Focusing Activity

Today we are going to begin talking about rocks!  What are rocks? And what are they made out of?  Watch this video below to learn more about minerals and what minerals have to do with rocks.

Focus Questions

1. What are rocks made out of?
2. Where do you use rocks in your daily lives?

Thinking Outside the Box: Make a list of 5 things you want to find out further about rocks.

Update:  Go outside and find at least 10 different rocks.  Make observations for each rock.  List at least 5 different characteristics for each rock: dark, light, smooth, rough, shiny, dull, etc. and post your observations to the community.  

Bring your rocks to class tomorrow to discuss. 

Focusing Activity

Let's continue our discussion about rocks.  Do they have different characteristics? Does anyone have a rock collection? If so, where did your rocks come from?  Do they all look the same?

Watch the Youtube video below: Let’s Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans.

Focus Questions

1. Where are rocks found?
2. How are rocks used?

Thinking Outside the Box:  Make a list of 5 things you know about rocks.

Update:  You are to go outside and collect samples of different rocks, at least 25 rocks, and create your own classification system. Place them into groups based on your system.  Separate your rocks piles according to any group of characteristics, such as dark, light, smooth, rough, shiny, dull, etc.  Then complete a bar graph to illustrate some of the rock characteristics:

1. The vertical axis represents the number of rocks, and a list of 4-5 rock characteristics should be arranged along the horizontal axis.
2. Choose your rock characteristics, and then count the number of rocks that fit into each category.
3. Create a bar graph to the appropriate height, representing the number of rocks for each characteristic. You may create your bar graph by drawing neatly, or you can create your bar graph using the computer.  
4. Bring your bar graph to class for discussion. 

Focusing Activity

Do you know how many different kinds of rocks there are?  Watch the video below that describes the different kinds of rocks and how they are formed.

Read more on the different categories of rocks below

classifying-rocks.pdf

Focus Questions

1. List the names different categories of rocks.
2. How are the different categories of rocks created?

Thinking Outside the Box:  Where are the different categories of rocks found?  Give examples from your every day life.

Update:  What do you notice about the image below?  Post an update in the community and list 3 things you observe about the image.  

We will be doing an activity in class tomorrow.  Be thinking about what it could possibly be.  We will be using the below items:

1. Wax paper
2. Magnifying glass
3. Water
4. Sugar
5. Gravel
6. Sand
7. Spoon
8. Paper cups

Focusing Activity

We have learned so far the rocks are solid made up of a bunch of different minerals, and there are 3 different categories of rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic.  These 3 categories make up what is called the rock cycle.  But how do rocks become one of these 3 cagegories?   

Rocks are constantly changing in what is called the rock cycle. It takes millions of years for rocks to change. Take a look at the diagram below.  It will give you a better idea of what the rock cycle looks like.

One thing to remember though, is that rocks don't need to follow this specific cycle. They may change from one type to another and back again in any order.

Please watch the below video which discusses the rock cycle in more detail.

Focus Questions

1. When magma cools under the earth's surface, what kind of rock would that be?
2. Are we able to watch the rock cycle in real time? Explain.

Thinking Outside the Box: How do the different types of rocks behave differently under different conditions?

Update:  Click here and follow the slide show to see more details on how the rock cycle works.

Create an update in the community and discuss how you think the rock cycle helps scientists to decipher things about past periods on Earth. 

Peer Reviewed Project: Choice 1

Create an electronic journal. The focus of your journal is rocks and everything you have learned about rocks so far.  It will need to include the following: 

1. Title page

2. Definition of rocks and how they are used in our daily lives.

3. Describe each of the different kinds of rocks we have learned about.  Discuss how each kind of rock is formed. 

4. Tell me what is the most interesting thing you have learned about rocks so far.

Please review the rubric below to know how you will be graded.

Peer Reviewed Project: Choice 2

Create a digital scrapbook. You will put together a small scrapbook of different kinds of rocks and what you have learned about rocks so far. Your scrapbook will need to include the following:

1. Title page

2. Pictures of the different kinds of rocks along with their definitions

3. Illustration (your own illustration or one found online) on how rocks are formed with a description of the illustration in your own words.

4. Tell me what is the most interesting thing you have learned about rocks so far.  You can include pictures but the pictures must include descriptions. 

Please review the rubric below to know how you will be graded.

Focusing Activity

Does anyone know what Weathering is?  Let's watch the below videos to get a better idea of how weathering and erosion work into our Rock unit. 

Read the article about Weathering and Erosion below. 

What_20is_20Weathering_20info_20sheet.pdf

Focus Questions

1. What kind of things cause weathering and erosion?  

Thinking Outside the Box: Can you think of anything that you have seen in real life that has been weathered?

Update:  Complete the attached worksheet based on the information you read above.  Color in whether the process being shown in the picture is erosion or weathering.  Explain your answer in the space provided.  Bring your worksheet to class and be prepared to discuss your answers. 

weathering-and-erosion.pdf

Focusing Activity

To begin today's lesson, I want you to rub 2 rocks together over a paper bag. What do you notice about the different types of rocks? What is the breakdown of these rocks forming?

Watch the video below to get a better idea of what happens to rocks to form soil.

The below image is a diagram showing how soil is formed.  Let's take a look to get a better image in our head of how this happens.

Focus Questions

1. What happens when you rub the rocks together?

Update:  Read the Soil AgMag here from Ag in the Classroom.  After reading the article, complete the attached worksheet and bring to class tomorrow for discussion. 

Why_20is_20Soil_20Important_20wrksht.pdf

Be prepared for an activity in class tomorrow by thinking about what we will do with the following items:  

1. Plastic Cup
2. Kix cereal
3. Rice Krispies cereal
4. Cocoa Krispies cereal
5. Raisin Bran cereal

What do you think it will be?! 

Focusing Activity

Today you will be learning about different types of soil.  Let's read about it on the attached article below.

Types_20of_20Soil_20pg1.pdf

Watch the video below to learn more about the different types of soil.

Focus Questions

1. What do rocks have to do with soil?

Update:  Discuss the descriptions of the types of soil. Post it to the community so you can comment on at least one other student's update and build on each other's comments. Use some of the following sentence frames if needed:

"I agree with ____ because..."
"I disagree with ____ because..."
"What you said made me think about...."

 Complete the worksheet below and bring it to class for further discussion.

Soil_20questions_20worksheet.pdf

Assessment Update:

For this assessment, you will turn in your completed journal you have been keeping throughout the unit. In addition, you will be writing a story! A ROCK story! 

You are to create a rock character.  Give it a name, give it different characteristics that a rock would have.  Your character will go on a journey where it encounters erosion and weathering, and other rock or dirt characters.

You can type your story, write it at the end of your journal, or go as far as making it into a book. This is up to you, but your story must have as much information about what we have learned throughout the unit as possible.  Have fun with this! 

We will be reading our stories to the class when they are completed!