Grade K Dynamic Earth TEKS K.7A

Grade K Dynamic Earth TEKS K.7A

Lesson 1

Observing Rocks

Essential Questions

• How does Earth recycle resources?
• What stories do rocks tell?
• What do the characteristics of rocks and soil tell us about their past?
• Where does all our water come from, and how do we describe it?

• How do we use materials we find in our natural world?
• What happens when we run out of certain resources?

/ Enduring Understandings

• As we observe rocks and soil, they tell us about their past.
• Water is found on Earth in its oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams.
• Earth produces resources that meet our needs.

Intended Learning Outcomes
Students will know:

• Rocks come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures.
• Scientists describe rocks by their properties.
• Rocks can be sorted by their properties.
• Properties of rocks determine how they can be used.

Students will be able to:

• Observe, describe, and comparerocksby size shape, color, and texture.
• Sort rocks by their properties.
• Tell what might be made from that type of rock based on its properties.

TEKS
K.7: Earth and space. The student knows that the natural world includes earth materials. The student is expected to:
K.7A: observe, describe, compare, and sort rocks by size,
shape, color, and texture / Essential Vocabulary

• property/ propiedad
• sort/ clasificar
• weight/ peso
• size/ tamaño
• color/ color
• texture/ textura
• shape/ forma
• heavy/ pesado
• heaviest/ más pesado
• large/ grande
• largest/ más grande
• small/ pequeño
• smallest/ más pequeño
• multi-colored/ de colores variados
• single colored/ de un solo color
• dark/ oscuro
• light/ ligero, liviano
• rough/ áspero
• smooth/ liso, suave
• dull/ opaco, desafilado
• shiny/ brilloso

Language Objectives:
Narrate, describe, compare and explain the various attributes of rocks.
Use appropriate materials along with the science notebook templates to observe and record information.
ELPS:
1C-Learning Strategies: Use strategic learning techniques such as concept mapping drawing, memorizing, comparing, contrasting, and reviewing to acquire basic and grade-level vocabulary.
3H-Speaking: Narrate, describe and explain with increasing specificity and detail as more English is acquired
College and Career Readiness Standards:
Engage in scholarly inquiry and dialogue.
Explore a research topic.
Consider arguments and conclusions of self and others.
21st Century Skills:Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts.
Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member.
Use of Data--Present analyzed data and communicate findings in a variety of formats.
Prioritize, plan and manage work to achieve the intended result.
Use technology to gather information.
Prior Learning:
Rocks are all around us in our world.
Rocks come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures.
TOC (Think/Observe/Conclude) or KWL (Know/Want to Know/Learned)
Encourage oral language by using TOC strategies: put kids in small groups and encourage them to come up with 2-5 things they agree about the topic of study or content. Students in this small group report to the whole group in 3 minutes. The purpose of this activity is to go deeper into the subject.
I think…
I observed…
I conclude…

Teacher Management

Estimated Time for Completion: 10 days

Materials (throughout the lessons)

• Wide variety of rocks to observe, describe, and sort (referred to as the “classroom collection” in the activities)including rocks of varying color, size, shape, texture, and hardness; these can be found in the environment as well as bought at museum and specialty shops, such as polished mineral samples and river rocks (can be found at craft stores)
• Photographs of rocks to supplement literature and rock samples

Day 1:Hand lenses, placemat (or piece of felt or white paper) for each student

Day 2: Pebbles/stones, preferably dull and smooth (e.g. #67 washed gravel from builder’s supply store) for children to wash, toothbrushes, hand lenses

Day 3:Hand lenses, containers for sorting (e.g. cups, bowls, muffin tins, egg cartons, ice cube trays)

Day 4:Small chunks of coal (charcoal briquettes), glass pie pan, old tablespoon, jar for mixing, salt, 2 T clear ammonia, 4 T laundry bluing (in laundry detergent section), food coloring, newspaper/table covering, optional: geode, examples of jewelry with crystals. As an option, you can also mix up a saturated solution of salt and water, pour it over a large rock that is sitting in a pie pan (or other container) and watch the crystals grow as the water begins to evaporate.

Day 5:Rocks that vary in hardness, pennies, three trays or baskets (labeled hard rocks, soft rocks, very soft rocks)

Day 6: Talcum powder, sidewalk chalk, pencil, optional: slate chalkboard

Day 7: One metal container and lid (e.g. coffee can) and several pieces of soft, crumbly rock (shale, soft sandstone) per small group; sandpaper

Day 8: Soil samples—topsoil, sand, clay and powdered rock samples, shallow containers to hold the soil; tweezers, hand lenses, hammer, thick fabric, rocks that can be smashed, ziplock bags, sharpies to label bags, safety goggles

Day 9:Clay (if clay is not available, model magic or play dough); rolling pins, bowls with water, items to make impressions/“fossil” prints—shells, plastic animals, leaves

Day 10: Examples and/or photographs of rocks/minerals in common materials such as: Pencil (graphite), Baby Powder (talc), emery board (pumice), Plaster of Paris (Gypsum), Toothpaste (Fluorite), Cables/Wires (copper), coasters, candleholders, kitchen items, jewelry, etc. that is made from rocks and minerals.

