Dig It! Teacher Instructions
Part 1: Digging in the Tub
Materials
-one clear plastic tub per group (approx size of large shoe box)
-playground sand, soil, loose clay, pebbles (enough to fill each tub
about ¾ of the way)
-wooden puzzles with 10-12 big pieces (with animal or plant
images), alternatively could print and laminate images on card
stock and cut out
-plastic spoons (sturdy), at least one per group
-small paint brushes, at least one per group
-string
-tape (masking tape to secure the string)
-graph paper (optional)
-ruler (one per group)
Procedures Prior to student arrival
(and in between classes as necessary)
-pour a small amount of sand into the tub
-randomly place a puzzle piece on top of the layer of sand
-pour soil into the tub, and place another puzzle piece on that layer
of soil, repeat using different ground covering materials until there
are enough layers so that each member of the group will be able to
find at least one puzzle piece
*if desired, can use cardboard or other material between layers to
create a fold/fault line
During the Investigation
-encourage students to use tools appropriately (as they saw/read
about prior to investigating)
-encourage students to use string to create a coordinate grid on top
of the plastic tub prior to digging and then document the exact
location of each piece (including depth) as they find it, either on
graph paper or a grid
Part 2: Big Dig (optional)
Materials
-large sandbox/in ground sand pit, use multiple materials to create
the layers (ex. soil, sand, pebbles, clay, etc…)
-large wooden puzzle pieces (suggest dinosaurs, ex bcbones.com)
-string
-masking tape to secure the string
-garden trowels (one per group)
-large paint brushes (one per group)
-graph paper (optional)
-meter sticks (one per group)
Procedures Prior to student arrival
(and in between classes as necessary)
-bury the puzzle pieces randomly throughout the sandbox/pit,
making sure that they are at various depths and distances from
each other
-bury enough pieces so that each student will find at least one
*throughout the day, the digging of the students will create natural
folds and faults in the layers so that different classes will find
different layers at different depths, this could be shared later to
demonstrate changes over time
During the Investigation
-explain to the students that the sandbox/pit represents a very large
dig site (entire state, country, etc… so that items at the same depth
may not be in the same rock layer)
-encourage students to use tools appropriately (as they saw/read
about prior to investigating)
-encourage students to use string to create a coordinate grid on top
of the pit/sandbox prior to digging and then document the exact
location of each piece (including depth) as they find it, either on
graph paper or a grid