Rocks That Rock! Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Children will learn about the formation of rocks, and their characteristics and uses.

 

Reading Level: 

Lexile: 530L; GRL: L

 

Next Generation Science Standards:

2-ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems

 

Vocabulary:

minerals, igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic 

Use these questions to check students’ understanding and stimulate discussion:

 

1. What are rocks mostly made of? (minerals)

2. What do you get when melted rock shoots out of a volcano and cools? (igneous rocks)

3. What is sand mostly made of? (tiny pieces of rocks and minerals)

4. What kind of rock would you like to find? Why? (Answers will vary.)

 

Go online to print or project the Reading Checkpoint.

 

  • Gold is a mineral. It’s so soft, you can shape it with your hand. That’s why it’s mixed with harder metals to make jewelry. 
  • Graphite is another soft mineral. It’s used to make the “lead” in your pencil—the part you write with.
  • jade is a very hard mineral. It’s so hard it was used to make hammers long ago. 

Materials: rocks, crayons or markers, pencils, copies of the skill sheet

Overview: Children will classify and make observations about rocks they have gathered, then record observations on a skill sheet. 

Directions:

  1. Before the activity begins, have students gather rocks, either at home or near school.
  2. Then have students classify the rocks according to the properties listed below. Explain that classifying objects by their properties is something scientists do. Kids can work individually, or in small groups—either at school or at home!  
  3. Color: Have students group their rocks by color (if they don’t have colorful rocks, suggest light and dark as the two groups). 
  4. Feel: Have students divide their rocks into two groups: smooth and bumpy. Which group has more rocks? 
  5. Luster. This refers to how shiny a rock is. Are their rocks shiny or dull?
  6. Finally, have each student choose a favorite rock. Have them draw and record their observations of that rock on the skill sheet.