Download Lesson Plan - ScienceA2Z.com

Name: Megan Tietz
May 20th, 2008
Lab Title: Rock and Minerals
Lab Objectives:
 Students will understand how to classify rocks and what it is
 Students will understand how to classify minerals and what they are
 Students will understand the rock cycle
 Students will paint their own rock as a fun project after the rock lesson
 Students will do a crossword puzzle looking for rock words
 Students will gain an understanding of the different types of rocks and minerals
there are
 Students will understand how rocks are formed
 Students will learn to start their own rock and mineral collection and be able to
tell what their rocks are
Benchmarks:
CCG: Forming the Question/Hypothesis:
Formulate and express scientific questions or hypotheses to be investigated.
Fifth Grade
SC.05.SI.01 Make observations. Ask questions or form hypotheses based on
those observations, which can be explored through scientific investigations.
CCG: Designing the Investigation:
Design safe and ethical scientific investigations to address questions or hypotheses.
Fifth Grade
SC.05.SI.02 Design a simple scientific investigation to answer questions or
test hypotheses
CCG: Collecting and Presenting Data:
Conduct procedures to collect, organize, and display scientific data.
Fifth Grade
SC.05.SI.03 Collect, organize, and summarize data from investigations
CCG: Analyzing Data and Interpreting Results:
Analyze scientific information to develop and present conclusions.
Fifth Grade
SC.05.SI.04 Summarize, analyze, and interpret data from investigations
CCG: Understand that any collection of things that have an influence on one another can
be thought of as a system
CCG: The Dynamic Earth:
Understand the properties and limited availability of the materials which make up
the Earth.
Fifth Grade
SC.05.ES.01 Identify properties and uses of Earth materials. (3 Resources )
SC.05.ES.01.01 Recognize that Earth materials are used in different ways
based on differences in their physical and chemical properties. (4 Resources
)
SC.05.ES.01.02 Recognize that soils vary in color, texture, components,
reaction to water, and ability to support the growth of plants. (1 Resources )
SC.05.ES.01.03 Recognize that the supply of resources is limited, and that
resources can be extended through recycling and decreased use.
SC.05.ES.01.04 Recognize that discarded products contribute to the problem
of waste disposal.
Materials:
(For each student)
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A Rock for each student
Different colors of paint
Cups for the paint
Paint brushes
Glue
Other items to decorate rocks (eg. Googly eyes, pipe cleaners, stickers)
Cross word puzzle for each student
Procedure:
1) Go through Power Point presentation with class to learn about rocks and what
rocks and minerals are.
2) Have students get into small groups with a couple of rocks each and have them
experiment and try and classify the rocks into groups themselves, using a
checklist to test each rock.
3) After the students have classified their own rocks in small groups, meet as a class
and classify all the rocks together. See what different ways you can classify them
and if everyone agrees on the final outcome of each rock. See if the students can
place the rocks into the appropriate names.
4) After the students have an understanding of how to classify a rock, have them put
all the rocks away and clear their desks.
5) As a fun ending to the rock and mineral lesson, let each child pick a rock and just
have fun painting it. It can be painted into an animal, or an object, it could just
have their name on it, let them use their imaginations and do whatever they would
like to with their rock and look however they would like to end the rock lesson. It
would just be a nice way to end the lesson letting the students have a little bit a
creativity time.
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Have students pick their colors of paint
They can pick out whatever else accessories they will need for their rock
Put the paint into small cups (this way not a lot of paint is waster) or (put
some colors on paper plates and have students get into groups at their
tables)
Make sure there are a few paint brushes for each color, that way students
aren’t waiting around for a certain brush
6) While the other students are finishing up their rocks, for
the students that have finished and cleaned up their paint,
give them a crossword puzzle to find rock words.
7) For those that don’t finish the crossword in class, have them take it home and
finish it, don’t rush them with their rock paintings, but put a time limit on it so it’s
not an all day event.
8) (As another idea, have all the students paint the rock into their favorite animal and
then when they are done, have them build a home for it, this could lead into a
animal lesson about animals and their homes, or just be a fun way for them to
keep their rock.)
9) After the students are done with their painting, make sure there is an area set up in
the room for the rocks to dry and have them clean off their paint brushes and
paints.
