Teacher Monitoring Guide
Grade 7 · Cycle 7 · Week 4 — Rock Cycle
Synthesis
Learning Goal
Students will apply rock cycle concepts to real-world geological settings,
tracing the complete journey of a rock from formation through
transformation, and connecting rock cycle processes to plate tectonics.
Station Checkpoints
Station 1 — Hook & Phenomenon
Look for: Students connecting the phenomenon to prior knowledge and
generating testable questions
Common misconception: The rock cycle has a fixed starting point — show
that the cycle can be entered at any point depending on the geological
setting
Station 2 — Investigation / Data Collection
Look for: Accurate data recording and identification of emerging
patterns in the evidence
Common misconception: Rock cycle processes happen on human timescales —
reinforce deep time thinking using radiometric age data for common rocks
students examined
Station 3 — Sense-Making
Look for: Students revising their model based on evidence collected
during investigation
Common misconception: The rock cycle and water cycle are unrelated —
connect weathering/erosion to sediment transport, and volcanic degassing
to atmospheric water vapor
Exit Ticket Monitoring
| Score Range |
Interpretation |
Next Step |
| 18–23 pts |
Meeting target |
Extend with synthesis question |
| 10–17 pts |
Developing |
Small group re-teach at day start |
| 0–9 pts |
Needs support |
1:1 intervention before next station |
MTSS Tier 2 Supports
For students scoring below 10 pts on the exit ticket: use the sentence
frames below during the next class's hook.
- "I notice that _____ because _____."
- "The evidence shows _____, which means _____."