Students get chance to rock out

Marisa O’Neil

Summer school rocks.

Students in the Summer Science/Math Institute at Paularino

Elementary School learned all about rocks and minerals last week. The

popular three-week camp, sponsored by the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District, also teaches the third- through sixth-graders about the

solar system and mathematics.

In their class, teachers Giao-Anh Le and Tiana Fox worked with

third- and fourth-grade students to identify and analyze rocks and

share their knowledge with their families.

First, the students learned about different types of rocks and

minerals, then they gathered samples from the playground. They also

examined specimens of feldspar, quartz and obsidian -- a favorite for

its smooth, black appearance -- and recorded their findings in their

scientific notebooks.

“Now that we’re rockologists, we’re going to make a rock reference

book,” Fox told the students.

Each child received handouts to color on the different types of

rock -- sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. After coloring, cutting

and pasting, they would have a book to take home with them.

“Can we cut, then color?” 8-year-old Joseph Kidane asked as he

grabbed a pair of scissors.

The students sat quietly, concentrating on the task at hand. Susan

Ostler, 9, grabbed a blue pencil and got a temporary case of writer’s

block as she stared at the front page of her book.

“What do we write?” she wondered aloud.

“Rock Reference Book,” 9-year-old Ilene Umansky reminded her.

Meanwhile, Joseph struggled with his safety scissors.

Andre Hernandez, 10, set to work illustrating the cover of his

book. He drew two volcanoes with bright-red lava oozing out of them.

Inside their books, the students pasted their colored pictures and

descriptions of all the rocks. Brittany Stump, 9, was looking forward

to giving her book to her family.

“It’ll teach them new stuff,” she said.