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DISCUSS (1 of 2):

Why do you think the sand is purple?

DISCUSS (2 of 2):

Imagine you were at Pfeiffer Beach. How could you look for clues to help you solve the mystery of where the purple sand comes from?

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DISCUSS:

Can you think of a way tiny pieces of these rocks could move from the mountains all the way to the beach?

Hint...

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DISCUSS: What do you think would happen if the rocks in the river crashed into each other? Could this explain how there’s sand at the beach?

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Extend this lesson

Assessments

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## Extensions

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.

Lesson Assessment and Answer Key
Readings: Readings & comprehension questions.
Creative Writing: Use a writing prompt to combine science with language arts.
Activity & Photo Gallery: Take a closer look at sand.

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# Readings:

These readings about sand are free with registration on ReadWorks, a nonprofit that provides Common-Core-aligned readings. All readings include comprehension questions.

How Not to Save a Sand Castle tells a story about a sand castle that's washed away by the waves. (Grade 2)
Explore the Seashore describes animals that live at the seashore. (Grade 2)
The Perfect Sandcastle tells three friends who work together to design and build sand castles. (Grade 2)
What Is a Rock? introduces vocabulary words related to rocks and sand. (Grade 2)

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## Writing Prompt

Ask students to pretend to be a big rock high in the mountains. Tell them their story starts when a thunderstorm washes them into a river. Ask them to imagine what might happen next. Have them think about where their journey could end.

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## Activity: Take a Closer Look

Bring in some beach sand.
Have each student sprinkle some sand on a piece of white paper and some sand on a piece of dark paper.
Take a close look. Use a magnifying lens if you have one.
Ask students how many different colors of sand grains they can they can find. What else do they notice about the sand?
For an even closer look at sand grains, visit Dr. Gary Greenberg’s gallery of sand grains. These photographs show sand viewed through a microscope.

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10 of 15

something that is very high up on one end and very low at the other end

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river

11 of 15

a long, thin area of water that flows

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flow

12 of 15

to move along

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erosion

13 of 15

when tiny bits of rock are moved from one place to another

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downstream

14 of 15

toward the direction that water in a river or stream flows

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model

15 of 15

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with

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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration

kids at the beach by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: bikeriderlondon

white sand beach by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Rob Marmion

girl on the beach by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: ori-artiste

sand castle by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Kris Wiktor

Southwick Beach State Park by Easchiff

hand in sand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: kasidit

kid at Pfieffer Beach by The Offshore Aquaholic

purple sand by The Offshore Aquaholic

purple sand beach by Carson

kid holding sand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Albina Glisic

footprints on purple beach by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: mhgstan

hand holding purple sand by Akos Kokai

magnifiying glass by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: underworld

close up of sand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Mr Twister

zoomed view of sand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: AlexussK

green sand beach by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Alexander Demyanenko

close up of green sand by Brian W. Schaller

cliffs facing the beach by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Noradoa

close up of cliff by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: jennyt

scuba diver by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Rostislav Ageev

Lepidolite (purple rock) by Spirit Rock Shop

purple mountains by Gonzo fan2007

falling rocks sign by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Michael Leslie

rock crashing down mountain by Joraj Dason

beach flooding by Muhammad Moolla

fast flowing river by Hayk Arakelyan

rocks flowing down river by Internet Geography

big blue waves by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: bus109

chair and beach umbrella by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Aleks Melnik

clouds by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: nikiteev_konstantin

mountains sillhouette by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Alex Ghidan

ocean concept by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Nikita Konashenkov

sand texture by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Ursa Major

Rainbow Beach by Cassarazzi

green rock by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Helen Cingisiz

hornocal by Lahi

close up of rainbow beach by cordyceps

stream on the beach by Humphrey Bolton

Activity

turtles by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Dmitri Ma

rushing river by fccysf

Credits

“The best part was after learning the process of rocks to sand we read Everybody Needs a rock (one of the suggested optional extras) and went rock hunting. It was such a fun activity. My second graders were so engaged and talked about how the small rocks we were finding used to be part of huge boulders. Fun!”

“The wrap-up, following the activity. The visual process of the bolder breaking down over & over really provided a great picture of erosion and the purple sand was a great way to get students hooked at the beginning. We added a wonder wall where students placed curiosities & questions throughout the video, so we could go back & answer any questions at the end of the unit. Their illustrations & summarizations were totally on point.”

“The best part was that Mystery Science showed a magnified view of sand. This introduced students to the fact that grains of sand can be many different colors and can come from many different kinds of larger rocks. My 2nd grade science classes used magnifying lenses to make enlarged drawings of individual grains of sand. ”

“This lesson allowed for every single student to be fully engaged! They passed the ripped pieces of paper to each other and placed them on the paper quickly and excitedly and then FROZE when the visual timer went off! Having the timer included in the lesson was a big help, so I didn't have to use my phone and they could see it!! They have been talking about this lesson for weeks!”

“The kids loved the hands-on activity. The visual that was built, really helped them to see the process of the boulder being broken down over time. The videoed timers, along with the water sounds, helped too. Very well done presentation. ”

“Learning about the purple sand. The activity was engaging and purposeful. The videos were helpful reinforcements of the activity. The students enjoyed learning about the different landforms around the world. The lesson helped the students gain a better understanding of weathering, erosion, and depositioning.”

“They got it! :) YAY!! The way erosion is explained is perfect! The activity was simple and fun but more importantly they understand the concept now. Why is the sand purple? They were thinking pollution. Now they understand that sand is the color of rocks that have been eroded away. YAY! I couldn't be happier with this product! :) Thank you!”

“The students were able to retell and TEACH others about how sand is formed. They also made connections to yesterday's lesson about how rivers are different from other bodies of water because they travel all the way to the ocean. I had an administrator come in for a walkthrough while teaching this lesson and he was so impressed that the students were able to tell him every single part of how sand is formed! They were also able to answer his questions.”

“The students had many of the ideas and suggestions that where disproved in the video. It made the scenario very "real" to them. A couple made correct predictions so they were feeling very confident!”

Draw the River Rocks worksheet	30 copies
River (5 sheets) printout	Print 8 copies
Colored Construction Paper	24 sheets

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Why is there sand at the beach?

Vocabulary