Teaching a classification of igneous rock with video

Video introduction to the classification of common igneous rocks

This video sequence is a playlist of 19 brief segments that introduces igneous rock texture, composition, and a procedure common to many introductory lab manuals for naming common rocks from a classification table.

Requirements for Igneous Rock Classification

Students must be able to recognize numerous features of igneous rocks, such as texture, to correctly classify a sample and identify it by name. 

Advantages of a Video Introduction to the Classification of the Igneous Rocks

Static images and illustrations may be clearly labeled, and are fine resources for students. However, video multimedia conveys information in fundamentally different ways from that of static images.

A video introduction, in contrast to static images, can better focus student attention on a rock sample with

  • pan-and-zoom
  • dynamic annotation
  • synchronized verbal description

Advantages and Uses of Online Video

Students view these online videos as part of a pre-lab assignment so that they will be better prepared to begin the laboratory period on the classification of the igneous rocks.

Some students also play the videos during lab (with minimized sound) to compare video close up textures with rock samples on display.

Video Pre-lab Available Online for Your Use

These video snips are available from YouTube for your free educational use . You may bookmark your browser with this link, and distribute or embed it in your online course or website for your students.

The playlist is a sequence of individual segments, like this one.