Rocks and minerals
This is an integrated unit incorporating field study, classroom activities, and environmental ethics related to geology.
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| Day | Topic/Activity | Key Concepts |
| 1 | Rock Riddle, KWL Chart, Read: Everybody Needs A Rock©, Byrd Baylor |
What are rocks? Why are they important? What do you want to learn about rocks? |
| 2 | FOSS © (Full Option Science System) Kit: Investigation I, First Rocks. Read: The Mountain That Loved A Bird©, Alice McLerran |
Observe and compare properties of rocks, and rocks interacting with water |
| 3 | FOSS © Investigation II, River Rocks Water Table |
Investigate the properties of pebbles, sand, silt, gravel and clay particles (separate and mix together) |
| 4 | FOSS © Investigation III, Using Rocks, Clay art/rock constructions |
Experiment with Earth materials to create art/constructions |
| 5 | AIMS ©: Primarily Earth Unit, The Earth’s Features (p. 7-9, 23) |
Create an Earth layers book |
6 |
AIMS ©: Primarily Earth Unit, My Rock (p.26-29) |
Describe the features of a rock |
| 7 | AIMS ©: Primarily Earth Unit, I Found A Rock (p. 30) |
Describe and measure a rock |
| 8 | AIMS ©: Primarily Earth Unit, Rock Rules Game (p. 39) |
Investigate features of rock to compare and contrast |
| 9 | Chalk art, sand art |
Aesthetic value of rock materials |
| 10 | Make volcanoes |
Observe physical change, earth formation and aesthetic value |
| 11 | Make Cave Cookies (Teacher Created Materials©, p. 61) or Rock Layers Cake |
Simulate cave formation |
| 12 | Video: Erosion, Earth is Change © (3-2-1 Classroom Contact) |
Discuss the ethics of water conservation and how water moves earth |
| 13 | Access the Investigating erosion in an outdoor classroom activity. ReadThe Best Book of Fossils, Rocks and Minerals by Chris Pellant. |
Create a mountain formation and observe erosion when water is released. Student paleontologists hunt for fossils embedded in rock. Students write about what they learned and observed |