Materials and Cost:
(Basically everything in this lesson will be kept or thrown away when done…)
Paint Brushes…………………(2 packs)$7.99 at Target for a set of 24 different ones
Glue………………………………………………………………………….$1.99
Estimated one time start up fee………………………………………….…$17.97
(depending on how many sets of brushes you want)
List the consumable supplies and estimated cost for presenting to a class of 30
students:
Rocks…………………………………………….2 bags with 20 rocks @$9.99 a bag
Paints (multiple colors)…………………………………………….9 @ $4.99 a bottle
Accessory supplies for decorating……………………………..(varies) I set aside $10
Paper cups or plates…………………………………………….2 packs of 30 @ $1.50
Estimated Total each year……………………………………………………….$77.89
*(TIP) To save money have the students bring in rocks from around their house to
paint, or as a teacher find rocks to bring into class for the students to paint. Like from
down at the river or around the home
Prep Time:
Initial Prep Time: 3 hours to go around and pick up supplies (could be more of less
depending on what you choose to have to students bring in their own rocks or you
supply them, either from the store or find them)
Preparation Time: 30 minutes to set out supplies and have students come get their
paint and pick out their rock
Instruction Time: 30 minutes to explain what you would like them to do (could be
less)
Actual Work Time: 45minutes to an hour (Depending on each teacher and how
much time they need to paint or how long they stay on task)
Clean Up Time: 15-20 minutes to clean up paints, wash out brushes and clean the
top of their desk if necessary
Assessment:
Students will be given a rock and asked to classify it into what group it would belong
to and the correct name of the rock. Then all students will take a turn standing up in
front of the class telling how they got to their result and what tests they preformed.
Students can then also show off their painted rock.
Background:
What is a mineral? Well, A mineral is an inorganic naturally-occuring crystalline
solid. It has specific physical properties and a definite chemical composition.
Can a rock be a mineral? No. Although a rock is also inorganic and occurs
naturally, it is not a crystalline solid. It is a consolidated material composed of grains
of one or more minerals.
There are three different ways that rocks can form:
When rocky fragments and sediments are deposited together by wind, water or ice, they
gradually (over thousands or more years) cement together into new rocks, called
sedimentary rocks. Limestone and sandstone are common sedimentary rocks. You can
often find fossils embedded in these rocks—they were deposited together with the
sediments.
Second when molten rock called magma rises up from the earth's mantle deep
underground, it forms igneous rocks. Some igneous rocks erupt from volcanoes as lava
or pumice. Others, like granite, form in underground magma chambers.
And Lastly sometimes sedimentary and igneous rocks are changed dramatically by forces
inside the Earth. Extreme heat or pressure underground can bake, squeeze, or fold rocks
into something new. Then they are called metamorphic rocks—metamorphic is Greek
for "change of form."
(http://www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/faqs.html)
Sedimentary Rocks:
Sandstone rocks are sedimentary rocks made from small grains of the minerals quartz
and feldspar. They often form in layers as seen in this picture. They are often used as
building stones.
Limestone rocks are sedimentary rocks that are made from the mineral calcite which
came from the beds of evaporated seas and lakes and from sea animal shells. This rock is
used in concrete and is an excellent building stone for humid regions.
Shale rock is a type of sedimentary rock formed from clay that is compacted together by
pressure. They are used to make bricks and other material that is fired in a kiln.
Conglomerate rocks are sedimentary rocks. They are made up of large sediments like
sand and pebbles. The sediment is so large that pressure alone cannot hold the rock
together; it is also cemented together with dissolved minerals.
Gypsum rocks are sedimentary rocks made up of sulfate mineral and formed as the result
of evaporating sea water in massive prehistoric basins. It is very soft and is used to make
Plaster of Paris, casts, molds, and wallboards.
Metamorphic Rocks:
Schist rocks are metamorphic. These rocks can be formed from basalt, an igneous rock;
shale, a sedimentary rock; or slate, a metamorphic rock. Through tremendous heat and
pressure, these rocks were transformed into this new kind of rock.
Gneiss rocks are metamorphic. These rocks may have been granite, which is an igneous
rock, but heat and pressure changed it. You can see how the mineral grains in the rock
were flattened through tremendous heat and pressure and are arranged in alternating
patterns.
Igneous Rocks:
Granite rocks are igneous rocks which were formed by slowly cooling pockets of
magma that were trapped beneath the earth's surface. Granite is used for long lasting
monuments and for trim and decoration on buildings.
