Last week, our students returned to school ready to begin the new term, only to discover that something rather unusual had happened over the holidays. A mysterious rock within the school grounds had been cracked open after being accidentally struck by a trailer, exiting the school. With advice from experts to preserve and protect the site, students were initially encouraged to keep their distance. Of course, keeping curious young minds away from a geological mystery is easier said than done.
Very quickly, the questions began. What is it? Why does it look like that? What could be inside? Has it always been there? Some students even began bringing books from home and conducting their own independent research. Before long, our playground was full of budding geologists, examining visible features and trying to uncover the story behind our mysterious specimen.
On Tuesday 12th, Neil from GORA, Geological Observation and Research Association, visited the school to conduct further investigations. This created quite a buzz at recess. Students gathered to speak with Neil, asking surprisingly technical and thoughtful questions about the rock’s composition, structure, formation and possible origins. After carefully collecting samples for further analysis, Neil left with a promise. Once testing and examination were complete, he would share his findings with us. The investigation was officially underway.
On Wednesday 13th, students reported a new observation. The rock appeared to be glowing. Naturally, this sparked a whole new round of scientific debate. Some students hypothesised that the apparent glow was caused by the angle and reflection of sunlight, while others wondered whether Neil’s excavation around the base of the rock had exposed a previously hidden mineral layer. Whatever the explanation, one thing was certain, our mysterious rock had become the most talked about object in the playground.
On Thursday afternoon, we received a phone call from Beau, a shot firer, who works at quarries throughout South Australia. Beau kindly offered for his company to safely remove the rock from our playground and transport it to one of their quarries, where it could be securely stored while investigations continued. At approximately 10am on Friday 15th, Beau arrived at school in his specialised vehicle, which, as you can imagine, immediately captured everyone’s attention. Before beginning the extraction, Beau spoke with students about his profession and the work undertaken within quarries. With students watching from a safe distance, Beau carefully extracted the specimen, secured it in his vehicle and prepared it for transport.
We were a little sad to see our mysterious rock leave the playground, but incredibly excited to have been part of such an unusual investigation. What began as an unexpected discovery became a wonderful example of authentic STEM learning, observation, questioning, research, hypothesis development, evidence gathering and expert consultation, all sparked by something our students encountered in their own environment.
And now there is only one question left. What exactly did we find? For now, the mystery continues.
