Rocks and Minerals Unit In-Service Training Outline Carolina Biological Supply Company

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1 Rocks and Minerals Unit In-Service Training Outline Carolina Biological Supply Company 2700 York Road Burlington NC

2 Rocks and Minerals Recommended Length for Full Workshop: 4 hrs. Site Requirements: overhead projector, flat-topped work tables, at least one 6-ft. or longer table for materials setup, 20-gallon or larger trash can, paper towels, scissors Recommended Work Groups: teams of 2 Recommended Record Sheets, etc.: 1-A; 4-A; Blackline Master Mineral Profile Sheet, p. 61 (15 copies per every 2 participants); Blackline Master Minerals Soft, Medium, or Hard, p. 89; Blackline Masters Mineral Identification Cards, p , and Biotite Mineral Identification Card, p. 121; Blackline Masters Rock Information Cards, p Recommended Overheads: none Pre-workshop Preparation: none On-site Preparation: put rocks 1, 2, and 3 and a hand lens on a cardboard tray and set them out for each team. Set out the remaining rocks, the minerals A through L, and the plastic disposable gloves where they can easily be picked up by the teams. It is best to give out other materials as needed. If you give out all materials at once, participants may begin performing hardness tests on the rocks, disregarding the safety rules for handling galena, etc. A lot of confusion will likely result, and your workshop will be seriously compromised Carolina Biological Supply Company. The STC unit Rocks and Minerals was researched and developed by the National Science Resources Center, Washington, DC, and is available exclusively from Carolina Biological Supply Company. This document may be reproduced only by educators in schools and districts in which the Rocks and Minerals unit will be taught.

3 Rocks and Minerals Workshop Introduction to the unit: 1. Rocks and Minerals is a 16-lesson unit for third graders. Students explore the properties of selected rocks and minerals. In lesson 1, students begin to observe and describe rocks. In lessons 2-3, students continue to observe and describe rocks. They also read about the origin of rocks and the changes that rocks can undergo. In lessons 4-5, students are introduced to minerals and discover that the rocks they have been studying are made of minerals. In lesson 6, students begin to observe a set of 12 minerals. In lessons 7-12, students perform a series of tests on the minerals. In doing so, they learn about such mineral properties as transparency, luster, hardness, and crystal shape. In lesson 13 students discover that the properties of minerals may vary. In lesson 14, students use their recorded observations of mineral properties to identify the minerals with the help of field-guide cards. In lesson 15, students are given three mystery minerals to identify. In lesson 16, students study the uses of rocks and minerals. 2. Explain the use of icons for curriculum integration. 3. Briefly go over Goals and Assessment Strategies. The lessons Lesson 1 Sharing What We Know about Rocks 1. Lesson 1 is a focus lesson. If time permits, ask for possible student responses to What We Know about Rocks. 2. Let them examine the rocks on the tray and fill in Record Sheet 1-A. Note: If it is necessary to shorten the workshop, either eliminate the lessons on rocks entirely, or talk through them quickly. Also eliminate the Reading Selections. You could also start with lesson 2. Lesson 2 Observing Rocks: How Are They the Same and Different? 1. Have participants complete their set of the twelve rocks by picking up rocks 4-12 (see under Preparation, p. 26). They should then observe the new rocks and compare them to the first three. 2. Have them sort the rocks into groups according to the similarities and differences they have observed. Discuss the groupings and the rationale(s) for them. 2

4 Lesson 3 Learning More about Rocks 1. Refer participants to the Reading Selection Rocks Here, There, Everywhere on p in the Student Activity Book. Briefly review the information about the three types of rock sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic and their general characteristics. 2. Have the participants re-examine the twelve rocks. Do the rocks have any characteristics that might indicate to which group (sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic) they belong? Several cautions are in order here. First, change, especially change over an extended time period, can be a difficult concept for many children. A teacher might want to ask students to think of examples of change. A demonstration of change, such as frying an egg or popping corn, and recording the before and after properties, might help. It is probably best to avoid the concept of geologic time with third graders. Second, it is not necessary that students (or the participants) be able to correctly classify all or even any of the rocks. The intent of the lesson is to introduce the categories and encourage the students to begin to think about how these categories might relate to the rocks. It has taken geologists hundreds of years to agree on how different rocks were formed. Even today, there is some disagreement on how certain rocks formed. Finally, most participants will want you to tell them the answers. If so, refer them to the Rock Information Cards. Lesson 4 Discovering Minerals Before beginning the lesson, go over the Safety Rules for Handling Galena on p. 40. It is important that participants understand the reasons for these safety precautions before continuing. It is also important that they observe these safety rules during the workshop. Have the participants pick up the samples of feldspar (A), quartz (B), and galena (C). Explain that these new samples are minerals. Refer to the Background on p for a discussion of what is a mineral and what is a rock. Let them examine the minerals and fill in Record Sheet 4-A. Then, they should compare Record Sheets 1-A and 4-A to look for similarities and differences between the rocks they have examined and the three minerals. (In the interest of time, you could combine this lesson with Lesson 6.) Lesson 5 Sharing What We Know about Minerals This is a focus lesson similar to lesson 1. You may wish to talk through this lesson briefly, spending most of your time on the use of egg cartons to store the minerals. Other groups may wish to discuss more fully the differences between rocks and minerals. Generally, rock is used to refer to any solid component of the earth s crust. Rocks usually, but not always, consist of a mixture of two or more minerals. Granite rock, for example, consists of the minerals feldspar, quartz, and biotite. A mineral is uniform as to its structure and chemical composition. Quartz, for example, is silicon dioxide. By these definitions, ice is a mineral, while liquid water is not. Obviously, it is best not to get too bogged down in the details. Lesson 6 Observing Minerals: How Are They the Same and Different? Go over the use of the Mineral Profile Sheets. Let them observe the minerals and smell them after adding a drop of water. Have them fill in the Feel and Smell boxes. If time permits, read about sulfur on p. 22 of the Student Activity Book. 3

