Rocks can be a very boring topic. Teaching the rock cycle and getting students to engage with rocks can be difficult. I’ve been exploring the use of QR codes in the classroom lately and have come up with this idea to make looking at rocks a bit more fun.

This activity requires the Common Rocks Reference app and a QR reader app on an iPod, iPhone or iPad.

Here’s a brief outline of the activity:

• Organise samples of  basalt, granite, gabbro, gneiss, phyllite, schist, slate, conglomerate, limestone and shale and place them around the classroom. Label the samples 1, 2, 3, etc.
• Place the corresponding QR code card next to each sample.
• Students can work in small groups to rotate through each sample. They can read the clues under the QR code and use the Rocks app to guess what rock it is then scan the QR code to reveal the answer.