Four Winds Nature Institute
4 Casey Rd. Chittenden, VT 05737
(802) 353-9440 www.fourwindsinstitute.org
ROCKS AND MINERALS: Rock Cycle Stories
Ahead of time, place the three specimens/samples (container with sediment, sedimentary rock
and metamorphic rock) for each rock family in separate bowls numbered 1-4. Pass the bowls
around to the children and have them examine the specimens with magnifying lenses. Place a
Rock Cycle Story Template on the table. Read the rock cycle stories below, one at a time. Ask the
children to guess which story goes with which rock family. Have the children place the rock
samples on the template – sediment, sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock. (The metamorphic
rock has a white mark on it.) Repeat for each of the four rock families.
A. Along the seashore, erosion by waves carries sand out to sea where it piles up in layers on the
ocean bottom. Over millions of years it gets compacted and cemented together into a
sedimentary rock. As time goes by this sandy stone gets pressed by the weight of all the rock
above it, and heated to such a hot temperature, that it turns into a hard, shiny metamorphic rock
used in construction. (sand-sandstone-quartzite)
B. In ancient wetlands, a thick mat of decaying plants gradually turns into dried, crumbly, brown
peat. Layer upon layer of peat accumulate and the pressure turns the oldest peat into a hard,
brown, layered stone. Millions of years go by and this layered stone is buried deep in the earth
where more pressure and heat turn it into a shiny black metamorphic rock used as a fuel. (peatlignite-coal)
C. In ocean waters, the shells of sea creatures settle to the ocean bottom. These shell pieces pile
up in layers on the ocean floor, and are compacted and cemented into a sedimentary rock. Over
millions of years, heat and pressure turn this stone into a beautiful, sparkly metamorphic rock.
(shells-limestone-marble)
D. Rivers carry fine silt and clay into lakes and oceans where it settles to the bottom. Layers of
clay build up and the weight compacts them, while minerals in the water cement them together
into a hard, flakey rock. Over millions of years, this fine-grained rock, buried miles below the
surface, is changed by heat and pressure into a glossy hard rock that splits in flat planes and is
used for floor tiles. (clay-shale-slate)
You may wish to provide the students with four signs that they can place by the appropriate rock
family as you read the stories:
Clay-Shale-Slate
Shells-Limestone-Marble
Peat-Lignite-Coal
Sand-Sandstone-Quartzite
Four Winds Nature Institute – 10/13