Curated OER
Exploring Minerals
I love this geology lesson plan. Third and fourth graders look at the connections, and the differences, between rocks and minerals. Learners are charged with identifying specific rocks and minerals, learning how to properly use...
Science Friday
Mineral Madness
Science does not need to be as hard as a rock. Pupils test 10 different minerals to determine their properties. The learners observe luster, streak, hardness, and fluorescence for each specimen. Afterwards, they compare and contrast the...
Curated OER
Amazing metals: Nevada quarter reverse
Nevada's nickname is "The Silver State" and metal is what this lesson is all about. Pupils will make a T-chart to discuss the differences between metals and minerals, then write and explain the properties of metal. They will get into...
Virginia Department of Education
Mineral Identification
What's the difference between a rock and a mineral? And what properties are used to identify minerals? The first installment of a five-part series on earth materials and processes prompts young scientists to identify a set of...
Curated OER
Arkansas State Rock
Here is a activity which shows the value of a mineral called bauxite to Arkansas during the early 1900's. Learners relate the five themes of geography to the history of bauxite and aluminum production in Arkansas. For teachers of...
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
First graders examine different types of rocks and minerals. They create models of the rocks and minerals they find interesting. They discuss and explain three ways in which the earth changes.
Curated OER
Mineral Mania
In this mineral worksheet, students visit http://sciencespot.net and answer 90 questions about mineral uses, mineral groups, fireworks, and minerals found around the home.
Curated OER
Mineral Mania
In this mineral worksheet, students use an on line source to answer questions about minerals, about resources and their uses, about fireworks and about birthstones.
American Museum of Natural History
The Amazing Mundo
Rocks and minerals are great on their own, but they also turn into some pretty amazing stuff! An online lesson explains the different types of materials we get from rocks and minerals, including glass, plastic, and coins. An embedded...
Curated OER
Minerals of the Earth
Students learn and practice identifying Earth's minerals and their properties. Working in small groups, they evaluate minerals. This is a well-described lesson, which students enjoy.
Curated OER
What are Rocks and Minerals?
Students identify the properties of rocks. In this rocks and minerals lesson, students use the Internet to learn about the properties of rocks and minerals. Students conduct a test to determine whether various samples of rock are limestone.
Curated OER
Using Rocks and Ores Worksheet
In this chemistry worksheet, students answer 15 short answer questions about rocks and ores. They explore write balanced chemical reactions from word equations given.
Curated OER
Exploring Minerals
Students examine the differences between rocks and minerals. They discover the properties of different minerals and perform hardness tests on minerals. They collect their data and make observations.
Curated OER
How We Use Rocks: Part 1
Second graders read books about rocks, observe rocks and locate a special rock to observe more closely. They complete a worksheet about the chosen rock and create an art project using rocks or pebbles.
Curated OER
Blast It! (Learning About Copper)
Opening with background information on copper use and mining, this instructional activity assesses junior geologists' reading comprehension. A map activity is available, but the map is not. There is a useful set of vocabulary matching...
Curated OER
What on Earth is in the Earth?
Students explore the physical properties of sand, soil, and rocks and sort, classify, compare, and contrast the materials found in the soil. The differences between the living and non-living parts of the soil is discussed.
Curated OER
Pyrites
Learners examine the mineral pyrite and discover the differences between it and gold. In this mineral lesson students identify minerals using their common properties.
Curated OER
Geologist
In this geologist instructional activity, students identify and collect five geologic specimens that have important uses, giving an example of each. Also, they create a drawing that shows the cause of a volcano, a geyser, or an...
Curated OER
For Creative Minds
Students study pictures of plants, animals, and minerals. Students classify the pictures into the three groups. For this rock identification lesson, students complete a rock finding lab experiment by finding, cleaning, identifying, and...
Curated OER
Geology Quiz- Common Minerals
In this earth science worksheet, learners determine the name of 10 minerals based on the descriptions given on the page. They see pictures of a number of minerals, and check their answers with the word bank at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
Mineral Identification
In this mineral identification lesson plan, students analyze 14 minerals and test their physical properties. They test the color, luster, streak, hardness and breakage of each mineral. Students answer 5 questions about the physical...
Curated OER
Rock-forming Minerals
In this mineral worksheet, students use a table of information about rock-forming minerals to complete 10 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Environment" The Mining Cycle
Students explore the world of mining and explain its importance in daily life. After describing how companies search for mineral deposits, they examine the environmental consequences of mining as well as the positive aspects. The...
Curated OER
Classifying Rocks and Minerals
Students identify rock types by observing key characteristics. Describe the differences between minerals and rocks. Observe rocks using a magnifying glass and draw shapes and colors of the minerals.