Resources for schools

Rock Sets

Between August 2005 and December 2007 sets of rock samples comprising a few pieces each of sandstone, limestone, mudstone, granite, basalt and schist were collected, cleaned, labelled and delivered to almost every school, primary and secondary, on the island of Ireland. Since then, the sets have continued to be available, free of charge, to teachers from Ian Sanders (isanders@tcd.ie) in Trinity College’s Geology Department. The hope is that the rock samples will be kept somewhere safe and easy to find in the school so that all interested teachers can use them.

The rocks are described and explained in a booklet, ‘Six Common Kinds of Rock from Ireland’ which is available to download below. Teachers are encouraged to read the booklet carefully because it contains a wealth of interesting information about the rocks, and it suggests classroom exercises. Rather than listing mere facts, the booklet attempts, in non-technical language, to explain how we know things about rocks such as their age and the way they came to exist.

Posters and other resources

As part of the Griffith Geosciences Research Scheme the Geological Museum in collaboration with the National Museum of Ireland and the Ulster Museum has provided four posters and an activity book on Ireland’s geology for every primary school in the country. Copies of the posters and booklet may be obtained from Patrick Wyse Jackson (wysjcknp@tcd.ie). In addition a website has been established www.geoschol.com from where digital copies of these and other resources (including accounts of the geology of each of the 32 counties) can be downloaded.