What Do Geologists Do? Using Analogies to Teach Earth Science Ideas

This article describes a middle school earth science lesson that uses an everyday analogy to introduce students to the law of superposition and principles of relative-age dating. Aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the lesson follows the 5E learning cycle to engage students in an exploration that mirrors the work of geologists. Students examine layers of accumulated paper in classroom recycling bins to infer the sequence of events in a fictional teacher’s life, modeling how geologists interpret rock layers. As they work, students evaluate and revise their explanations based on new evidence and explicitly map elements of the classroom activity (the source analogy) onto geological concepts and practice (the target concept). In doing so, students deepen their understanding of key geoscience ideas while also gaining insight into the collaborative and iterative nature of scientific inquiry.