Download Candidate`s Name Brette Consolo

Geology: 7th grade
Minerals: Introduction to Mineral Characteristics
I.
Objectives – Identify that the lithosphere contains rocks and minerals and that minerals
make up rocks. Describe how rocks and minerals are formed and/or classified.
II.
Vocabulary
Mineral – a naturally formed, inorganic solid that has a definite crystalline structure
Element – a substance that cannot be separated or broken down into simpler substances by
chemical means
Compound – a substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by
chemical bonds
Crystal – a solid whose atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite pattern
III.
Materials Needed
Graphite
Picture of diamond
Picture of a mineral and a substance that is not a mineral
Various mineral and non-mineral objects set at stations around the room (wood, fossil,
bone, granite, quartz, etc.)
IV.
Technology Component
Smartboard
Mineral Identification
http://geology.csupomona.edu/alert/mineral/minerals.htm
http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/97/27/
V.
Safety Precautions
Push in chairs
Do not lean back in chairs
Do not touch the materials
Do not remove materials from the room
VI.
Instruction
-Anticipatory Set
Display a piece of pencil lead (graphite) and a photograph of a diamond. Explain that both
substances are composed of carbon. Ask students to brainstorm how two substances with
such different properties can form from atoms of the same element. Discuss their responses.
-Step-by-Step Description
1. Define a mineral.
2. Call on students using name cards to read the bubbles in figure one on page sixty-six of
their textbook.
3. Discuss the term crystalline structure, and define element, compound, and crystal.
4. Hand out the mineral characteristics checklist.
5. Bring up a picture of a mineral and a substance that is not a mineral, and go through the
checklist as an example.
6. Break the students into groups of four, and explain that they need to go to each station and
go through the checklist to decide whether or not that object is a mineral.
7. Assign each group to the station and give them three to five minutes at each one. Use a bell
to signal when the students should move to the next station.
8. After each group has circulated around the room once, have the students sit with their
groups, and ask each group to share their results for one of the objects.
9. Bring up the ticket to go questions on the Smartboard, and have the students answer it on
their own sheet of paper.
1. Name the four characteristics of a mineral.
2. Give an example of a mineral.
3. Give an example of a non-mineral and explain what characteristic(s) it does not
fulfill.
VII.
Diversity Strategies
Academic – Visual learners will benefit from having physical displays.
Academic – ADHD students will benefit from working in stations and frequently changing
activity.
Social – Shy students will have the opportunity to participate in a low pressured group activity.
Gender – Using name cards will eliminate the possibility of calling on more of one gender to
respond.
VIII.
Assessment Technique
Informal – monitor the students’ understanding of what classifies an object as a mineral by
circulating around the room during stations.
Formative – Grade ticket to go.
1. Name the four characteristics of a mineral. (nonliving, solid, crystalline structure, formed in
nature) 2 points
2. Give an example of a mineral. (answers will vary) 1 point
3. Give an example of a non-mineral and explain what characteristic(s) it does not fulfill.
(answers will vary) 2 points
Name_____________________________________Class_________
Mineral Characteristics
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Directions:
Write the name of the object in the object column. Put a check mark under
each characteristic that applies. In the last column, write yes if the object is a
mineral, and no, if the object is not a mineral.
Object
Nonliving
Material
Solid
Crystalline
Structure
Formed in
Nature
Mineral?
Yes/No