Every Rock Has A Story
Every Rock Has A Story is a growing collection of YouTube videos designed to inspire wonder, curiosity, and engagement in the sciences… especially the Earth and Environmental Sciences. Hosted by Earth & Environmental Sciences Prof. Ethan Baxter of Boston College, each 5-10 minute episode features a different rock and the story it holds inside. The storytelling approach is critical in engaging children by bringing to life myriad topics spanning climate change, natural hazards, natural resources, Earth history, fossils, human impacts, urban geology, and even outer space. 2021 and 2022 episodes feature a diverse array of co-hosts, and in 2022 we took our cameras on the road to see scientists in the field and lab.
How can you use it?
Showing your students/children the episodes in school or at home is just the start of what’s possible. Diverse co-hosts in Season Two and Three broaden the idea of what a geoscientist looks like and helps students see themselves as scientists. Encourage students to create their own science journal, collect their own rocks, and even create their own rock stories. To help spark ideas, we’ve created additional educational resources including sample lesson plans, science journal templates, a Teachers and Parents Guide episode, and more. Find these additional resources in the “About” section of the YouTube Channel.
Additional teacher/parent resources
- These videos are an open educational resource that will remain on my YouTube Channel. If parents or teachers are considering integrating my videos into lesson plans, curriculum, or just a little science fun, I encourage you to watch my Teacher/Parent Guide.
- Looking for a concise list of all the episodes, rocks, and themes covered to help you select the videos that best suit your interests? You can download an Excel List of Episodes, including topic search items.
- Below, you can grab the images that show all samples with their corresponding episode numbers. Choose your favorite sample, find the episode on my YouTube Channel, and watch!
- Finally, with colleagues Prof. Kate McNeill and Dr. Rebecca Katsh-Singer we have created a Google Folder of additional educational resources including sample lesson plans, work templates, and more.
All Samples
All samples listed by episode number
