LESSON 1: WHAT ARE ROCKS AND MINERALS? AIMS: 1. What are rocks and minerals? 2. What are properties of rocks? 3. What are some vocabulary words associated with rocks and minerals? MOTIVATION: Ask students what they think of when they hear the word "rock". Elicit a discussion of what they know about rocks. Use their information to make a KWL chart like the one below.
PROCEDURE: 1. Have students look at the following website to find out what a mineral is and what a rock is. The graphic shows that a rock is made of one or more minerals. Explain that is the mineral that gives a rock its properties. http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/brannon/webquest/Rmhome2.htm
2. Direct students to look at examples of rocks from the following website: http://ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/RocksandMinerals/rocks.html
Ask children to talk about what they see. Ask questions like: a. Are the colors all the same? b. Are they all as hard as each other? c. Do they look as they have the same texture? (feel) d. Do they shine? (luster) e. What do you think is the cause for all these differences? 3. Introduce vocabulary associated with rocks and minerals. Have children log on to http://m-w.com or http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/brannon/webquest/gloss.htm to find the definitions of the following words: For a student copy of the database, click here.
4. Distribute a set of three different rocks to each group of 4 students. Have them complete an observation sheet for each rock (See student samples and pictures). They are to describe as many properties as possible. (Color, texture, hardness, luster, cleavage). LAB ACTIVITY:
INTERNET ACTIVITIES: 1. Have your students bring in a rock they have found. They should list as many properties of the rock that they can. Log on to http://geoahead.com/petrology/identifyrock.cfm and use the rock identifier to try and find out what kind of rock they have found. 2. Log on to http://sdnhm.org/kids/minerals/games/index.html and take a mine quiz! Go to the Rock Doctor's site and find out about the different properties of rocks! Log on here: http://cobweb.net/~bug2/rock1.htm FOLLOW UP: This lesson leads to lesson 2- "How are rocks formed?
|
|