: Te Onepü — Sand
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Approach:  One to one
344Kb
Focus: Geology 
Resources: 3 sand samples, hand lens
He whakatau kupu: töpata onepü = grains of sand, arotahi = hand lens

Questions/instructions:

Hoatu te arotahi ki te äkonga me ngä onepü rerekë e toru. Ringia he paku onepü ki ia taupoki.

Ko te mahi i konei, he äta tirotiro i ëtahi momo onepü rerekë. Tirohia ngä onepü inäianei.


Give student hand lens and 3 sand samples.
Tip a small quantity of sand in each lid.

In this activity we’re going to look at different kinds of sand.
You can have a close look at each of these sands now.

[click on image for enlargement]
 
% responses
1. I kohia mai ënei momo onepü i ëtahi wähi rerekë o Aotearoa. Kei hea ngä wähi e taea ana te kohi mai he onepü?

Häwhina: He wähi atu anö?

These sands were gathered from different places in New Zealand. Where might you go to collect sand?

Prompt: Anywhere else?
ocean beaches, estuaries, mudflats

94
riverbeds, banks, lakes

45
deserts

4
places where there used to be a beach or river
(including commercial sandpits)

0
quarries where rock is ground up

0
2. Pëhea e puta ai te onepü? He aha te tïmatanga mai?

How do you think sand is made?
by rocks, stones, shells getting broken up

38
Mechanisms:
(rubbing against each other – e.g. in river beds; wind action; water/wave action)

really good account including at least 2 of these ideas

4
mentioned two ideas

7
mentioned one idea

12
3. Äta tirohia ngä onepü. Whakamahia te arotahi hei äwhina i a koe. He aha i rerekë ai ngä tae o ngä onepü?

I want you to have a good look at the sands.
Use the hand lens to help you. Why are the sands different colours?
come from different types/colours of rock/stone/shell

13
vague, but on right track
(come from different places)

21
4. He rerekë te rahi o ngä töpata onepü. He aha te take he rahi ake ëtahi o ngä töpata onepü, he iti ake ëtahi?

The sands are different sizes. Why are some pieces of sand big and some pieces of sand small?
different materials and different stages of breakdown

0
different stages only

13
different types only

13

Total score:
8–11

9
5–7

17
2–4

40
0–1

34
Commentary:
Almost all of the students could identify appropriate sources of sand, but only about one third of them could explain how sand is made and why it varies in colour and size.
 
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