Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Investigating Soil Color and Texture"

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders will identify/understand the differences between soil and dirt. They will classify soil color accurately and use Munsell notation to describe it (Munsell books provided).Students will classify soil texture using the feel...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weathering and Wind

For Teachers 6th - 9th
In this weathering and wind worksheet, learners simulate the effects of weathering by wind using 2 canisters, 2 types of sandpaper and 2 sugar cubes. Students swirl the sugar cubes inside the canisters lined with fine and course...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Grow an Alum Crystal

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What an exciting lab experiment to conduct with your high school chemistry class! Crystals are formed naturally in the environment. However, allow your blossoming chemists to create their own unique crystals using alum and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How We Use Rocks: Part 1

For Teachers 2nd
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Rocks

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students collect and examine rocks. They record information about the rocks they have collected in their notebooks. They compare and contrast different rocks and complete a class chart at the end of the lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Spy

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders investigate the properties and uses of rocks. They sort magazine pictures into the categories of living and nonliving, play a game of I Spy for objects made of rock, and make rubbings of the rock items for their Rock...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

The Birth of Rock(s) - Identifying Rock Types

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scientists investigate types of rocks in this instructional activity. They collaborate to examine groups of rocks, make written descriptions of them, and use websites to help them identify the types of rocks they are.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crayon Rock Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students view rock samples and model the formation of rocks with crayons. For this rock cycle lesson, students view and describe the three types of rock: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. They model the formation of these rocks by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geology Rocks

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss information relating to Illinois geology. They examine top mineral resources in Illinois to find detailed information about geodes and where they can be found. Students complete geode lab to explore external structure of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let's Take a Rock Apart

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Young scholars take a crushed rock and sort the remains of the rock minerals into different categories based on the different properties. In this sorting lesson plan, students learn what makes up a rock and how to sort something into...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Minerals

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Pupils discuss rocks and other earth materials made up of minerals. They identify minerals by means of their more obvious physical properties such as hardness, luster, color, streak, cleavage and fracture. They arrange a given set of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sedimentary Rocks- Formation and Types

For Teachers 5th - 7th
In this sedimentary rocks resource worksheet, students follow the guide for reading this informational text. They read about the formation of sedimentary rocks, and the three major types of sedimentary rocks.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Erosion And the Cycling of Rocks And Minerals

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the concept of erosion by water in a problem solving activity. In small groups, they are assigned either sand, potting soil or rocks to construct a mountain that will hold up to a sprinkler can of water dripping on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physical Properties of Minerals

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students study minerals and their physical properties.  In this mineral lesson students use technology to investigate minerals and their properties. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students identify and describe rocks that contain records of the earth's history and explain how they were formed. They formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to objects and events in the environment, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks on Parade!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders describe and classify rock samples. For this rock lesson, 3rd graders make inferences about rock samples by observing and measuring them. This lesson contains 5 different stations for the students to go to. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Minerals of the Earth

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students learn and practice identifying Earth's minerals and their properties. Working in small groups, they evaluate minerals. This is a well-described lesson plan, which students enjoy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Minerals and the Products of Mining

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers plot where minerals come from and have an awareness of how mineral use makes the world interdependent. They examine how to identify some sort of mineral products they use each day.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dependence and Interdependence

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore the dependence and interdependence that plants and animals in every environment have on one another. They examine how plants and animals depend on each other for survival. Students complete a variety of experiments...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Earth

For Teachers 8th - 10th
In this Earth's environment worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 35 clues about a variety of topics related to our Earth. Topics include ecosystems, precipitation, biomes, energy transfer, soil, weathering and rocks.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sediment Sleuths

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars classify sediments based on their physical characteristics, such as size, shape and color. They identify and describe rocks and minerals that are common to their region of the state.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Computer Lab Lesson Plan - Science

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Pupils examine rocks and minerals. Using the internet, students research rocks and how they are formed. They use word processing software to list minerals and materials that form specific rocks.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Watching Crystals Grow

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ACTIVITY 6: MAKE A FOSSIL MOLD AND CAST and ACTIVITY 7: HOW BIG WERE PREHISTORIC ANIMALS?

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Instructions for two terrific ancient history lessons for your primary paleontologists are provided in this resource. The first involves the creation of fossil cast replicas using plaster of Paris. The directions are detailed, but the...