Assessment
Going Further
Mix the sediment and sodium silicate in a clear plastic 9 oz cup with a disposable stirrer like a popsicle stick. Be careful not to get sodium silicate on your hands or in your eyes. Smooth out the surface of the mixture with the stirrer. Set aside for 2 days. Once the mixture is completely dry, it can be popped out of the cup and examined up close. If you plan on doing the Layers Upon Layers lesson, consider adding layers of a different sedimentary rock on top of the first before removing the rock from the cups. You are, in effect, creating a permanent version of the depositional cups formed in the Layers Upon Layers lesson.