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6th, 7th, 8th Grades  Project 1 week

Basalt to Bricks: Causeway Rock Quest

Ashley B
Updated
MS-ESS1-4
MS-ESS2-2
MS-ESS2-1
MS-ESS2-2
MS-ESS3-1
+ 5 more
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The Challenge

You encounter geologic landscapes that were shaped by volcanic heat, cooling, weathering, and erosion over very different time scales, yet these processes are often difficult to interpret from surface features alone. Limited public understanding of how rock formations develop and continue to change can lead to misuse, damage from tourism and resource extraction, and weaker decisions about protecting landforms and the materials people rely on.

Challenge Question

How might we help Giant’s Causeway visitors understand how basalt columns formed and are still changing so that they can enjoy the site responsibly while helping protect its landscape?

Standards

  • [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-ESS1-4 - Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-ESS2-2 - Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-ESS2-1 - Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-ESS2-2 - Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-ESS3-1 - Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.

Competencies

  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
  • Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
  • Academic Mindset - Students establish a sense of place, identity, and belonging to increase self-efficacy while engaging in critical reflection and action.

Learning Partners and Clients

Students work as geologists advising a protected geological site for visitors who see the basalt columns but need clearer explanations of how molten rock became stone columns and how weathering and erosion continue to change them. A strong client connection is the National Trust, which cares for Giant’s Causeway and balances public access, tourism, safety, and landscape protection. Additional learning partners could include local park naturalists, a geology museum educator, or a stone industry professional who can help students connect basalt formation to rock properties, resource distribution, and building-material use.

Phase Overview

Phase Key Experiences
Discover
I can launch the project by closely observing photos, maps, videos, and rock samples from Giant’s Causeway, noticing patterns and damage, and asking questions about how molten rock became stone columns and why visitors and natural forces continue to change the site.
Examine
I can investigate basalt and other rock samples with hand lenses or microscopes to identify properties that help explain how igneous rocks form. I can model cooling, crystallization, cracking, weathering, and erosion to explain how Earth’s materials cycle and how Giant’s Causeway changed over time. I can compare Giant’s Causeway with Reynisfjara and with a locally available stone such as limestone to explain how geoscience processes shape landforms and affect how people use Earth materials. I can analyze evidence from images, maps, site conditions, and tourism impacts to explain the causes and effects of natural change and human activity at a protected geological site.
Engineer
I can develop an evidence-based interpretive product for site visitors and managers—such as a physical model, animation, field guide, audio story, or interactive display—that explains how basalt columns formed and continue to change while encouraging people to protect the landscape.
Do
I can present my interpretive product to classmates or visitors, gather feedback and observation data on how clearly it explains rock-cycle processes and protection ideas, and use that evidence to judge how well it helps people understand and care for the site.
Share
I can share my final interpretive product and learning journey through an interactive geology showcase where families, peers, staff, or community guests explore my work, ask questions, and hear how my thinking, collaboration, and confidence grew as I used evidence to explain and protect a real place.