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Rockin' Minerals (Grade 3)

Master Teacher

Kathy Creech Felder

Time Allotment

Two 45-minute class periods

Overview

All rocks are made up of two or more minerals. Rocks cover the whole earth. In this lesson students will participate in a series of hands-on, online, and multimedia activities to examine the properties of rocks and minerals, where rocks and minerals are found, and uses of rocks and minerals. Students will view a clip of the video Backyard Safari, “Rocks and Minerals,” and discuss properties of rocks and minerals. Students will then view a clip on the property: hardness of rocks and minerals. Finally, students will view and discuss a clip on where rocks and minerals are found. Following the video portion of the lesson, students will visit a Web site to test their knowledge of rocks and minerals.

Subject Matter

Earth Science

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

Describe earth materials (rocks, minerals, water, soil, and fossils) by their physical properties;
State the similarities and differences among earth materials;
Classify similar earth materials (e.g., types of rocks/soils) according to their physical properties;
Observe and describe the unique physical characteristics of a variety of rock types (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic);
Give examples of how humans obtain and use earth materials;
The varied earth materials have different physical properties and uses.

South Carolina Standards

(These Standards are available online at http://www.myscschools.com.)

Standard III: Earth Science

Earth Materials Unit

A. Properties of Earth Materials

The varied earth materials have different physical properties and uses.

Media Components

Video

Backyard Safari, Lesson 10: “Rocks and Minerals.” This video contains information on where rocks and minerals are found, properties of rocks and minerals, and uses for rocks and minerals.

Web Site

Rock Hounds
This Web site contains interactive science activities on rocks and minerals for students. Students go digging for some fun and facts about rock collecting, rock creations, and discover earth’s treasures.

Materials

Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor (Simon & Schuster Children’s, 1985)
set of eight mineral specimens: calcite, galena, graphite, hematite, magnetite, obsidian, quartz, and talc
set of selected rocks: basalt, granite, sandstone, obsidian, feldspart.
(Note to Teacher: These are just suggestions. Use what is available.)
one penny
a steel nail 5cm long
4 different rocks labeled 1-4
safety goggles
Activity Sheets
science journals

Equipment

television
VCR
computers

Prep for Teachers

Prior to teaching this lesson, preview and cue video.
Bookmark the Web site used in the lesson on each computer in your classroom.
Buy or check out the book Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor.
Prepare rock and mineral collections.
Prepare kits to test for mineral hardness. The tools to test for hardness are the student’s fingernail (depending on the level of your class, you might need to show them what a fingernail is), the penny and the nail.
Prepare graphic organizers.
Copy student Activity Sheets.
When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Introduce the book Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor.

Step 2: Tell students to listen for the what, where, when, why, and how of rock collecting.

Step 3: After reading the book to the students, discuss rock collecting with your students.

Ask the following questions:

1. What properties are mentioned in the book to use for finding that special rock?

2. Why does the author give rules for finding that special rock?

3. Where are rocks found?

4. How do you look for a rock?

5. When do you look for a rock?

Step 4: Assign students the task of starting their own rock collections at home.

Learning Activities

Step 1: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by telling them to listen for the different properties of rocks and minerals.

Step 2: Watch the Backyard Safari video, Lesson 10: “Rocks and Minerals.” BEGIN playing the tape just before Bud tosses a rock into water and says, “Did you hear that?”

Step 3: PAUSE after Cecelia says, “So, you see Bud, minerals come in lots of different beautiful forms and the green mineral disappears.”

Step 4: Break the class into small groups. (Size can range from 4-5 small groups of 4-5 students, depending on your class size.) To check for comprehension, discuss with the class the different properties of rocks and minerals (e.g., shape, size, color and hardness) shown in the video. Then give each small group of students a rock and mineral collection and Activity Sheet 1. They will answer the question on page 1 of the activity sheet using the graphic organizer. Ask students to sort their rock and mineral collections by color, texture, size, and hardness on the graphic organizers.

Step 5: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by telling them to watch for which mineral was the hardest and which was the softest. BEGIN the video where Bud has his index fingers pointing up and Cecelia says, “Why don’t we have a most magnificent mineral contest? We’ll judge the mineral by: shape, size, color and hardness.”

Step 6: PAUSE the video after the segment where you see the three stages of hardness: the face, charcoal, and clays. Cecelia says, “Some minerals are very hard, some are very soft, and some are in-between.”

Step 7: To check for comprehension, ask the students the following questions: Which mineral was the hardest? (jade) Which mineral was the softest? (graphite) Using four minerals, let students test their hardness. Give students Activity Sheet 2: How Hard Is a Mineral? Using a penny, fingernail, and a nail, students will chart the hardness of four minerals. Ask the following questions: How many minerals could you scratch with your fingernail? (1) How many minerals could you scratch with a penny? (2) How many minerals could you scratch with the nail? (3) Which mineral was the hardest? (quartz) How did you know? (It would scratch with any of the three tools.) Which mineral was the softest? (gypsum) How did you know? (All three tools would scratch the gypsum.)

Step 8: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, telling them to watch where minerals are found.

Step 9: BEGIN the video segment where Cecelia enters down steps to Crinkleroot’s home. Cecelia says, “Hi, Crink. Well, Bud and I are having a most magnificent mineral contest, and I thought you might be able to tell me where to look.”

Step 10: PAUSE the video after you see Cecelia sitting on Crinkleroot’s couch. Cecelia says, “See you later!” and Crinkleroot replies, “Alligator.”

Step 11: To check for comprehension, discuss with the class where minerals are found. (Under the surface of the earth (you dig and then sift), in a riverbed (panning), and deep underground (drill into the rock.)

Step 12: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by telling them to watch for some of the uses of rocks and minerals.

Step 13: BEGIN the video segment where pencils are seen dropping down. Cecelia says, “Rocks and minerals are made into jewelry, but that’s not all they’re made into.”

Step 14: PAUSE the video where Cecelia tastes salt. Cecelia says, “Now, I need some French fries.”

Step 15: To check for comprehension, ask students to reflect on the different uses of rocks and minerals in their science journals. Ask volunteers to share their reflections with the class.

Culminating Activity

Step 1: Have students log onto the Rock Hounds Web site at
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/index2.html.

Step 2: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, telling them to look for how sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks are made. Instruct students to click on the Rock Creations section.

Step 3: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, asking them to examine how rocks are found in the earth’s crust. Ask them to click on Discover Earth’s Treasures.

Step 4: Tell students to click on the Rock Hound Quiz to test their stone smarts and to win the Rock Hound award for correctly naming the types of rocks.

Assessments

Informal assessments could be questions related to the book read and/or teacher observations of graphic organizers. Formal assessments could be the questions related to Activity Sheet 1 and/or Activity Sheet 2.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Math: Students could use balances to find the mass of the different specimens of rocks and minerals. Students could create a chart showing the hardness of different minerals.

Students could create a class bar graph of their different birthstones.

Social Studies: Students could research the different rocks and minerals found in their state and/or the different types of mining practices in their state.

Language Arts: Students could write comparing and contrasting a rock and a chocolate chip cookie.

Art: Students could create sand art in bottles.

Community Connections

Invite a geologist as a guest speaker to your class.

Take a field trip to a university where rocks and minerals are displayed.
Schedule a mining company to come to your school.
Discuss different rocks and minerals found in your community.
Invite a jewelry designer to speak to your class.

Student Materials

science journals
pencils