The STC "Rocks and Minerals" unit
We open each year with the "Rocks and Minerals" unit.
"Rocks and Minerals" is a 16-lesson unit in which third-graders
investigate rocks and minerals to answer these and other questions.
Students explore the similarities and differences among rocks, they also
study how rocks and minerals are both similar and different. They conduct
several tests on minerals and develop a systematic way to record their
observations. Finally, students apply information they have collected to
identify the minerals they have been studying by name. These activities
introduce students to the way geologists study rocks and minerals. They
also helpstudents develop and apply process skills in observing, describing,
and recording.
Throughout "Rocks and Minerals", students have many opportunities to
observe the similarities and differences in properties of minerals and rocks
and to gather, organize, and interpret data. They discover that the
application of scientific techniques can provide them with useful
information about rocks and minerals. As they perform the field tests and
discuss the results, students become engaged in a process that encourages
problem solving and fosters understanding of the concept that scientific
results cannot always be reported with "yes-or-no" answers.
The above excerpt was taken directly from the "Rocks and Minerals"
teacher's manual.
A BIT OF A REVIEW:
Rocks
~are made up of minerals
~can contain fossils, the remains of trees and other plants, animals, or
compacted shells
~Three types:
*igneous...formed from magma (underground molten rock)
*sedimentary...formed from layered particles of weathered rocks
and minerals
*metamorphic... formed as a result of heat, pressure, or reaction
with water
Minerals
~naturally occuring
~never alive
~solid substances with distinct physical and chemical properties
Internet Links
Connect here to sites for rocks and minerals.
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/rocks.html
Find out about the three types of rocks, and more, at this site.
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/create/index.html
Find out where you can find minerals throughout the United States!
http://www.msha.gov/KIDS/MINING.HTM
Other Resources