- Our Philosophy
- Look inside a Classroom
- K-5 Science Units of Study
- Grade 4 Geology Field Investigation – Guide for Volunteers
- At Home Family Science & Engineering
4th Grade Geology Field Investigation
This trip is a culminating assessment for 4th Grade students’ earth science study. As field investigators, student-scientists take notes at five sites in Wellesley, looking for evidence of changes to the earth’s surface with a focus on weathering, erosion, and deposition.
Parent volunteers chaperone and/or drive a group of students to five sites in and around Wellesley.
Parents’ role is to facilitate by asking questions, but it is the students who are doing the work. The Field Study Guide consists of specific instructions about the locations, routes, and paths, and includes guiding questions for each site that can be used with the student-scientists.
Field Investigation Orientation Sessions
Parents are invited to join the PK-5 Department Head of Science & Engineering for an orientation to the five sites in Wellesley. The session provides an opportunity to preview the driving route and to learn some background information on each location. Contact your child’s classroom teacher for training dates and times.
Following are videos of a training session in 2018. If it is not possible to join one of the in-person orientations, these videos will provide some background for parent volunteers.
- Geology Field Investigation: Longfellow Pond (16:16)
- Geology Field Investigation: St. Mary’s Cemetery (23:17)
- Note: new research indicates the breccia formed deep underground and was not necessarily part of a volcano.
- Geology Field Investigation: Hemlock Gorge (20:35)
- Geology Field Investigation: Devil’s Slide (10:48)
- Geology Field Investigation: Kelly Memorial Park (13:12)
Additional Background Information
The following archival documents include other additional geologic information not specifically related to the current Field Investigation.