What it is: Geo-mysteries are fun interactive mysteries about rocks, fossils, and minerals from the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Students can choose one of three Geo-mysteries to solve: The Mystery of the Floating Rock, The Mystery of the Broken Necklace, and The Mystery of the Golden Cube. Students work to help Rex the dinosaur solve the geography mystery by watching a short video clip, and then going through simulated experiments to solve the mystery. These are great short activities that will help your students understand properties of rocks, fossils, and minerals. Kids will have fun working as a detective to solve the mysteries.
How to integrate Geo Mysteries into the classroom: Geo Mysteries is a fun twist to learning about rocks, minerals and fossils. What I love about the site, is the way it makes students problem solvers and guides them through using clues and critical thinking to solve a mystery. This is a good site to use as a center during science, two or three students could visit the center at a time working to solve a mystery. After each group of students has been through the center, the whole class can come together and share their findings. If you have access to a projector or an interactive whiteboard, you can complete the mystery as a whole class. Invite students up to the board to interact with the material. This is also a great site for students to work through individually in a computer lab setting. In the computer lab setting, students can work through the material at their own pace.
Tips: The Geo Timeline on the Geo Mysteries site is fantastic, make sure to check it out and point it out for your students to explore.
Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Geo Mysteries in your classroom.