It is important to have a large variety of rocks. If you would like to build your classroom rock collection you may wish to contact one of these local establishments.

Local Rock Resources

Whittlesey Landscape Supplies - Round Rock - tell them you’re a teacher and they might let you collect some great rock samples for your classroom collection

Custom Stone - Austin – tell them you’re a teacher and they might let you collect some great rock samples for your classroom collection

Nature’s Treasures - Austin – polished and unpolished rocks, geodes and fossils

Advanced Teacher Prep

Day 1: Make sure you have enough rocks so that each small group has a wide selection to create their arrangements

Day 2: Set up rock washing stations with buckets of shallow water and toothbrushes at a table set apart from where students will record in notebooks.

Day 3:Set up sorting trays for pairs or for individual students.

Day 4:Set up area where demonstration will take place. If possible, do the activity at least one day before so that children will have finished crystals to observe after doing the activity together on Day 4.

Day 5:Label trays or baskets (hard rocks, soft rocks, very soft rocks).

Day 6:No additional prep needed

Day 7: Test the rocks you will be using to make sure they crumble and/or create sand in the bottom of the tins.

Day 8: Label Ziploc bags with children’s names; set up soil samples on tables with hand lenses and tweezers.

Day 9: Set up a workspace for each student to work with clay, such as a placemat, or cover tables with plastic tablecloths; place items to make impressions, rolling pins, and a bowl with a little water in it at each table.

Day 10: Make available the photographs and real examples of uses of rocks and minerals at a central table that children can browse; place rocks from the classroom collection in a bin at each table.

Anchors of Support

“What Have We Learned?” chart

Photographs and literature about rocks and minerals

Safety Considerations

Day 4: Keep ammonia bottle tightly capped until needed and open away from the face. Children must stand back when an adult pours ammonia and laundry bluing during the crystal activity.

Day7: Make sure the lids are on tightly on the coffee cans (or other container).

Day 8: Children must wear safety goggles during the rock breaking activity.

Day 9: Thoroughly wipe down all surfaces with wet cloths after using clay (the residual dust can be harmful if inhaled).

Literary Resources

• Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor
• If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian
• On My Beach There Are Many Pebbles by Leo Lionni
• Heart Stones by Josie Iselin
• Beach Stones by Margaret W. Carruthers
• If Rocks Could Sing: A Discovered Alphabet by Leslie McGuirk
• Dave’s Down-to-Earth Rock Shop by Stuart Murphy
• A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston
• Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie M. Rosinksy
• Fossils Tell of Long Ago by Aliki
• If You Are a Hunter of Fossils by Byrd Baylor
• Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries by Don Brown
• Rocks in His Head by Carol Otis Hurst
• Let’s Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans
• Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals by Chris Pellant
• Earthsteps: A Rock’s Journey Through Time by Diane Nelson Spickert
• Rocks: Hard, Soft, Smooth, and Rough by Natalie M. Rosinsky
• Spencer and the Rocks by Lawrence F. Lowery
• Julie the Rockhoundby Gail Langer Karwoski
• Extensive Earth Science Bibliography

Technology Resources

• Unit of Study on Rocks created by Gail Laubenthal and Robbie Polan. Many iPad app student examples are included in this resource.
• What Do We Use Rocks For? – a powerpoint that shows many great examples of how humans use rocks
• Discovery Streaming: search rocks and earth science

Suggestions for beginning or end of unit: Create a Poll and allow student to utilize a device like an IPhone, IPad, Smartphone, etc. These sites, Kahoot, Padlet, Poll Everywhere, allows teachers to create a poll for students to respond to. Show a group of students how to respond to the poll by passing around the device throughout the day if only one device is available, these students in turn will show the rest of the class. By the end of the day, as an exit slip strategy, review the poll results with the whole class. This should only take a few minutes and allows for a quick review of content learned.

Science Fusion Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Resources

Big Book of Science Vocabulary, p. 14

Student Edition, pp. 63-66

Assessment Guide, p. AG 47

Inquiry Flipchart, p. 15

Background Information for Teacher

A rock is a solid substance that occurs as a result of three geological processes: magma solidification, sedimentation, and metamorphism.

From GeoMan:

