Lesson 3

Rocks

Objectives:

• Students know rocks are found everywhere.

• Students will identify and describe rocks using observable properties, including size, color, weight, shape, and texture.

Time Required:

• Two or Three - One hour sessions 

Vocabulary:

• rocks
• geologist
• estimate
• texture
• balance

Materials:

• Several containers for water

• Brown paper bags

• Rocks

• Rock cutout

• Drawing program for the computer

• Story:  Let's Go Rock Collecting by: Roma Gans and Holly Keller

Procedures:

Day 1

• Use a rock cutout made from bulletin board paper.   Begin K-W-L about rocks.
• Read story Let's Go Rock Collecting.  Revisit K-W-L and add any new information learned after reading story.
• Tell students that they are going to pretend they are geologists.  Take them on a walk to collect rocks.  Give each child a brown paper bag to put rocks in.  Bring all the rocks back to the classroom for some exploration.
• Estimate the total number of rocks collected.   Put all rocks into a clear plastic bag so students can see.  Give each child a small piece of paper shaped like a rock on which to write the estimate.  Then count the total number of rocks together as a class.  Determine who had the closest estimate?
• Use another large rock cutout made from bulletin board.  Brainstorm to create a bank of descriptive words about rocks.

Day 2

• Divide students into small groups.  Give each group about 7-10 rocks.  Ask them to look at their rocks carefully.  Then have the students hold up the rock that best fits the description you give them.  Make sure to explain that one rock may be used more than one time.  (Have students find the biggest rock; find the bumpiest; smoothest; smallest; longest; darkest; heaviest, etc., rock.)
• Sort rocks by size.   Have students arrange their rocks from largest to smallest and visa-versa. 
• Sort rocks by color.   Discuss what colors rocks can be.  Can one rock have more than one color?   Make a list of color words for rocks.  Have each student choose one rock to describe its color.  Students are to draw a picture of their rock and write or dictate a sentence describing its color using the rock form.
• Sort rocks by texture.   Have students feel each of the rocks in their individual rock collections, putting the rough rocks into one pile and the smooth rocks into another pile.  Have them look at their rough pile and choose which rock is the roughest and look at their smooth pile and pick the smoothest rock.  Select several rocks from the class collection, making sure that some are rough and some are smooth.  Put these rocks into a bag or box where they are not visible to students.  Blindfold students and have them reach into the bag or box and try to find a rough/smooth rock only by touch.  Give several students a turn.  (You can place this activity in the science center so students can use later on.)
• Sort rocks by weight.   Explain that some rocks are heavier than others.  Have students use a balance scale to determine which is the heaviest rock; which is the lightest rock.

Evaluation:

• Students will be evaluated on their group efforts and work.  Use the rubric to evaluate students.

Extension Activity:

• Have students draw a picture of the rocks in size order using a any drawing program in the computer.

Home Learning:

• Students will t.

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