 530-526-0858 Fax
530-529-6441 Email kidsrx_at_rockdetective.org
www.rockdetective.org
The Founder, Executive Director, and ongoing
creator of Mysteries for Rock Detective
Geoscience Education is geologist, Ruth Deike.
She holds a Master of Science Degree in Geology
and Mineralogy from George Washington University,
and developed the original program from a rich
background gleaned from 30 years as a research
earth scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS). Her research focus has been geologic and
chemical relationships between water and rocks in
many natural environments. In designing the Rock
Detective program, Ruth was motivated by a desire
to share the excitement of research with K-18
teachers and students. Her energetic educational
work includes several videos for teachers on
earth science in urban environments and the
seashore, and over nearly two decades she has
taught the program, 'Become a Rock Detective', to
thousands of eager students. In 2001 the Maine
Science Teachers Association presented her the
Philip Marcoux Award for having a significant
impact on science education in Maine. Details of
her scientific publications can be found on her
website http//www.ruthdeike.org.
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The comments of a 2nd grader after a Rock
Detective classroom presentation