Scoria rocks are igneous rocks which were formed when lava cooled quickly above
ground. You can see where little pockets of air had been. Scoria is actually a kind of glass
and not a mixture of minerals.
Pumice rocks are igneous rocks which were formed when lava cooled quickly above
ground. You can see where little pockets of air had been. This rock is so light, that many
pumice rocks will actually float in water. Pumice is actually a kind of glass and not a
mixture of minerals. Because this rock is so light, it is used quite often as a decorative
landscape stone. Ground to a powder, it is used as an abrasive in polish compounds and
in Lava© soap.
Obsidian rocks are igneous rocks that form when lava cools quickly above ground.
Obsidian is actually glass and not a mixture of minerals. The edges of this rock are very
sharp.
How do we identify Rocks and Minerals?
Color:
Usually, we notice the color of a mineral first. Some minerals are easily identified by
color because they are never any other color. For example, malachite is always green.
Keep in mind, however, that color by itself isn't enough to identify a mineral. Chemical
impurities can change the color of a mineral without changing its basic make-up. For
example, quartz in its purest form is colorless and clear as glass. Quartz with traces of
iron becomes violet (amethyst). With traces of manganese, it turns pink (rose quartz). If
quartz is exposed to radiation, it turns brown (smoky quartz).
Streak:
When a mineral is rubbed firmly across an unglazed tile of white porcelain (a streak
plate), it leaves a line of powder. This is called the streak. The color of the streak is
always the same, whether or not the mineral has impurities. For example, quartz leaves a
white streak, whether it's violet (amethyst), pink (rose quartz), or brown (smoky quartz).
Transparency:
Transparency describes how well light passes through a mineral sample. There are three
degrees of transparency: transparent, translucent, and opaque. You can see objects
through a transparent mineral. You can see light, but no objects through a translucent
mineral. You can't see anything through an opaque mineral.
Luster:
Luster is the way the surface of a mineral reflects light. Luster should be observed on a
cut or freshly broken, untarnished surface. There are two general types of luster -metallic and non-metallic. The terms used to describe luster are:
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Metallic -- example: gold
Vitreous (glassy) -- example: quartz, tourmaline
Adamantine (brilliant) -- example: diamond
Resinous (like resin or sap from a tree) -- example: sphalerite
Greasy or waxy -- example: turquoise
Pearly -- example: talc
Silky -- example: asbestos
Dull or earthy -- example: bauxite
Hardness:
The hardness scale was established by the German mineralogist, Friedrich Mohs. The
Mohs’ hardness scale places ten common or well-known minerals on a scale from one to
ten. One is the softest mineral and ten is the hardest. These are the minerals used in the
Mohs’ hardness scale
To use the hardness scale, try to scratch the surface of an unknown sample with a mineral
or substance from the hardness scale (these are known samples). If the unknown sample
cannot be scratched by feldspar (6) but it can be scratched by quartz (7), then it's hardness
is between 6 and 7. An example of a mineral that has a hardness between 6 and 7 is pyrite
(6 to 6.5).
Some minerals are very hard, others are very soft. We can use the Mohs Hardness
Scale to compare the hardness of any mineral. The higher the number on the scale, the
harder the mineral is. Each mineral can scratch only those minerals below it on the
scale.
1
2
Talc Gypsum
3
Calcite
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Fluorite Apatite Orthoclase Quartz Topaz Corundum Diamond
(http://www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/faqs.html)
Cleavage:
When a mineral sample is broken with a hammer, it breaks along planes of weakness that
are part of its crystalline structure. These breaks are cleavages. Some minerals break only
in one direction. Others break in two or more directions.
Some common forms of cleavage are cubic, rhombohedral, and basal. Cubic cleavages
form cubes (example, halite). Rhombohedral cleavages form six-sided prisms (example,
calcite). Basal cleavages occur along a single plane parallel to the base of the mineral
(example, topaz).
If a mineral breaks easily and cleanly in one or more directions, its cleavage is considered
perfect. For example, calcite cleaves perfectly along three planes. As the quality of the
break decreases, cleavage may be described as good, distinct, and poor or none. Some
minerals cleave perfectly in one direction and poorly in others. For example, gypsum
cleaves perfectly on one plane and poorly along two others
Fracture:
Not all minerals cleave easily. Some fracture instead. Unlike cleavages, which are usually
clean, flat breaks, fractures can be smoothly curved, irregular, jagged or splintery.
