Purpose of the discussion

The purpose of the discussion is to consolidate learning from across the unit and for students to connect their learning to a self-selected location. This is also an opportunity to elicit students' ideas about the concepts central to this study (e.g., properties of earth materials, heavy for size, volume, weight, transformations.) Focus the discussion on the following questions:

What are two earth materials under your feet? How might they have been transformed?

Engage students in discussion

Students will have started the conversation with a partner already. Now they will broaden the conversation with all of their classmates.

In order to make this a real discussion rather than a “report out,“ encourage students to build on each others' comments by, for example, adding on, comparing and contrasting, asking questions, challenging respectfully.

1) Begin with a discussion of properties of earth materials.

What place did you select? What are two earth materials that might be under your feet?

Supporting questions:

• Did anyone else select a (beach, playground, field, etc.)?
• People who chose a beach, did you pick the same earth materials or different ones?
• What about a different place? How do you think the weights of two same-sized samples would compare? Are there other ideas about volumes and weights?

2) Consider possible transformations that might have taken place.

How do you think the materials under your feet might have been transformed?

Supporting question:

• What are your ideas about weight and volume in this transformation process?

Summarize the discussion

Summarize some of the ideas you heard, pointing out evidence that students' ideas about earth materials have broadened and matured over the course of this science unit.

Learning always ends with new questions. End with an opportunity to raise questions.

• What other things would you like to know about earth materials? How could you find out about them?