Cycle 3

In the previous cycle, students modeled how the interior processes of melting and crystallization create unique igneous rocks and cycle matter on Earth. Students made connections between igneous rock and mineral resources and their everyday lives.
In this cycle, students will construct an explanation that answers the guiding question: How are metamorphic rocks made, and how do these metamorphic processes fit into the whole rock cycle? Students begin by considering the phenomenon of metamorphic gneiss in the Rocky Mountains. They observe metamorphic rocks and consider what parent rocks may have formed them, and how they may have been formed. They then read text and construct a model to explain how metamorphic gneiss was formed, got to the surface of a mountain, and may continue to change over time. Finally, students connect metamorphic processes to their everyday lives.
In the next concept, students will analyze and interpret patterns in data about the distribution of resources on Earth. Students will develop and use models of energy, mineral, and groundwater resources to explain the relationship between past and current geoscience processes and the location of resources on Earth. They will consider how resource consumption causes depletion and changes the allocation of these resources.