Rocks, Rocks, Rocks Big Idea 6: Earth Structures SC.2.E.6.1Recognize that Earth is made up of rocks. Rocks come in many sizes and shapes.

Strategy: hands-on/minds-on, observations, graphic organizers

Materials: rocks, gravel, sand, hand lenses, butcher paper, chart paper, balances, gram weights or non-standard weights (teddy-bear counters), My Rock worksheet, and Our Rocks worksheet

Word Wall/Vocabulary: properties, characteristics, texture, mass,

length, height, width

Literature Connection: Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor I Am a Rock by Jose Sanchez, Luis Garcia If You Find a Rock by Christian Peggy Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

Lesson/Procedure 1: Defining Rock Properties Please note: This lesson should be taught over several days. 1. Introduce the lesson by reading to the students any of the above-

mentioned literature. 2. Brainstorm with students about what they know about rocks. Ask

them if they have ever really looked at a rock up close. 3. Have students bring in rocks from around the school, neighborhood, or

any other place such as the beach. Have some extra rocks available in case students forget to bring them in.

4. Before getting started with the rocks, assess prior knowledge using descriptive vocabulary words (e.g., speckled, spiny, chalky, etc).

5. Try to get rocks with as many different properties as possible: shiny, chalky, smooth, bumpy, rough, layered, one or more colors, etc.

6. Hold up 2 rocks and discuss the properties of those rocks with the whole class. List the words the students think of on a chart. If they need assistance, tell the students that the descriptions should include

size, shape, color, texture, hardness, and heaviness. This will help the students understand the term ‘properties’ and what to look for.

7. Show the collection of rocks brought in by the students. Divide the students into groups of two or three.

8. Tell the students they are teams of geologists, i.e., people who study rocks and minerals. The groups are to choose 8 rocks to study and group the rocks that share some properties. How they group them is decided by the members of each team. The team will develop their own classification scheme such as bumpy, rough, smooth, shiny, sparkly, etc.

9. Have the teams group their rocks on butcher paper. Have the students record their observations. When they are finished, allow the members from each team to explain how they grouped their rocks.

10. Ask the students: “What properties did you use? What are some of the words you used to describe your rock groups? Where did your team find most of its rocks? Where else could you have found some rocks? Why is it important to be able to sort rocks?”

11. Have them write what they learned about rocks in their science journals.

Assessment:

Teacher observations of the discussion that students are having about the properties of the rocks and rock classifications.

Lesson/Procedure 2: My Rock

1. Tell the students that they are going to fill out a chart that describes their rock.

2. The students will use the hand lenses to look at their rocks closely, so that they may write down the properties of their particular rock.

3. Tell the students that in this lesson they will include measurements of their rock. They are to measure the length and width, then weigh it.

4. The students must also sketch a picture of their rock (see My Rock worksheet).

5. Before the students weigh their rocks, develop a criteria for what is considered light (e.g., less than 10 grams) and what is considered heavy (e.g., more than 10 grams).

6. After students have measured and weighed their own rock, they should collect and record the information from the members of the group to compare and contrast.

Assessment:

Complete My Rock worksheet and Our Rocks worksheet.

My Rock Name_________________________

This is my rock. It is ________________. The texture is _______________. My rock is ____________centimeters long. My rock is _______centimeters wide. My rock weighs ___ grams. It is __________. (heavy, light)

Use your observation skills and draw a picture of your rock.

(color)

Our Rocks Name ____________________

Put your results on this table.

Name Color Texture Length Width Mass