Grade 3 Science

Unit Outline Title:Rock On!
Topic Title: Rocks and Minerals
Name of Lesson: Box of Rocks
Suggested Time: 1 class period
Standards: S3E1a, S3CS1, S3CS3, S3CS8
Essential Question(s):
Unit: What are the similarities and differences between rocks and minerals?
Lesson:
  • How can we use physical attributes to classify rocks and minerals?
  • How do rocks look?
  • What physical attributes do minerals have?
  • What makes that rock on a girl’s hand not a rock at all?

Assessment Description/Performance Task:
Constructed response Informal assessment
Performance task Selected response
Brief Description:
  • Students will sort various unlabeled rocks and minerals based on physical attributes.

Instructional Methods
Hook
  • Show students a box of assorted rocks and minerals. Explain to the students that you ordered a sample of rocks and minerals from the WeinmanRockMuseum in Cartersville. Somehow the rocks and minerals were all mixed together in the mail. Tell the students you need their help sorting them into groups.
Procedure:
  • Explain to students that one way scientists sort or classify objects is by using physical attributes or how they look.
  • Define attributes as characteristics we can observe that allows us to distinguish one sample from another. For example, color is an attribute. Ask students to name others, (such as hardness, texture, shape, or size.) List all the attributes the students can think of on the board.
  • Give groups of students samples of varied rocks and minerals. Allow students to observe the rocks and minerals using hand lenses for a brief time.
  • Next, have students group all of the samples into two or more groups according to one attribute without letting the other groups know what property.
  • Groups will tour other student’s samples and guess which attribute was used to sort the rocks and minerals.
  • Students should return and create two groups, one group of rocks and a group of minerals.
  • Allow groups to tour once again and see how they grouped.
  • Class discussion what were the similarities, what were the differences?
  • Provide students will labeled rock and mineral samples. Allow students to determine how their groups compare.
Follow-Up Activity
  • Use Harcourt Science textbook Chapter 1 Lesson 1 page C6 and page C8. Have students read the two pages and discuss the differences between minerals and rocks.
Assessment:
  • Provide students with a blank Venn diagram graphic organizer. Have students compare and contrast the diagram based on what they learned during the performance task. Assess students on the correctness of the attributes identified in the organizer.
  • Teacher observation of students during sorting of rocks and minerals into groups, and verbal discussions between student groups when identifying which attributes were used to sort.
  • Have students answer the review question on the bottom on page C6, “Name three properties of minerals.”

Differentiation:
  • Resource and ESOL Students are given the property to use for sorting.
  • Target students will investigate specific names for the rocks and minerals.

For this Lesson:
  • Visit local rock plant for free rock samples to use when sorting.
  • Rock and mineral collection including: schist, halite, granite, quartz, basalt, galena, slate, obsidian, shale, conglomerate
  • Labeled rock and mineral samples.
  • Visit the WeinmanMineralMuseum website for photos, Georgia specific data, and resources.

Vocabulary:
  • rock
  • mineral
  • attributes (color, shape, texture, hardness)
  • classify
  • measure
  • observe
  • streak test

CCSD Version Date: July 13, 2006