Curated OER
Coal Flowers
Let's make coal flowers! With this fun activity, young learners watch and learn as they grow crystals! With simple household materials and the instructions included in this lesson plan, your class can grow their own crystals. Learners...
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Project Geode
Young geologists attempt to predict the appearnace of a geode's internal structure based on how it looks from the outside, its mass, and its physical characteristics. In this geologly lesson, learners use scientific equipment to collect...
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Fairly Simple Rock Identification
Students study ways in which to identify rocks. They complete a number of activities that introduce them to various ways of identifying minerals in rocks.
Curated OER
Different Minerals
In this minerals worksheet, students read about the relationship between elements, rocks and minerals. They experiment using 6 different colored gumdrops to represent 6 common elements. Students construct gumdrop and toothpick models of...
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Inside a Geode
Students examine a variety of geodes and discuss how they are formed. Individually, they make their own geode creation out of markers and clay. To end the lesson plan, they use watercolors to paint them to their desired color and glitter...
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Rock Sorting Activity
Students organize rock samples according to their properties. In this earth science lesson plan, students predict whether they are igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary. They compare their prediction with the actual type.
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For Creative Minds
Students study pictures of plants, animals, and minerals. Students classify the pictures into the three groups. In this rock identification lesson, students complete a rock finding lab experiment by finding, cleaning, identifying, and...
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Exploring Caves
Students explore the various characteristics of caves. Through class discussion and hands on activities, students identify what forces converge in the creation of a cave. They complete review activities at the conclusion of the lesson....
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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.
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Rock Discovery
Fourth graders identify rocks in this discovery lesson by examining rock characteristics and processes. They identify basic properties of minerals and rocks. They revise their theories of the natural world, once they see and learn new...
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Observing and Classifying Rocks
Fourth graders examine various types of rocks and record their properties. They collect rocks at home and bring them to school where they are mixed and distributed to groups of students. After writing their observations on...
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Rock Families
Students study the three types of rock characteristics; igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. They are divided into three groups and each group takes one of the rock characteristics. They then act out the characteristics of their rock...
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Mineral Matters
Students work in a team to use the ProScope Digital USB Microscope and a computer to collect microscopic images from a variety of mineral specimens. They compare specimens and determine how they are alike and different by comparing their...
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teaching Geography Using Literature in K-University Classrooms
Students read one of the following books: Minn of the Mississippi, Paddle-to-the-Sea, or Seabird, all by Holling C. Holling, and identify the five themes of geography as well as make a literature journal with chapter field notes. They...
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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.
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...
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Aboriginal Hand Prints
A part of a study of Australian Aboriginal culture, class members listen to a Dreamtime story about a father who stenciled his handprint on a rock wall. Class members then make their own hand print art representative of themselves...
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Primary Biological Content Area
Students complete activities to learn about the growth process for crystals. In this crystal growth lesson, students use the given materials to complete a liquid bluing activity. Students observe and analyze the growth of crystals.
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Franklin Mountains
Fifth graders examine photographs of the eastern and western Franklin Mountains. As a class, they discuss what is shown and the different colored rocks and the orientation of the layers. In groups, they are given clay of two different...
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Dirt: Making Dirty Water Clean!
Fourth graders study soil and water. For this water lesson students work in groups and use a filter to clean water.
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Minerals
Students define the characteristics of a mineral. In this geology lesson, students are given out various materials to observe such as a chicken bone, salt shaker, white paint, and chalk. Students categorize the items and are told what...
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BOWEN'S REACTION SERIES
Students research Bowen's Reaction Series and recreate the process in an experiment which details the crystallization sequence of minerals that can be observed in nature.
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Lesson 1 - What Are Fossils?
Students define and research fossils. In this fossil lesson, students access teacher assigned Internet sites to examine images of fossils. They determine the definition of a fossil and find out how fossils are formed. They also define a...
Polar Trec
Ice Cores: Modeling Ice Sheets
Ice cores provide scientists with knowledge of historic melt layers, air temperatures, greenhouse gases, and climate stability. Scholars work in groups to build layers representing snow and ice over thousands of years. Then, groups...