Petrographic Microscope Home Kit for Smartphones part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
Lynne Elkins, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
This is a useful set of design instructions to build a home microscope kit for illustrating the properties of polarizing/petrographic microscopes with a smartphone camera. It can be used for any number of class ...

Virtual Lab: "Big Nine" Silicates in Thin Section part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
Catherine Macris, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis
This virtual lab activity uses Virtual Microscope to help students create their own ranked lists of diagnostic properties for the "Big Nine" silicate minerals/groups, which includes quartz, muscovite, ...

Mineral Identification part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
Katryn Wiese, City College of San Francisco
Mineral Identification online (developed for remote learning during COVID-19 pandemic); students will explore the various characteristics of minerals and then apply them to identify unknowns.

Creating a Partial Pressure Diagram for the Cu-CO2-O2-H2O System part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
Terri Woods, East Carolina University
Students will be guided through the procedure for creating a partial-pressure diagram in the low-temperature system Cu-CO2-O2-H2O system for the minerals cuprite, tenorite, native copper, azurite, and malachite. ...

Feldspar Mineral Chemistry Using the FCAEM Remotely Operable Electron Probe Micro-Analyzer. part of Activities
Sven Holbik and Rosemary Hickey-Vargas, Florida International University
This lab uses the remote operation of an Electron Probe Micro-Analysis (EPMA) available through the Florida Center for Analytical Electron Microscopy (FCAEM; https://fcaem.fiu.edu/), at Florida International University, Miami, to explore feldspar mineral chemistry. This lab explores detailed mineral chemistry, data normalization, and plotting compositional ranges on ternary diagrams suitable as an introductory assignment in a Mineralogy, Earth Materials, or Petrology course. This instructor-led interactive demonstration of remote Electron Microprobe use introduces students to microprobe analysis, x-ray analytical techniques, standardization, image analysis, normalization, mineral formulas and composition. The instructor can acquire images (optional) of samples containing feldspar (provided by FCAEM or instructor's samples) then select multiple points for analysis. This activity captivates student's attention and provides a hands-on instrument-led approach to introducing undergraduate students to chemical analysis and vital concepts in mineralogy and petrology.

Understanding Polyhedral Diagrams part of Spatial Thinking Workbook:Teaching Activities
Carol Ormand Ph.D., Carleton College
Students identify individual polyhedra in a variety of diagrams and answer questions about shared oxygens in diagrams of common silicate structures.

Critical Minerals Summit part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
Clementine Hamelin, William & Mary
This activity combines elements of role-play, jigsaw, and galley walk activities to introduce students to critical minerals, their place in the context of geology, their societal and economic importance as well as ...

Quiz for Defining Geology Video part of Videos:Activities
David McConnell, North Carolina State University
This is a pdf of a quiz composed of multiple choice and matching questions related to the content of the Defining Geology video.

Utilizing X-Ray Instrumentation Combined with 3D Printing to Increase Student's Conceptualization and Understanding of Unit Cells part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
James MacDonald, Florida Gulf Coast University
3D printing in the geosciences has been occurring for more than a decade (e.g., Hasiuk, 2014). It can be an easy and effective method to help teach landforms, fossils, porosity, and other areas of the geosciences ...

Exploring Critical Minerals part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
Hannah Aird, California State University, Chico Karen Viskupic, Boise State University Katherine Ryker, University of South Carolina Rachel Teasdale, California State University, Chico Doug Czajka, Utah Valley University
This active learning activity has students working in small groups to understand the geologic context, global sources and usage of a specific metal. Metals considered are Ni, Li, Cr and REE, as well as a prework ...

Virtual field trip to Giant's Causeway, Ireland part of Cutting Edge:Enhance Your Teaching:Teaching with Online Field Experiences:Activities
Jill Schneiderman, Vassar College
This online assignment takes the students on a virtual field trip to Giant's Causeway in northern Ireland. It begins with a brief video of the geological site, includes some questions relevant to the history ...

Catology: adding fun to mineralogy and petrology part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
Emma Hunt, Furman University
This activity set uses cats, the ultimate meme, to help students build conceptual models to better understand concepts in mineralogy and petrology. Cat memes bring fun to the classroom, which helps maintain ...

The Nature of Science and Scientific Fraud part of GeoEthics:Activities
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota
This is a peer-reviewed teaching activity page from the On the Cutting Edge collection that explores the nature of science and a case of scientific fraud in mineralogy, emphasizing critical thinking, ethics, and scientific integrity through investigative writing and discussion. auto-generated The author of this page didn't provide a brief description so this one sentence summary was created by an AI tool. It may not be completely accurate.

Crossword Puzzles to Review Mineral Concepts part of Activities
Laura Wetzel, Eckerd College
Students complete a crossword puzzle to review the physical properties of minerals that are helpful in hand specimen identification. Mineral names and characteristics are particularly well-suited for a crossword format. Two versions are provided, one at an introductory level and one for more advanced undergraduates. Instructor files provided are easy to customize.

Rock & Mineral Bingo part of NAGT:Our Resources:Teaching Resources:Teaching Materials Collection
Kate Pound, North Hennepin Community College
This is a rock and mineral 'Bingo' that is based on knowledge and skill (not luck). It was designed as an entertaining and interactive means of developing and improving student rock and mineral ...