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Grade Level: 3 - 4
Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the properties
of minerals and to learn more about Illinois’ state mineral, fluorite,
using technology as the primary teaching/learning tool. This lesson is
in the form of a “WebQuest” with several interactive components.
Suggested Goals:
Using technology, students will learn about the background and properties
of minerals and will receive an introduction to how geologists test the
properties of minerals. Students will also learn specifically about fluorite,
its properties and importance to Illinois. Students will conduct simulated
tests on a piece of fluorite, analyze data, and record results on the
provided forms.
Objectives:
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Define the characteristics of a mineral;
- Demonstrate the proper procedure for two mineral identification tests
(hardness and streak) and record the hardness and streak of fluorite;
- List relevant facts about fluorite including its commercial uses,
natural location in Illinois, and importance in Illinois’ history.
Background:
Ideally, this WebQuest would complement a lesson on minerals and/or fluorite,
the State Mineral of Illinois. A brief discussion about or additional
background information on minerals, fluorite, and how geologists test
and identify the properties of minerals would be helpful.
What are Minerals?
Minerals are elements or compounds that are found naturally in rocks or
soil. All minerals share certain characteristics and have these things
in common:
- Minerals are not normally found as liquids or gases. They are usually
solids.
- Minerals form naturally. They are not created by people.
- Minerals form an orderly, repetitive arrangement. The atoms that minerals
are made up of are connected to each other in a pattern. Fluorite often
forms beautiful cube-shaped crystals.
- Each mineral has a unique chemical composition which also means it
has its own chemical formula. The chemical formula for fluorite is CaF2
(calcium fluoride).
Mineral Tests
There are a number of tests geologists perform to identify minerals. These
tests look at different properties of the minerals being tested. This
lesson introduces students to two of the more common tests: testing for
the "streak" of a mineral using a streak plate and testing for
the “hardness” of a mineral using the Mohs Scale of Hardness.
Background information on mineral tests and the Mohs Scale of Hardness
can be found in the WWW links listed below.
Fluorite Facts
- The term “fluorescent” comes from fluorite.
- The name fluorite comes from the Latin fluere, which means “to
flow.”
- The hardness of fluorite (on the Mohs scale) is 4.
- Fluorite's streak is white.
- Fluorite is most commonly purple, but can also be blue, green, yellow,
pink, and brown.
Commercial Uses of Fluorite
Fluorite is very important to the economy of the United States. It has
many commercial uses. Fluorite is found in many products you use every
day. The raw mineral is used in smelting iron, manufacturing glass, making
enamel glazes, and ceramics. In the form of hydrofluoric acid, fluorite
is used in refining aluminum, refining uranium for nuclear reactors, and
making rocket fuel. In the form of various fluorine-based chemicals, fluorite
is used in toothpaste, optical lenses, plastics, herbicides, and medicines.
WebQuest Background:
In this WebQuest, the student(s) takes on the role of a boy who has a
little brother named Billy and a mother who works at a museum. It’s
a big day for Mom! She has been in charge of designing a new museum exhibit
entitled “Minerals of Illinois” and is taking the kids to
the dedication of the new exhibit where the Governor of Illinois will
be speaking.
While waiting for the dedication to begin, Billy rips the label off of
the Fluorite exhibit, and it is up to the WebQuest character to “fix”
the exhibit label before the Governor arrives to speak at the dedication.
The student “fixes” the fluorite exhibit label by reading
and interacting with the WebQuest, and then recording the information
found in WebQuest pages on a Museum Exhibit Label.
Materials:
Preparation:
- Print out the three pages of the Museum Exhibit Label handout and
assemble them with tape or glue into one big page. Students should be
able to do this with teacher direction. Students will need the assembled
Museum Exhibit Label page prior to reading page 8 of the WebQuest.
- Print out the four pages of the Datasheets handout. Students will
need the four pages prior to reading page 12 of the WebQuest.
- It is suggested that the teacher work through the WebQuest before
the students attempt it. This will help the teacher to get a feel for
the length and organization of the lesson. Also, it will let the teacher
determine if the Adobe Acrobat Reader and Macromedia Flash
Player are already installed and working on your computer. These
should be installed and working before the students attempt the WebQuest.
- Bookmark the WebQuest on the computer(s) so it will be easier for
the students to access. It is located at http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us/tools/lessons/4.1/webquest/
- You may want to go through the WebQuest and pull out some vocabulary
words you think your students may need to go over before they go through
this activity on their own. Prepare a list and go over the terms with
the class.
Procedure:
If participating in the entire WebQuest, students will read through the
WebQuest pages and fill in the blanks on the Museum Exhibit Label and
the Datasheets.
- Museum Exhibit Label answers. Most of the answers to the Museum
Exhibit Label will be found on page 9 of the WebQuest. Students will
spend approximately 20 minutes on this page. They will be using a Flash
animation depicting a book titled, “Fluorite Facts” to find
the answers.
- Datasheets answers. Most of the answers to the Datasheets will
be found on pages 11, 12, and 13 of the WebQuest. Students will spend
approximately 15 minutes on this page. They will use animated images
to perform simulated scratch and streak tests on piece of fluorite,
then record their data and results from mineral tests on the Datasheets.
A shorter alternative may be to simply have the students hunt for the
answers to the questions on the following pages.
- Museum Exhibit Label (answers found on page 9 of the WebQuest).
This hunt would complement a lesson on minerals in general and fluorite
as it relates to Illinois.
- Datasheets (answers found on pages 11-13 of the WebQuest).
This hunt would complement a lesson or serve as an introduction on Mohs
Scale of Hardness and how geologists perform mineral identification
tests, specifically hardness and streak tests.
Extensions:
Students can research other minerals and create additional museum exhibit
labels similar to the one created for fluorite. A blank museum exhibit
label is included in the Answers handout for this purpose.
Assessment:
Assessment for this activity should be based on the student’s ability
to correctly fill in answers on the Museum Exhibit Label and the Datasheets.
Lesson Specifics:
- Time Required: If students are participating in the entire WebQuest,
it may take two to three 30-minute class periods. See the Procedures
section of this lesson plan for a shorter alternative.
- Group Size: Teams of two to three students are suggested, but the
lesson can be done individually if enough computers are available. If
you have only one computer, you will need to use a projector to guide
the entire class through the WebQuest.
Illinois State Board of Education Goals and Standards:
- 11.A.2d: Use data to produce reasonable explanations.
- 12.E.1a: Identify components and describe diverse features
of the Earth's land, water and atmospheric systems.
- 13.A.2b: Explain why similar investigations may not produce
similar results.
- 17.C.1a: Identify ways people depend on and interact with the
physical environment (e.g., farming, fishing, hydroelectric power).
Print Resources:
- Parker, Steve. DK Eyewitness Explorers: Rocks and Minerals.
ISBN: 0613086678.
- Pellant, Chris. Eyewitness Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals. ISBN:
1-56458-033-4.
- Ricciuti, Edward R. Rocks and Minerals. Scholastic Science
Readers, Level 2. ISBN: 0439382467.
- Golden Guide: Rocks and Minerals. ISBN: 0-307-24499-7.
Web Resources:
- Minerals in general
- Fluorite in particular
- Mineral Properties/Mineral Testing/Mohs Scale of Hardness
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