The most common types of fracture are conchoidal (quartz) , fibrous or splintery, hackly
(copper), uneven or irregular.
Specific Gravity:
Specific gravity is the density of a mineral. Special equipment is usually needed to find
out a mineral’s exact specific gravity. With a little practice, you can guess a mineral’s
specific gravity by hand. Some mineral samples will feel heavier than others, even if all
your samples are the same size. The heavier ones have a greater specific gravity. Here are
some examples of common minerals and their specific gravity ranges:
Minerals
Density
Specific gravity
sulfur, graphite
light
1-2
gypsum, quartz
medium
2-3
fluorite, beryl
medium heavy
3-4
corundum, most metal oxides heavy
4-6
native gold, platinum
19
heaviest
Crystal Form:
Minerals grow in specific shapes, and usually crystallize into one of six crystal systems.
The axes of the crystal, the angles at which the axes intersect, and the degree of
symmetry define each system.
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Isometric -- Also called the cubic crystal system. Crystals are usually shaped like
blocks, with similar and symmetrical faces. The crystal has three axes of
symmetry, all at right angles to each other, and all of the same length.
Example: pyrite.
Tetragonal -- Typically, the crystals are shaped like four-sided prisms and
pyramids. Each crystal has three axes, all perpendicular to one another. Two axes
are the same length and lie on a horizontal plane. The third axis is not the same
length and is at a right angle to the other two.
Example: zircon.
Hexagonal -- These crystals are usually shaped like six-sided prisms or pyramids.
Each crystal has four axes of symmetry. Three lie in the same plane, are the same
length, and intersect at 120° angles. The fourth axis is not the same length, and is
perpendicular to other three.
Example: beryl.
Orthorhombic -- These crystals are short and stubby. Each crystal has three
unequal axes, all at right angles to one another.
Example: topaz
Monoclinic -- Crystals are short and stubby with tilted faces at each end. Each
crystal has three unequal axes. Two axes lie in the same plane at right angles to
each other. The third axis is inclined.
Example: gypsum.
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Triclinic -- Crystals are usually flat with sharp edges, but exhibit no right angles.
Each crystal has three unequal axes. None are perpendicular to one another.
Example: feldspar
What is the Rock Cycle?
The Rock Cycle is a group of changes. Igneous rock can change into
sedimentary rock or into metamorphic rock. Sedimentary rock can change into
metamorphic rock or into igneous rock. Metamorphic rock can change into
igneous or sedimentary rock.
Igneous rock forms when magma cools and makes crystals. Magma is a hot
liquid made of melted minerals. The minerals can form crystals when they cool.
Igneous rock can form underground, where the magma cools slowly. Or, igneous
rock can form above ground, where the magma cools quickly.
When it pours out on Earth's surface, magma is called lava. Yes, the same liquid
rock matter that you see coming out of volcanoes.
On Earth's surface, wind and water can break rock into pieces. They can also
carry rock pieces to another place. Usually, the rock pieces, called sediments,
drop from the wind or water to make a layer. The layer can be buried under other
layers of sediments. After a long time the sediments can be cemented together to
make sedimentary rock. In this way, igneous rock can become sedimentary rock.
All rock can be heated. But where does the heat come from? Inside Earth there
is heat from pressure (push your hands together very hard and feel the heat).
There is heat from friction (rub your hands together and feel the heat). There is
also heat from radioactive decay (the process that gives us nuclear power plants
that make electricity).
So, what does the heat do to the rock? It bakes the rock.
Baked rock does not melt, but it does change. It forms crystals. If it has crystals
already, it forms larger crystals. Because this rock changes, it is called
metamorphic. Remember that a caterpillar changes to become a butterfly. That
change is called metamorphosis. Metamorphosis can occur in rock when they
are heated to 300 to 700 degrees Celsius.
When Earth's tectonic plates move around, they produce heat. When they
collide, they build mountains and metamorphose (met-ah-MORE-foes) the rock.
The rock cycle continues. Mountains made of metamorphic rocks can be broken
up and washed away by streams. New sediments from these mountains can
make new sedimentary rock.
The rock cycle never stops.
The Rock Cycle:
Sources:
http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Slideshow/Slideindex.html
http://www.sdnhm.org/kids/minerals/index.html
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/faqs.html
http://sln.fi.edu/fellows/payton/rocks/create/index.html
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html
http://rockhoundingar.com/pebblepups/rockcrafts.html