Activities: Earth Builders: An Integrated Study of the Uses of Earth Materials, by Meg Harlow

Overview

People have used natural materials from the Earth for thousands of years to create temporary dwellings and sustainable buildings. From early civilizations to the present, people have also used Earth resources as a medium for artistic expression. The activities in this unit are designed to have students explore and understand the various uses of our natural Earth materials - both in the present and historically. Students will learn about some of the historically significant architectural wonders from early civilizations. They will construct miniture building structures using a variety of Earth materials and learn how the properties of the different materials make them suitable for specific uses. The activities are designed to be taught in conjunction with or as extensions to the FOSS unit, Pebbles, Sand and Silt. After completing the investigations from River Rocks and Using Rocks of the FOSS unit, students will have had experiences with observing, washing, labeling and sorting rocks in various sizes - from clay to large pebbles.

Purpose and learning goals

Students will investigate and research the various uses of Earth materials in our present everyday life.

By taking local investigative walks, viewing classroom videos, and researching and compiling a photographic data book, the students will learn about man’s interdependence on the Earth’s natural resources.

Students will learn how different Earth materials have been used historically for building purposes.

The children will decide which Earth materials would be best used for building a miniature model of a dwelling.

Over a two-week period, the children will observe and record the sustainability or erosion of their dwelling in the elements of weather.

Intended grade level

Primary (grades 1 through 3)

Time involved

This unit is designed to be 4 to 6 weeks in length depending on the grade level and the extended activities.

Teacher prep time for the unit: @ 2 to 3 hours (involves compiling Earth materials, resource books, and videos)

Student time: 30 to 45 minutes for each activity

Alignment to Colorado state standards (for entire unit)

Standard 1: Students understand the process of scientific investigation and are able to design, conduct, communicate and evaluate such investigations.
Standard 4 (4.1, 4.2, 4.3): Students know and understand the structure, processes, interactions and dynamics of the Earth and other objects in space.
Standard 5: Students know and evaluate interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world.
Standard 6: Students understand that science involves a particular way of knowing and understanding common connections among different scientific disciplines.
Standard 7: Students know how to appropriately select, and safely and effectively use tools (including laboratory materials, equipment and electronic resources) to conduct scientific investigations .

Materials

Camera(s)
Pebbles, gravel, sand – approximately 1 to 2 gallons of each, sorted in plastic tubs
Clay soil, dug from outside or purchased
Straw for adobe making- approximately 4 to 6 cups (ask a local farmer)
Clay - 10 lb. pug
2” river rocks - about a half a tub
6 to 10 plastic ice cube trays
4 Masonite boards or thick corrugated cardboard or old aluminum baking sheets
4 garden trowels or old metal spoons
Primary classroom water table (optional)
Flat-faced rock such as sandstone for rock art/petroglyphs
5 to 10 page blank observation notebook per student

Preparation

Order or rent videos (see bibliography)
Gather resource books for classroom use (see bibliography)
Gather all Earth materials and sort them in plastic washtubs
Cut Masonite boards or cardboard into 12” by 12” sheets. Prepare one notebook per student
Student preparation: Complete the investigations River Rocks and Using Rocks of the Pebbles, Sand and Silt FOSS unit

Activity #1: Take an exploratory walk in and around the outside of the school building to discover how many different Earth materials are in use

Compile a class list of observations. Examples: stonewall boulders, cobbles, concrete on sidewalks, brick walls, rock, sand, and cement. Children can take photographs of the various uses of rock for a class book.

Possible field trip: See if there are unusual buildings or uses of stone, rock, marble in your community.

Take an online virtual tour of the marble quarries in Italy or tour the ancient buildings in Greece, Italy, and the Middle East.

Activity #2: Investigate uses of Earth materials throughout human history

Through literature and architectural history books (see bibliography), children will investigate the various uses of Earth materials throughout human history.

For 2nd and 3rd graders, make a time line of architectural buildings and the materials that have been used through time. Focus on examples such as Stonehenge, Mayan temples, Egyptian pyramids, Anasazi cliff dwellings (Mesa Verde), Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China, and the Parthenon. Discuss and emphasize the sustainability of the different materials used and the regions from which the materials originated.

