Did you ever read a news article and wonder about the story?  The following stories are shared to encourage you to wonder as well.  

How do you do that?  Well...one thing is to search for the story on the internet to confirm it is real, if you only hear it from one source, chances are it's made up.  Do the stories that are told match facts, tell more details, make you wonder about other stuff as well.  

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TOPIC:  ROCKS 

Story 1:
$100,000 Doorstop

Meteor in Lake MI
space.com
Barnstop is a $100,000 Meteor
VIDEO 
Science Alert
​For Decades...
ML Live Weather
MI Is no stranger to meteroites...
Detroit Free Press
MI Man's Meteor was a doorstop for years
Time Magazine
...It's a big deal
Picture
News Brief

   After buying a farm in Edmore, Michigan in 1988, the owner brought the 22.5 pound rock (which he had been using as a doorstop for the last 20 or so years) to Central Michigan University to be examined.

   Turns out the "rock" that held his barn door open, was actually a meteor worth over $100,000.  Turns out it is the "sixth largest recorded find in Michigan...," said Mona Sirbescu, a geology professor at CMU. (Source:  space.com see link above).

It was understood that the previous owners of the farm saw the meteorite fall from the sky making a huge imprint in the ground in the 1930s and recovered it the next morning while it was still warm.

"Using X-ray fluorescence instruments, Sirbescu found that the doorstop meteorite is about 88 percent iron and 12 percent nickel, a metal rarely found on Earth, according to the statement. " (Source:  space.com)  She then sent a sample to the Smithsonian who confirmed her findings.

Facts to Ponder...

  • Is space.com (or other sources) reliable?
  • What makes them reliable?
  • Do they have quotes, videos from primary sources...people who are directly involved in the stories or is it just hearsay?
  • List the facts that support the story
  • List the facts that don't support it (if any)
  • Notice details like times, dates, weights, meteorites, location of Edmore, Michigan
  • Research...find other articles that support your story.
  • Create questions based on the story 
? could be true/false, multiple choice, essay, etc.
base some stories on simple facts, others could be challenging ? to make people think hard.

Stuff to wonder...

  What parts of the story caused you to want to learn more,,,that made YOU wonder?
EXAMPLES...
  • What about meteorites? 
  • Do you know or heard of someone who has discovered a meteorite or seen one fall? 
  • Could you attend school at CMU to study geology and/or touch the meteorite if you visited there? 
  • Does the owner still keep the rock at home? 
  • How about the top 4 largest meteors found in Michigan? 
  • Has there ever been a report of meteorites found near you? 
  • What would happen to a person if the meteor dropped on them?  Is it possible to contact the owner or Mona Sirbescu? 
  • Would you be willing to sell a meteor for $100,000 or keep it?  What would you do with the money if you sold it? 
  • Why or why not?
  • What story revealed new Information?
  • Why do you think the article from M live did NOT include the story of this meteorite?  (HINT:  Timeline)

Your turn

Hopefully you used the ideas from Facts to Ponder and Stuff to Wonder.  

Write down facts, decide what you are most interested in researching, talk to friends or family members about their ideas.

What ELSE did YOU think about? 

Challenge:  Make your own story.
EXAMPLES: (or come up with your own idea)
  • Write a news article based on the stories you read.
  • Write a fictitious story based on the facts of the meteor fall.  
  • Create a facts list about meteors or story (info page, etc.)
  • Make a video using apps (like iMovie, Toon app, Shadowpuppetsedu, etc.)
Sample Questions:
Fact based  (think who, what, when, where, why, how, etc.)
  • How much did the meteor weigh?
  • ​Where was It found?
  • Who found It?
  • What did they do with It?
  • What was It made of?
  • Why did the owner bring the rock to CMU?
Thought based (higher level thinking)
  • Include words like apply, analyze, create, design, compare, explain, summarize, defend (why, why not, etc.), compose, reorganize, combine, assess, justify, apprise, infer, relate, support  one example listed below.
  • Combine information from this story (space.com) to other stories you read about the same topic and write a short paragraph. 
  • See Higher Order Thinking Skills Slides by Haley Searle
  • Marzano Higher Level Thinking Skills 
  • ​Meteorites State of Michigan PDF
  • Search for Fallen Meteorite

Meteor in Michigan

MI Meteor vs Russian Meteor

MI Meteor:  How Do you Know?

How to ID a Meteor Stone

Lesson 2

Coming soon

Lesson 3

Coming soon

Lesson 4

Coming Soon
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Lesson 5

Coming Soon

Lesson 6

   Human Camera:  Autistic Savant      Doppelgangers
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