BECOME A ROCK DETECTIVE

1. Rock Detective Geoscience Education Presents BECOME A ROCK DETECTIVE AN EARTH SCIENCE TEACHING PROGRAM BASED ON THE IDEA THAT WE LEARN BEST WHAT WE DISCOVER FOR OURSELVES

2. 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.

3. 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 we’ll take you on a quick tour of a typical teaching kit.

4. To Become Rock Detectives, you and your students can solve the Mysteries in this kit and will discover how the Earth works.

5. 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!

6. SOMEEXAMPLES OF MYSTERIES

7. The Mystery #7 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

8. 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.

9. 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 OCEAN CRUST Melted MANTLE rises up under the ocean crust CONTINENT

10. EACH MYSTERY INCLUDES AN ANSWER SHEET • Description of the sample • Teaching Objectives • Answers • Teaching Techniques

11. 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

12. 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 Q&A sheets, teaching instructions, and helpful resources • One each of the following: 3x/6x magnifying glass, streak plate, magnet, and glass plate • 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. Recommended Additional Accessories and Consumables

13. 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@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.

14. The comments of a 2nd grader after a Rock Detective classroom presentation