Earth Science Activities - Rock properties;
Inquiry Process - Classification, observation, evidence, and reasoning to understand. (1st - 2nd Grade)
Questioning is the foundation of all learning.
The first step in rejecting not knowing is to ask, why?
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Page Overview:
Introducton
This investigation explores rocks, their properties, and different ways to classify rocks.
Related resources:
Related study activities
- Rocks - observations & properties THIS UNIT - grades 1-2
- Soil, roots, and plants - grades 3-8
- Homemade rocks - properties, tests - grades 3-4
- Rock cycle - grades 6-8
- Rock cycle - diagram
- Measurement as an observable property: linear, volume, mass, temperature, & area
Photos and materials
Concepts and outcomes
Content - Earth Science - Rocks and their properties
What we learn with science - enduring understanding, big ideas, generalizations
Rocks are composed of Earth materials.
Related concepts and facts
- Rocks are composed of Earth materials - sand, silt, humus (leaves, plant parts, animal parts, microorganism), gravel, rocks ...
- Rock properties include luster, hardness, color, mass, density, crystals and if present their size,
Outcome
Describe properties of rocks.
Specific outcomes
- Identify common properties of rocks (color, hardness, crystals, grainy, size, luster).
- Describe rocks by their properties.
- Identify rocks by common properties.
Source - Knowledge base
Inquiry Processes
Observation and properties
How science explores and uses observation and properties to understand and explain.
Observation can be used to identify properties to describe characteristics of objects and objects themselves.
Related concepts and facts
- Observation can be used to identify properties of objects.
- Objects have many properties.
- Objects can be described and compared by properties.
- Properties are size, color, shape, texture,
Outcome
Make observations, identify properties/ characteristics and use them to describe objects.
Specific outcomes -
- Describe an object by its properties.
- Describe the term - property and provide at least two examples (color, hardness, texture, luster, crystal, mass, size, shape, temperature, amount, volume, rate, ...
- Recognize that some properties are necessary to include when describing an object.
- Recognize that a sufficient number of properties needs to be included to describe an object.
- Recognize a unique set or properties is required to distinguish a unique object.
System, order, organization - classification
Properties can be used to organize objects as similar or different and into groups with similar properties (classification).
Related concepts and facts
- Properties/ characteristics can be used to group objects.
- Objects can be grouped by similar properties/ characteristics.
- Classification systems can be changed by changing the properties/ characteristics used to group the objects.
Outcome
Group and regroup rocks based on observed properties.
Specific outcomes
- Classify objects by their similar properties or characteristics.
- Create a classification system to classify rocks.
- Modify their classification system to include additional properties
- Use their classification system to classify unfamiliar objects (rocks).
- Group and regroup rocks based on observed properties.
- Students will suggest a classification system, that operates like the one created and used for rocks, could be created and used to classify animals or plants or other things with many properties.
Source - Knowledge base
Scoring guides suggestions (rubric)
(scoring guide)
Top level
- Rocks are all made with different Earth materials that are distributed in random (unorganized, messy, jumbled) ways. [Glass, plastic, wood, seashells are more organized through out their entire object.] [Minerals within rocks are very organized with crystalline structures.]
- Rocks can be different depending on their color or shape.
- Rocks are solid and hard.
- Rocks are made from mountain material.
- Sand is sand.
Lower level
Observation, properties, & defining / identifying objects (scoring guide)
Classification development levels summary
Top level
- Recognizes that objects are classified by properties selected according to a particular task.
- Recognizes and uses class inclusion. All rocks are solids. This is a rock, therefore, it's a solid.
- Use properties to identify objects and group them with other objects by similar properties.
- Use properties to identify and validate objects.
- Describe and identify objects by shape as a general silhouette or looks like.
Lower level
Pedagogical ideas
Activity Sequence
- Activity 1 - Observe rocks and non rocks and sort them into groups.
- Activity 2 - Observe different rocks and group. Draw and record observations with explanations as to similarities and differences.
- Activity 3 - Discuss how the different properties such as luster, hardness, can it be sanded, are there crystals?
- Activity 5 - Introduce other properties, how to determine a range for those properties, and model how. Then provide additional rocks and have students group or regroup the rocks.
- Activity 1 - Visit a place with different rocks, determine how they are grouped, and have students compare that grouping to one of theirs.
Focus questions
- What is a rock?
- What are the properties of rocks?