• Igneous: Igneous rocks are crystalline solids, which form directly from the cooling of magma. This is an exothermic process (it loses heat) and involves a phase change from the liquid to the solid state. The earth is made of igneous rock - at least at the surface where our planet is exposed to the coldness of space. Igneous rocks are given names based upon two things: composition (what they are made of) and texture (how big the crystals are).
• Sedimentary: In most places on the surface, the igneous rocks which make up the majority of the crust covered by a thin veneer of loose sediment, and the rock which is made as layers of this debris get compacted and cemented together. Sedimentary rocks are called secondary, because they are often the result of the accumulation of small pieces broken off of pre-existing rocks. There are three main types of sedimentary rocks:
• Clastic: your basic sedimentary rock. Clastic sedimentary rocks are accumulations of clasts: little pieces of broken up rock which have piled up and been "lithified" by compaction and cementation.
• Chemical: many of these form when standing water evaporates, leaving dissolved minerals behind. These are very common in arid lands, where seasonal "playa lakes" occur in closed depressions. Thick deposits of salt and gypsum can form due to repeated flooding and evaporation over long periods of time.
• Organic: any accumulation of sedimentary debris caused by organic processes. Many animals use calcium for shells, bones, and teeth. These bits of calcium can pile up on the seafloor and accumulate into a thick enough layer to form an "organic" sedimentary rock.
• Metamorphic: The metamorphic rocks get their name from "meta" (change) and "morph" (form). Any rock can become a metamorphic rock. All that is required is for the rock to be moved into an environment in which the minerals which make up the rock become unstable and out of equilibrium with the new environmental conditions. In most cases, this involves burial which leads to a rise in temperature and pressure. The metamorphic changes in the minerals always move in a direction designed to restore equilibrium. Common metamorphic rocks include slate, schist, gneiss, and marble.

Rocks can be classified by physical characteristics such as size, shape, texture, color, density, mass, and even taste. Students will practice using their sense of touch and sight to classify rocks. When children notice the specks and streaks of color in rocks, tell them that most rocks are mixtures of lots of different materials; the materials have a special name, minerals. There are about 2,000 kinds of minerals in the world (about 20 are most abundant). Different mixtures of minerals make different kinds of rocks, just like how different mixtures of ingredients can make different kinds of foods like cookies. Most cookie recipes have lots of the same ingredients, but just a few varying ones (chocolate chips, M&M’s, flavorings) can make a cookie look or taste very different. In cookies, sometimes we can see the ingredients (chips) and sometimes we can’t (flour); in rocks, too, sometimes we can see the minerals in the form of sparkles or specks. These mineral and mineral combinations give rocks their different colors. A red coloration usually indicates the presence of iron, smallish grayish crystals are usually quartz, and greenish or bluish coloration indicates copper content.

The surface of the Earth is constantly changing and rocks are constantly being broken down into smaller pieces. Weathering, or the process of breaking down of rocks, is due to the effects of wind, water, and ice. Wind blows small particles of rock and sand against large rock and slowly grinds them down. Water may carry small particles of rock as it flows over large rocks and slowly wear down the surface. When water seeps into rocks and freezes it expands and breaks down rocks. (Adapted from STEMscopes K7.A)

Rock is an important resource for humans. Due to their different properties and mineral content, rocks are used for different purposes. Humans have used different colored rocks since prehistoric times for building, jewelry and personal coloration. Rocks provide material for building, the ores from which metals are extracted, minerals that we use in our daily lives, and the soil which provides our food.

40 Common Minerals and their uses

Rocks and their uses

Timeline of Concepts and Questions

Day / Concept / Question in Child-Friendly Language
1 / Rocks come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. (CRM) / What do we think we know about rocks? How can we explore rocks?
2 / Scientists describe rocks by their properties. (CRM)
(Rock Color) / How do rocks look when dry and wet? (SEEY)
3 / Rocks can be sorted by their properties. (CRM)
(Sorting Rocks) / Can we find rocks that are alike in some way? (SEEY)
4 / Minerals form crystals. (SEEY)
(Rock Color) / How do crystals form on coal?
5 / Not all rocks are the same hardness; some rocks are softer than others, and some are harder than others.
(Rock Texture) / Which rocks are hard and which rocks are soft? (SEEY)
6 / Rocks slowly change by wearing away. (SEEY)
(Rock Shape) / How can we draw with rocks?
7 / Rocks slowly change by wearing away. (SEEY)
(Rock Shape) / How can we wear away bits of rock? (SEEY)
8 / Crumbled rocks and dead plants make soil. (SEEY)
(Rock Texture) / What happens when we pound soft rocks? What does soil look like? (SEEY)
9 / Old plants and animals left prints in rocks. (SEEY)
(Rock Shape) / How can we make a “fossil” print? (SEEY)
10 / Properties of rocks determine how they can be used. (CRM) / How are rocks used in our everyday lives?

***SEEY refers to Science Experiences for the Early Years: An Integrated Approach by Jean D. Harlan and Mary S. Rivkin.

Misconceptions

• Rocks are about the same size—they can’t be too little (e.g. pebbles or grains of sand are not rocks) or too big (e.g. boulders or mountains are not rocks).
• Rocks are all shades of brown or gray.
• Rock color does not change when put in water.
• All rocks are rough; rocks cannot be rough and smooth.
• Rocks are about the same shape.
• All rocks are hard and cannot break.
• Rocks are living things.

Probing Questions

• How can we explore rocks?
• How do rocks look when dry and wet?
• Can we find rocks that are alike in some way?
• Which rocks are hard and which rocks are soft?
• How can we wear away bits of rock?
• How can we draw with rocks?
• How do crystals form on coal?
• What does soil look like?
• How can we make a “fossil” print?
• How are rocks used in our everyday lives?
• Where are rocks used in our school and neighborhood?

All lesson resources provided within this lesson are for instruction by ALL teachers.