Mississippi Science E.3.7A.2
The Standard
- E.3.7A
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the various processes involved in the rock cycle, superposition of rock layers, and fossil formation.
Develop and use models to demonstrate the processes involved in the development of various rock formations, including superposition, and how those formations can fracture and move over time.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Earth’s Structure and History
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students model how sediment builds up, packs together, and hardens into rock layers. They use the layers to tell which formed first, then show how the layers can bend, crack, and shift.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student points to the bottom layer in an undisturbed model as the oldest and explains why. They match layers across a crack and sketch how the layers lined up before they moved.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think the top layer is oldest because they see it first. They may think a crack was there when the layers formed, rather than forming later.
How to Assess It
- Draw three colored rock layers with a crack and the layers on the right shifted up. Ask students to mark the oldest layer and sketch the rock before it cracked.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Stack colored clay strips, press them together, then cut through them with a craft stick and slide one side up to model a fault.
Show sketches of flat and tilted layers, then ask, "What happened between these pictures?"
Give pairs three sketches of the same layers, flat, bent, then broken, and have them order the sketches and explain each change.
Display a photo of tilted rock layers in a road cut; students trace the layers and sketch how they looked before tilting.
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Printable E.3.7A.2 Worksheet
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Related Standards
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- E.3.7A
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the various processes involved in the rock cycle, superposition of rock layers, and fossil formation.
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