And it’s not even Earth Day. I simply opened my phone and, bam!, there was this old picture of me and the Moeraki Boulders. Make famous by GOT and international Instagrammers, the Moeraki Boulders are just super cool. Signage at the beach says that scientists disagree about how these freakishly spherical rocks were created but Wikipedia seems to have a consensus about the geological processes that formed the boulders.
But that’s not as interesting as just observing them. Yes, they’re really that smooth. Yes, they really look like giant geodes (sans crystal filling). And one even was embedded in the cliff wall, Death Star-style.
Creating a sense of wonder for Earth can benefit all of your science content areas and can provide ripe conditions for cross curricular connections. How did the First People of a land see and describe the natural wonders? Just how spherical is a Moeraki Boulder? Can you write a fantasy story about the origin of these majestic rocks?
Helping students find a sense of wonder for nature is a key task for the middle school science teacher. Sometimes you wouldn’t be able to hear that calling over the din of testing, a push for an improvement in reading scores, and all of the other non-science-y activities that will take over your school day. But pause. Hear Mother Nature’s call. Bring back the wonder.
Crosswalk Curriculum 