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Contents

• Introduction
• Kit Topics
• Objectives
• Themes and Concepts
• District Standards
• Assessment

Introduction

The Earth Materials unit is a Full Option Science Systems (FOSS) kit created by the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. It is published by Delta Education.

The Earth Materials unit consists of four sequential activities dealing with observable characteristics of solid materials from the earth - rocks and minerals. The focus is on taking materials apart to find what they are made of and putting materials together to better understand their properties.

Kit Topics

Activity 1: Mock Rocks

Part 1: Mock Rock Properties

Part 2: Take the Rocks Apart

Part 3: Settled Vials

Part 4: Salt Crystals

Activity 2: Scratch Test

Part 1: Observing Properties

Part 2: The Scratch Test

Activity 3: Calcite Quest

Part 1: Calcite Detectives

Part 2: Second-day Observations

Part 3: More Evidence

Activity 4: Take It for Granite

Part 1: Sorting Rocks and Minerals

Part 2: Observing Properties

Part 3: Minerals in Granite

Objectives

Students are expected to:

• develop an interest and wonder about earth materials.
• gain experiences with rocks and minerals.
• understand the process of taking apart and putting together to find out about materials.
• use measuring tools to gather data about rocks.
• collect and organize data about rocks.
• observe, describe, and record properties of minerals.
• seriate minerals on the basis of one property.
• investigate the effect of vinegar on a particular mineral, calcite.
• use evaporation to investigate rock composition.
• learn that rocks are mixtures of minerals and that minerals cannot be physically separated into other minerals.
• compare their activities to the work of a field geologist.
• acquire the vocabulary used in earth science.
• exercise language and math skills in the context of earth science.
• gain experience that will contribute to their understanding of several pervasive themes that relate one scientific idea to another: patterns, structure, interaction, and change.

Themes and Concepts

Activity 1: Mock Rocks

Themes:

• Pattern
• Change
• Structure

Concepts:

• Rocks can be taken apart into their components.
• Rocks exhibit a variety of properties, including shape, size, color, and texture.
• Water, settling, and evaporation can separate rocks into their components.
• Crystals form from evaporation of a saltwater mixture.

Activity 2: Scratch Test

Themes:

• Pattern
• Structure

Concepts:

• Rocks are composed of earth materials called minerals that cannot be physically broken apart any further.
• The property of hardness can be used to seriate minerals.
• Examples of minerals are quartz, fluorite, calcite, and gypsum.

Activity 3: Calcite Quest

Themes:

• Pattern
• Structure
• Interaction
• Change

Concepts:

• Calcite is a mineral that fizzes when placed in an acid.
• Minerals have different properties.
• Rocks can easily be tested for the presence of calcite using an acid such as vinegar.
• Rock samples are sandstone, limestone, marble, and granite.

Activity 4: Take It for Granite

Themes:

• Pattern
• Structure
• Interaction

Concepts:

• Rocks are made of minerals.
• The rock granite is made up of the minerals mica, feldspar, quartz, and hornblende.
• Some mineral properties are color, hardness, and luster.
• Properties of minerals are used to find out which minerals make up a rock.

District Standards

The Earth Materials kit meets the following Sate/District Standards:

Standard 1: Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. (1.a., 1.b., 1.c., 1.d.)

Standard 2: Physical Science: Students know and understand common properties, forms, and changes in matter and energy. (2.1.a., 2.1.b., 2.1.c., 2.3.b., 2.3.c.)

Standard 4: Earth and Space Science: Students know and understand the processes and interactions of earth's systems and the structure and dynamics of earth and other objects in space. (4.1.a.)

Standard 5: Students know and understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they affect the world. (5.a.)

Standard 6: Students understand that science involves a particular way of knowing and understand common connections among scientific disciplines. (6.a., 6.b., 6.c., 6.e.)

Assessment

The Earth Materials kit contains a set of assessments which can be used to monitor learning during or at the end of the module. The set contains (1) a Hands-on Assessment that uses materials from the module to assess performance and learning; (2) a Pictorial Assessment that requires the students to apply what was learned and communicate understanding; (3) a Reflective Questions Assessment that requires the student to reflect upon the content, recall information, and use knowledge in a way that is different from the way the information was presented in the activities. Using the assessments to monitor students over the course of the instruction will provide a record of individual progress as well as the overall progress of the class.

This web page is maintained by Joan E. Grant.