Activity #3: Outcome Product Assignment: Teams build mini dwellings using the Earth materials provided

Each team of 4 to 6 students will build a mini dwelling using only the set of Earth materials provided. The dwelling should be built to withstand weather elements for at least one week. The structure should be built on a solid board base.

Review the list of Earth materials from the examples in the school environment and the literature resources. Introduce the different types of Earth materials that will be made available for the class assignment.

After researching examples of historical buildings from early civilizations, have the students discuss what natural Earth resources would be best used for sustainable shelters. Have them vote on their best choice of Earth material. Student building teams can be formed based on voting choices or a sign up sheet.

Earth materials

River rocks with sand (as mortar)
Adobe mud
Sand and water: sand castle formation
Clay structure with sticks or rocks as support

One child from each team will be the designated photojournalist and will photograph each step in the building process. Each student will take daily observations (written and drawn) in their science notebook.

Student teams

Adobe builders: Have students work in teams of 4 to 6 to create the adobe mud. This is best done outdoors! With the soil ready in the tubs, have the children mix sand, straw and water a little at a time until the mixture is well mixed, wet, and not too runny (thick mud consistency). They can stir the mud with trowels or sticks. Many children may opt to use their hands. Scoop the mud into ice cube trays for small adobe bricks. Trowel the surface smooth of the mud mixture until is as even and smooth as possible. Provide a clean-up basin of water and towels. The ice cube/adobe trays will need to dry for 2 to 3 days, preferably out in the sun (a classroom window will also work).
River rock builders: Give these students a tub of 2” rounded rocks to build with and a mixture of sand and water as to use as mortar. A base or floor of sand/water mixture may help stabilize the structure at the beginning. It's easier if they use something as an internal structure (a small box...) around which to build. Stacking rocks and mortaring is a slow process (you build slowly around the structure and pack in the mortar).
Sand castle builders: It's best if the students can use a water table. Let them experiment, slowly adding water to the sand to form the proper consistency for a sustainable structure. Remember that the castle/shelter must be transported outside on the board.
Clay builders: You can either explain how to make a clay slab construction or have them freely construct it themselves. Rolling pins and plastic knives may help in building the slabs for walls and the roof. A slip mixture made from water and clay can be used as “cement or mortar” for the wall and roof construction.

Allow time for the structures to properly dry and then photograph each one before moving it outside. The student builders should keep a photo journal of their structures.

Math extension activity

For older students, a mathematical ratio can be given for the correct proportional size of the structure (e.g., build a dwelling that's proportional to a 4” playhouse doll). Students may draw a map of the dimensions of their building plan.

Activity #4: Observing and Recording

This activity takes 15 minutes each day for 10 days. Ideally, the building structures should remain outdoors during the school day for at least 10 school days. The children should observe and record any changes to the structures due to erosion from the weather elements. Each team should record the day’s weather in the morning and afternoon on a chart and observe any changes to their structure. Select a time each day for photographing the structures. If you have a moveable sand table (on wheels), you can put the structures on it to keep them safe during transport and while they are outside. (If the structures cannot be protected from vandalism, ignore this step.)

Reflecting on the activity/ideas for assessment

For individual assessments, have the children go to the FOSS website and play Find Earth Materials in Pebbles, Sand and Silt.

Bibliography

Buildings by Betsey Chessen Pamela Chanko
Learning Center Scholastic Inc. Emergent Readers series
Shelter By Susan Canizares Daniel Moreton
Learning Center Scholastic Inc. Emergent Readers series
The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell
Scholastic Inc.
A Journey Through Time Excavating Life on Earth by Selina Wood
In The Beginning: a Nearly Complete History of Almost Everything by Brian Delf & Richard Platt
If You Find A Rock by Peggy Christian
Everybody Needs A Rock by Byrd Baylor
Web sites: http://www.delta-ed.com/teachers/science/fossmodules.htlm and Ask-A-Geologist@hsgs.gov
Call 800-875-7353, the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry in Vermont for free for CD-ROM tour packages

Key questions that may be asked with 'Look fors'

What Earth materials made the most ‘sustainable” dwelling? Why?
What did you observe about your use of the Earth materials over time?
Does the weather or climate affect the sustainability of Earth materials?
Why have some of the ancient architectural wonders withstood the test of time whereas others have not?

Extensions and applications

Art history, architectural history, math, architecture, and anthropology

Related activities

The FOSS unit: Pebbles, Sand and Silt

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