The History of the Earth: Supplemental Guide 1A | Our Home, Earth 23Presenting the Read-Aloud 15 minutes
Our Home, Earth
Show image 1A-1: Gerry the Geologist
Hello, kids! My name is Gerry and I’m a geologist. 1 A geologist
is a type of scientist. A scientist studies and learns all about the
world in which we live. Geologists are scientists who study rocks
and what’s inside the earth. Show image 1A-2: Collage of rocks
That’s right: rocks! From pebbles to stones to boulders, from a
grain of sand to the highest mountain, rocks are everywhere. And
I want you to know all about rocks, from how they are created to
how they are used in people’s everyday lives.
Show image 1A-3: Jeweled crown
People used rocks to make the jewels on this crown. Show image 1A-4: Rock wall
People use rocks to make buildings, walls, and streets. Show image 1A-5: Marble statue of Abraham Lincoln
A sculptor carved a big rock to make this sculpture of Abraham
Lincoln.
Show image 1A-6: Rocky mountain vista
Geologists use rocks to learn about the earth. In the ancient
Greek language, the word geo means earth, and –ology means
“the study of.” When we combine these word parts, we have geo-
ology, or just geology, which is the study of the earth.^2 Since the
earth is mostly made of rock, we geologists spend most of our
time studying rocks. Many of the rocks we see on the surface
of the earth, from mountains down to pebbles, are created by
incredible forces at work deep inside the earth. 3 Thus, geologists
study not only rocks, but also the forces at work inside the earth
and on the earth’s surface. We study the whole earth.1 Let’s call him “Gerry the Geologist!”
Do you hear how the beginning
sound of “Gerry” and “Geologist”
are the same? That’s called
alliteration.
2 Geology is the study of what? What
does each part of the word geology
mean?
3 The surface of the earth is the
outside of the earth. We walk and
live on the surface of the earth.
Have you ever wondered about
what’s inside the earth, or under
the surface where we walk and
live?