The Institute for Crustal Studies ROC Program

By the Institute for Crustal Studies






Introduction to the ROC Program

It is ICS's goal to foster and contribute to the education of the local Santa Barbara community. Partly this is done through the Research, Outreach and Communication (ROC) Program which is intended to share our research units access to information with the public. The ROC Program uses hands on, interactive lesson plans taught by our researchers or staff to communicate earth science and research. It is also free of charge. Currently the lesson plans are geared toward 2-8th grades, but upon request high school or college level lesson plans can often be created.

You can view our lesson plans below or contact us about requests.

Lesson Plans

Here are some of the lesson plans. These were designed in accordance with the California State Science Standards in order for our presentations to be applicable and useful for teachers. They also are designed in accordance with The Learning Cycle , a popular science teaching method described in the link. There are three posted on this website, but more are planned as of Spring 2010.

  1. The Rock Walk

    1. Summary:
      2. In this lesson plan the students learn about the three main types of rocks, rock classification, and the rock cycle. This is done through a sorting activity and an interactive rock cycle "game" or "performance."
    2. Time Frame:
      3. 1 hour or more
    3. Appropriateness:
      4. 2nd-5th grade
    4. Standards Covered
      5. 4:4:A, 4:4:B
    5. HTML version of the lesson plan (Up, but links under construction)
    6. Word Document of the lesson plan

  2. Why Do We Shake?

    1. Summary:
      2. Explore earthquakes and their causes with an experiment that looks at earthquake events.
    2. Time Frame:
      3. 1 hour
    3. Appropriateness:
      4. 6th-8th grade
    4. Standards Covered
      5. 6:1:D, 6:1:E, 6:7:B-E
    5. Word document of the lesson plan
    6. HTML version under Construction 3/19/10

  3. Slinky Waves

    1. Summary:
      2. A slinky can demonstrate the various types of waves by moving it in different ways.
    2. Time Frame:
      3. 45 minutes
    3. Appropriateness:
      4. 3rd-6th grade
    4. Standards Covered
      5. 3:1:D
    5. Word document of the lesson plan
    6. HTML version under Construction 3/19/10

    Contact Information

    Please go to the ICS Contact Page and fill out the ICS Contact Form with your question or presentation request.

    About ICS

    Established over 18 years ago, ICS was conceived as an interdisciplinary research unit focused on the Earth’s crust: the evolution of the crust from its inception to present, the natural resources contained within the crust and at its surface, and the natural hazards that result from geological processes. Drawing from geologists, physicists, chemists, geographers and other scientists, ICS uses an integrated view to study things like Geochronolgy, the role of climate in shaping the landscape, and the fate of chemicals in our groundwater system. For more information please visit the ICS website .


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