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
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.
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.
To Become Rock Detectives, you and
your students can solve the Mysteries
in this kit and will discover how the
Earth works.
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!
SOME EXAMPLES
OF MYSTERIES
The Mystery
The
Sample
#7
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
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.
The Samples
The Mystery
Granite
Gabbro
Core, Mantle, Ocean Crust
and Continents
The Oh, Wow!
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.
CONTINENT
CORE
MANTLE
OCEAN
CRUST
CONTINENT
Melted MANTLE
rises up
under the
ocean crust
EACH MYSTERY INCLUDES AN ANSWER
SHEET
• Description of the sample
• Teaching Objectives
• Answers
• Teaching Techniques
Instructions
Geologic Time Scale
Each kit contains a notebook with
instructions and resources
Mohs Mineral
Hardness Scale
What is a Mineral - Element - Atom
Testing Results
Each Bucket is a Complete
Teaching 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
Recommended Additional Accessories and Consumables
•
•
•
•
•
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.
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.
The comments of a 2nd grader after a
Rock Detective classroom presentation