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Grade Level: Kindergarten
Objective:
Students will acquire background knowledge of rocks, how they are formed,
how they are used, and how to collect them.
State Goals Met In This Lesson:
State Goal 11: Understand the processes of scientific inquiry and
technological design to investigate questions, conduct experiments, and
to solve problems.
Learning Standard 11A: Know and apply the concepts, principles,
and processes of scientific inquiry.
Benchmark 11.A.1b: Develop questions on scientific topics.
Background:
This lesson will be introduced by reading to the class the book, Let's
Go Rock Collecting, written by Roma Gans and illustrated by Holly
Keller. It is a super introduction to a unit on rocks and minerals. While
the book does not contain a lot of in-depth information, it does provide
a broad base of general rock and mineral knowledge such as how different
rocks are formed, uses of rocks, and how to start your own rock collection.
Materials:
Teacher:
Let's Go Rock Collecting, by Roma Gans
Students:
Baggies to collect 3 rocks
Parent explanation letter (attached)
Preparation:
There will be three lessons in this series. The first lesson will be spent
reading the book, Let's Go Rock Collecting, followed by a discussion
of the book and student assignments. The second lesson will involve making
a word web, discussing how rocks are alike and how they are different,
and sorting the rocks that were brought in from their homework assignment.
The third lesson will focus on the uses of rocks in the past and present.
Then the students will select one of their rocks and incorporate it into
a picture to show its use.
Procedure:
- Gather students together for a read aloud of Let's Go Rock Collecting.
- Briefly discuss how different rocks are formed and changed over time.
What are some things that the students already know about rocks? Is
there anything that they do not know, but would like to learn? Suggestion:
You may want to do a K-W-L activity before reading the book to discover
what the students know about rocks coming into the lesson.
- Explain to the students that their homework assignment for tonight
will be to collect three rocks from around their house and bring them
to school tomorrow in their baggie. The three rocks should be different
from each other in some way.
- Send home the parent letter of explanation regarding the homework
assignment.
Extensions:
Students may want to start their own rock collection. Starting a rock
collection, using an empty egg carton as a rock-sorting box, can be simple
and fun. (See Let's Go Rock Collecting) It can become a life long
hobby and learning experience.
Assessment:
An informal evaluation will be done by teacher observation based upon
the student's ability to discuss the information contained in the book.
Completing the homework assignment could be another form of assessment.
Resources:
Non-Fiction Resources:
Gans, Roma. Let's Go Rock Collecting. Illustrated by Holly Keller.
HarperCollins Publishers. New York, 1997.
Young, Ruth M. Rocks and Minerals. Westminister, CA: Teacher Created
Materials, 2002.
Internet Resources:
Discovering Rocks
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/act/payton1.htm
Illinois State Goals
http://www.isbe.net
Illinois State Museum
http://www.museum.state.il.us/
Rock Collecting
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/lit/payton1.htm
Thematic Unit Rocks and Minerals
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/rocks.htm
Suggested Parent Letter:
Date_________________
Dear Parents,
We have begun a study about rocks and minerals. For one of our first
activities, we will be learning how rocks are alike and how they are different.
In order to do this, we will be sorting rocks by color, texture, size,
etc.
Please help your child find three rocks, put them in a ziplock bag, and
return them to school on the following date:____________. It would be
best if each of these rocks were different from each other in some way,
for example, different size, shape, color, etc. You are also welcome to
send in a small rock or mineral collection if you have one.
Thank you for helping your child find their rocks for this sorting activity!
Sincerely,
_____________________
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