Synopsis
Professor Rock has disappeared! His loyal students go on a quest to find him, joined by the (mostly unhelpful) Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Along the way they meet volcanoes, sea shores, canyons, suspicious ferns, and even Snow White -- and learn about the earth's geological cycles and features as they go. Who's behind Professor Rock's disappearance, and will he ever be found?
Preview the script and songs!Key Concepts
Geology Rocks! reinforces students' familiarity with the following earth science subjects:
- Geologic time; change occurs over billions of years
- Volcanoes (magma, lava, molten rock)
- Composition of the earth (mantel, outer core, inner core, crust)
- Fossil fuels
- Erosion
- Continental plates and fault lines
- Minerals and ores
- The rock cycle (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic)
- Geothermal energy
Geology Rocks! is a great complement to your curriculum resources in geology and earth science. And, like all of our plays, this show can be used to improve reading, vocabulary, reading comprehension, performance and music skills, class camaraderie and teamwork, and numerous social skills (read about it!) -- all while enabling students to be part of a truly fun and creative experience they will never forget!
Aligned with national standards! View the standards and vocabulary.Publication Info
Author: Ron Fink (Composer) and John Heath (Book and Lyrics)
ISBN:
978-1-886588-27-1
© 2003
Bad Wolf Press, LLC
Matthew Manera –
This is one that I do every year with fourth graders, it’s just about their speed, has incredible catchy songs, great jokes, and teaches them that geology rocks!
Verified owner Lisa Bodden (verified owner) –
This was a super fun musical to perform! I used it for a middle school (5th – 8th grade) summer musical theater camp. The campers had a great time learning geology terms, playing Holmes and Watson, and getting creative as dancing ferns. We had a small cast so we also had to be inventive about showing the Seven Little Miners as sock puppets. The kids had fun, the crew had fun, and the audience had fun!
Kate (verified owner) –
I have used Geology Rocks with my fourth grade class and science teacher in previous years. Students greatly enjoyed the songs and learned so much about geology. Parents were blown away by the catchy songs. It is so easy to put the show together. I appreciate the insight about not get distracted by costumes- really keeps the focus on the songs. I loved doing the musical during testing time as it was such a needed break! This year I am doing the musical in distance learning on zoom! So easy to share the audio files and have kids read and sing along. It is a favorite of the class and they look forward to it!
Penny S. (verified owner) –
This is the third or fourth time I have used Bad Wolf Press for our end of the year class program and this was our favorite yet! The music was so upbeat and the kids LOVED it! The parents were so helpful and thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Humor is my love language and this play was packed with it! I could not recommend this any higher!
aahnstedt (verified owner) –
This is my favorite of the Bad Wolf plays that my class has done. The jokes with funny but not socially-touchy. My kiddos learned many things about geology and our science prep teacher commented on how my class was really making connections with their science standards. The songs are terrific and the dialogue is very witty.
Erika (verified owner) –
I love the music I purchased! I am the music teacher at an Expeditionary Learning school where the Arts are integrated through all of the content. I purchased the musicals about Mars and Geology. They both are rich in content and are so much fun for the the kids to sing! I will definitely purchase more with you in the future.
2nd grade teacher (verified owner) –
This was so easy to use and the kids loved it. Thank you for creating a product where the kids learn something and shine on stage. It totally rocked!
lmkanemoto (verified owner) –
This play a rock-themed mystery, in which students can discover various times of rocks and landforms. It is a great way to reinforce what they have learned about rocks, volcanoes, earthquakes, and fossil fuels. Their geology learning was made fun and exciting through this play! The students absolutely loved it! This was my first time directing a play in the classroom, and it was a great experience.
I followed the timeline recommended and all the students knew their lines by the date of our big performance to their parents and families. We had rehearsals in which we performed to other classes on campus. Changes for next time include: recording a performance before the final day, dedicating three weeks to songs prior to reading the script, incorporating the gestures in the second or third week of learning the songs, giving students at least a full two weeks once they have their role assignment (as we cut it too short with the timetable provided), and setting up the stage with the audience as a "U" shape around the performers. Since we performed in our classroom for Back to School Night, space was limited. It helped to have some students of the back row sit on a table so they could be seen better.
I also split up a few parts so that there were 24 roles for a class of 24 students: Rosie split into another character, who we named "Max"; the Valley was shared between two; and both Sherlock and Jenn were split roles in that one student played the character for the first half of the play, and another student took over for the second half. I wish I'd split Dr. Watson's role in half this way, too.
Good luck and enjoy! Three weeks after our last performance and my students are still singing the songs and quoting the script.
Ms. P (verified owner) –
Love this play! It's my favorite because of all the quippy humor and fun and goofy costumes. Super flexible stage/props. Songs are stuck in my head still. Kids love it, too.