Unit Plan

Rocks & Minerals

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Rocks & Minerals unit plan also includes:

Take young geologists on an exploration of the rock cycle with this six-lesson earth science unit on rocks and minerals. Through a series of discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on investigations your class will learn about the different types of minerals, and investigate the processes that create and transform igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.

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CCSS: Adaptable
NGSS: Adaptable
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Instructional Ideas
  • After learning about the three types of rocks, split the class into groups and have them create posters describing each kind and display them on a science bulletin board
  • Create a "Mystery Rock" station where students finishing a lesson early can perform tests in order to classify an unknown rock sample
Classroom Considerations
  • Unit requires rock and mineral samples for students to investigate, which may need to be purchased if not already available at your school
  • Lessons require significant teacher preparation, so be sure to plan accordingly
Pros
  • A rubric is provided for assessing students' oral presentations
  • Answer keys are provided for each practice exercise included in this unit
  • Includes a recipe for making "mock rocks," which students investigate during the unit
  • An end-of-unit summative assessment is included with accompanying answer key
Cons
  • None