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Engineering For The 3 Little Pigs
Students engage in a lesson which demonstrates the importance of rocks, soils and minerals in engineering and how using the right material for the right job is important. The students build three different sand castles and test them for...
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Making Predictions
Students collect and classify items. For this making predictions lesson, students go outside and collect specimens of plants, insects and minerals. They classify each item and place them in a Venn Diagram. Students compare and contrast...
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Crinoids: Flowers f the Iowa Seas
Students study the rocks and fossils associated with the geologic landscape of Iowa. In this rocks and fossils lesson, students examine fossils that would be found in the Iowa landscape that show evidence of marine invertebrates such as...
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Field Research Project: Comparing the Parent Rock Material of the San Francisco Terranes With Local Soil Types
Young scholars investigate rocks and minerals and take a field trip to sample soils. They analyze rocks and soil, research the geological terrenes of the topology of San Francisco, and produce a lab research report.
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This is Your Rock, This is My Rock
Fourth graders review the types of rocks and minerals they see in photographs. Individually, they are shown a sample of rocks or minerals and classify them based on their characteristics. They give their observations to another...
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Metamorphic Magic!
Students explore the steps involved in the formation of metamorphic rock as they prepare a cookie receipe. As part of the process, sedimentary rocks are created and changed through heat to a metamorphic cookie.
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Science: Rock On!
Fourth graders explore the traits of rocks and minerals in their local area. After creating a rock and mineral legend, they color maps based on their legends. Once students examine rock and mineral specimens, they draw pictures of them.
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Crystals
Students investigate patterns in solids, the structures of crystals and rocks made up of minerals. In this crystals lesson plan, students review solids, make patterns with Styrofoam balls, make crystals in the lab and observe their...
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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...
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Gallery Walk Questions about Energy and Material Cycles
Students state the physical, chemical or biological processes associated with these environments: Pelagic ocean zone, California coat Cave, Indiana Barrier island beach, North Carolina Sand dune, Dunes National Park, Colorado Wetland and...
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Science and Technology Timeline
Students develop a time line of discoveries that have occurred in their lifetime. In this time line lesson plan, students research scientifically or technologically related events of interest to them, write a brief description on a 4x6"...
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8th GRade SCience End of the Year Flip Video Review
Students explore video taping. For this science review lesson, students create a video of an assigned science unit as a peer study tool.
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Investigating Different Rock Types
Students analyze a rock using their eyes and then a hand lens. In this science lesson, students determine and discuss how hard or how easy it was to find and classify the assigned rock. Students record their observations on an index...
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Good Vibrations Remote Sensing data Collection: Thermal Emission Spectrometer
The Mars Global Surveyor spent two years creating a mineral map of the planet Mars using thermal emission spectrometry. To help young astronomers understand this remote sensing instrument, have them simulate how data is collected and...
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Just a Bag of Rocks
Middle schoolers examine and investigate a bag of rocks. They sort and classify the rocks, analyze the textures, and answer conclusion questions.
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Geologic Age
Young scholars investigate radioactivity as a tool for measuring geologic time and how geologists use this information to determine the absolute age of rocks or minerals.
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Disappearing Rocks
Students explore the causes of erosion and observe how different surfaces erode differently. They recognize erosion and predict what type of erosion caused it. In addition, they predict the outcomes of erosion on different materials.
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Investigation 2 - Classifying Rocks
Fourth graders identify basic properties of minerals and rocks. They access websites and utilize worksheets imbedded in this lesson plan to further their understanding of rock classification.
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Minerals- the Building Blocks of Rocks
Students investigate how rocks are composed minerals by dissecting rock cookies.
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Minerals, Crystals, and Gems
Students discover the relationships between minerals, crystals and gems. They bring in rocks that they find at home, in the schoolyard, etc. and examine them and attempt to identify them. They set up a classroom exhibit that includes all...
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Mining Minerals
Students define the properties of minerals and their uses in their world. In this multi-lesson unit, students contribute actively to discussions of mineral mining, mining methods and mine safety. A role play lesson asks students to...
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Classify Rocks
Students classify different types of rocks. In this earth science lesson, students test different rock samples and construct a chart to record observations. They create a concept map that answers essential questions.
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Sorting Rocks
Students devise a rock word web and sort rocks by applying the categories they discuss.
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Rocks, Rocks & More Rocks
Second graders work together to examine different types of rocks. They sort rocks according to their characteristics and properties.