Rock Types on Other Planets Lecture Tutorial
This material was originally created for
On the Cutting Edge: Professional Development for Geoscience Faculty and is replicated here as part of the SERC Pedagogic Service.
Summary
Students work in pairs to complete this short worksheet strengthening their background knowledge of
rock formation. After a brief set of questions about the rock types, students are given the
geologic conditions found on different planets. Students must then predict the presence of the
three different rock types on each planet.
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Learning Goals
Students will be able to predict the rock types that would be found on each planet, given the
geologic conditions of that planet. Additional goals include the higher-order thinking skill of
critical thinking and the skill of working in groups.
Context for Use
This activity can be used in an introductory physical geology course, an astronomy course, or a planetary geology course of any size with no special equipment necessary. Students should have a very basic understanding of the three different rock types. Students in groups complete this 10-15 minute Lecture Tutorial worksheet after a short lecture on the topic during class. Lecture Tutorials are most effective when used frequently in a course. Read more about how to use Lecture Tutorials
Description and Teaching Materials
Rock Types on Other Planets Lecture Tutorial worksheet (Acrobat (PDF) 20kB Jan13 09)
Teaching Notes and Tips
For full discussion of how to use Lecture Tutorials, please check the Lecture Tutorials Main Page
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Assessment
Lecture Tutorial worksheets are designed to help student confront their misconceptions, but
generally they are not graded. Selected questions are reviewed and answered by the instructor
during class. Rather than grade the Lecture Tutorials, exam questions covering that material can be
used as assessment.
References and Resources
For resources, please check the Lecture
Tutorials References Page