5 Lesson 7 Describing the Color of Minerals 1. Review with the participants the Background material about observable color and identifying color on p Go over the Student Instructions for Performing the Streak Test on p. 66 (p. 25 of the Student Have them do the streaks and record the results. 3. Discuss the Reading Selections about hematite and graphite on p. 67 (p. 26 of the Student Lesson 8 Shining a Light on the Minerals 1. Review with the participants the Background material about opaque, translucent, and transparent on p. 69. Show the squares of plastic wrap, waxed paper, and cardboard that are used to introduce students to these terms. 2. Go over the procedure for performing the light test on p. 72 (p. 29 of the Student Activity Book). Let them do the test and record the results. 3. Discuss the Reading Selections about calcite and muscovite on p. 73 (p. 30 of the Student Lesson 9 Exploring the Luster of Minerals 1. Review with the participants the Background material about luster on p. 75. The most useful terms are metallic, nonmetallic, dull, waxy, and glassy. 2. Go over the procedure for performing the luster test on p. 78 (p. 33 of the Student Activity Book). Have them do the test and record the results. 3. Discuss the Reading Selections about galena and gypsum on p. 79 (p. 34 of the Student Lesson 10 Exploring the Hardness of Minerals 1. Review with the participants the Background material about hardness and the Mohs scale on p Go over the procedure for performing the hardness test on p. 87 (p. 37 of the Student Activity Book). Since this test is a bit more complicated than the previous ones, you may need to spend more time explaining it. Have them do the test and record the results. 3. Discuss the Reading Selections about diamonds and talc on p. 88 (p. 38 of the Student Lesson 11 Testing the Minerals with a Magnet 1. Review with the participants the Background material about the magnet test on p Go over the procedure for performing the magnet test on p. 93 (p. 41 of the Student Activity Book). Have them perform the test and record the results. 3. Discuss the Reading Selection about lodestones on p. 94 (p of the Student Activity Book). 4

6 Lesson 12 Describing the Shape of Minerals 1. Review the Background on p Have the participants pick up the samples of halite (M), gypsum satin spar (N), gypsum desert rose (O), and gypsum selenite crystal (S). 3. Refer them to the directions under Find Out for Yourself on p of the Student Activity Book. Lesson 13 Comparing Samples of the Same Mineral Samples of the same mineral may differ in some of their properties. This may be due to impurities or differences in the conditions under which the minerals formed. To help participants appreciate this variation, have them work together in larger groups to compare three or four samples of each of their minerals. If time permits, have a discussion of the variations observed and the properties that are the most consistent for a given mineral. Lesson 14 Identifying the Minerals 1. Refer the participants to the directions under Find Out for Yourself on p. 51 of the Student Activity Book. 2. Have the participants cut apart their Mineral Identification Cards. Using these Cards and the Mineral Profile Sheets, the participants should now try to identify the 12 minerals by name. 3. As the groups work, they will probably exchange information and compare results spontaneously. If not, try to encourage this by walking about and making comments that draw attention to the work being done by different groups. 4. When the groups have finished, have one group read out its identifications and give its reasons. If any groups disagree on an identification, encourage them to compare their work to clarify the reasons for disagreement. (If there has been a good exchange of information during step 3 above, this should have already been resolved.) Lesson 15 Exploring New Minerals 1. If left to their own devices, most groups will try to rush through this activity, so go over the instructions in the Student Activity Book with them before they pick up the three new mineral samples. Ask for responses to the questions posed under numbers 2 and 3 on p. 56 of the Student Activity Book. Point out that the new minerals may be the same as minerals they have already examined, or they may be different. The important thing is that they (and their students) be able to determine the characteristics of these new minerals. 2. Have the participants pick up the samples of quartz (P), hematite (Q), and biotite (R). 3. Have them complete steps 7-11 on p. 57 of the Student Activity Book. 4. When the groups have finished, ask one group to share its work and conclusions about mystery mineral P, etc. Lesson 16 How Are Rocks and Minerals Used? 1. You may wish to refer to the Background on p Ask if anyone is aware of rock or mineral resources in the area. This could include mining operations, gravel pits, etc. Point out that students will be making reports on the commercial uses of rocks and minerals. 5

7 2. Have the participants try to match the rock samples with the Rock Information Cards. 3. Briefly explain the rock reports that are part of this lesson. Wrap-up 1. Give out any evaluation forms and ask that they be filled out. 2. Ask for help in clean up. 3. Be available for questions/discussion. 6