- From what are they made?
- How are they made?
Materials
- Assorted rocks learners bring. May want to add a few with properties that learners will not provide.
- How glass is made (7:45) Source YouTube
- Ten none rocks
Non rock ideas to select ten objects to explore with the rocks
- Glass gems or marbles properties
- Rock like - solid, round, hard, shiny surface.
- Not rock like - missing rock-like small grains.
- Pennies (or other coins) properties
- Rock like - Metallic, solid, hard, feel like real ores
- Not rock like - It's pure, uniform, consistent with the same substance through out. Not like mixed with impurities or combination of substances.
- Wooden blocks (cube or square): properties
- Rock like - Solid, hard,
- Not rock like - scratch test easily scratched with finger nail between the grains it's squishy, Maybe can tell it is organic (grown) not geological.
- Clay balls or ceramic beads properties
- Rock like - Heavy and moldable (or dried to feel like a mudstone),
- Not rock like - Consider how it's human made texture is different than geologically made earthly textures. It's uniform, consistent with the same substance through out.
- Seashells properties
- Rock like - solid, hard, grainy, small sand like particles
- Not rock like - This is tough because you need to consider that it was an animal and naturally made not a geological rock.
- Metal washers properties
- Rock like - solid, hard, heavy, has the density of metallic minerals
- Not rock like -It's pure, uniform, consistent with the same substance through out. Not like mixed with impurities or combination of substances.
- Plastic bottle caps properties
- Rock like - Solid, maybe hard, color,
- Not rock like - lightweight, flexible, It's pure, uniform, consistent with the same substance through out.
- Pom-poms properties
- Rock like - Solid, maybe color
- Soft and fuzzy, providing an easy sensory contrast to heavy, cold rocks.
- Cloth like felt shapes properties
- Rock like - Solid maybe color
- Not rock like - Soft and flat, showing how humans craft fabrics rather than raw natural resources.
- Buttons could be plastic, wood, or bone properties
- Rock like - allowing children to sort by material and origin.
- Not rock like - It's pure, uniform, consistent with the same substance through out.
- Foam craft shapes properties
- Rock like - solid, maybe color
- Not rock like - Extremely lightweight and porous, contrasting heavily with the density of rocks. It's pure, uniform, consistent with the same substance through out.
- Craft feathers properties
- Rock like - Solid
- Not rock like - Very soft, light, and organic, ensuring an obvious "not a rock"
Lesson plans
Activity 1 - rock or not?
Materials
Twenty objects, ten non rocks, ten rocks, magnifying lens, lab notes, tray
Put learners in groups. Pairs are best, but if materials are limited maybe put twoor three pairs together to share one set of materials.
Explain they are going to look at twenty objects and going to sort them into groups.
Activity 2 - Exploration - Rock properties
Materials
Learners bring rocks from their neighborhood, supplemental rocks to observe, plastic knife, piece of weathered glass or glass marble, magnifying glass, tray for rocks,
- Learners bring some rocks from their neighborhood to put into a mixed collection or rock samples for the class.
- Divide the rocks onto trays so each science group has about ten rock samples. Also include a magnifying glass, items to use for a scratch test (plastic knife, glass, ...)
- Students make and record observations of the rocks (use all senses, but taste).
- Ask. Which belong together?
- Group them and describe what criteria they used to decide in what group to put each and record it on a note card.
- Have groups share their groupings and criteria for each.
- Have group compile a list of properties they used to classify their rocks. (color, size, weight, texture, crystals, hardness, chemical makeup, other)
- Have students put each group of rocks into a separate box.
- Have groups share how they combined the properties to create the classifications they used.
- Have groups regroup their rocks in light of what other groups may have reported.
Activity 3
- Introduce properties that they did not use and discuss how they might be considered as variables (any from above, fracture, crystal, grain size, density, or other).
- Model how to determine ranges for different rock properties.
- Ask if the additional properties should be used to create a better system.
- Have learners create a more complex classification system. Rocks with small grains that have rough edges and rocks with smooth melty like surfaces
- Have them share a variety of complex groupings.
Activity 4
- Provide additional rocks learners haven't observed before and have them tell how they would fit into their classification system.
- Have them write their responses and share them with the class.
Activity 5
- Visit a museum or invite a geologist or jeweler to share related rock and classification system ideas.
- Describe rocks as ...
Lab Notes
Rock properties.
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