Rocks & Minerals

Unit Expectations
Skills

• mucking about
• learn to observe differences & similarities, classify
• learn how to use a Field Guide - as a way to identify & learn about something in nature
• be able to describe what you see using technical vocabulary
• write up observations using descriptive language and illustrate notes with labeled diagrams
• get up close & personal with rocks & minerals - enjoy touching them, appreciating them for their beauty and the marvels of nature
• view videos & take notes
• copy notes from the board, maintain a complete set of notes
• draw diagrams, label them and write short captions
• write definitions in a glossary
• study for a test
• maintain a neat and complete set of notes

Knowledge

• appreciate that almost everything in our man-made environment is made from rocks & minerals
• understand the rock cycle, how erosion works
• understand that "if it's not grown (plant or animal), then it is mined" - know some of the main uses of rocks & minerals
• know that there are 3 kinds of rocks - igneous, sedimentary & metamorphic
• know that fossils are plants & animals from long ago (millions of years) that were covered up with mud when they died and that their cells were replace with minerals - that is why fossils look like living things - except they are made of rock
• know the difference between a rock & a mineral
• know some of the tools used by rockhounds and geologists when they collect rocks & minerals
• know some of the main characteristics of minerals

Activities

• start a personal rock collection
• look at & touch a lot of different rocks & minerals
• locate the section in the library where books on rocks & minerals can be found
• use a Field Guide to identify some minerals
• look at many pictures of rocks & minerals - in books as well as on the web
• viewing & note taking - watch videos about rocks & minerals and make point form notes
• draw diagrams and copy notes from the board
• maintain a neat and complete set of notes
• participate in a field trip and write a report
• Rock Talk - research one rock or mineral using the internet and prepare a short talk on it - description, uses & interesting facts
• explore the web site www.rocksforkids.com
• participate in some simple science experiments
• Unit test & quizzes
• help out in the class Rock Shop

Quarry Field Trip In the past we have taken students to the following quarries: 

• Rock Trip to Milton Quarry, Dufferin Aggregates
• J. C. Duff Sand & Gravel, Limehouse
• Burlington Quarry, Nelson Aggregates
• The Aggregate Producers' Association of Ontario have been very helpful to us

Some Good Web Sites for Kids about Rocks, Minerals & Erosion

• RocksForKids.com
• Mineral Information Institute is a national USA not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating youth about the science of minerals and other natural resources, and about their importance in our every day lives. A super easy site to use. Click on the photo and you will get to a page that shows you photos of the mineral, describes it & tells you what the mineral is used for.
  • Common Minerals and their Uses http://www.mii.org/commonminerals.html

• Amethyst Gallery Inc. is a mineral dealer. This site has many photographs of minerals.

  • Minerals by Name Shows a Photo and has a full description of Physical Characteristics

  • Gemstones http://www.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/class.htm

  • Birthstones http://www.galleries.com/minerals/birthsto.htm

  • Minerals by their Chemical Composition or Class http://www.galleries.com/minerals/by_class.htm

• John Betts Fine Minerals is a mineral dealer. John is an avid rockhound. This site is very informative.

  • The photographs are sorted by images so that you don't need to know what a mineral is called to find a mineral you like the look of. Just click on the image and you will find out what it is called.

• International Colored Gemstone Association   This site has a lot of information and pictures of gemstones.

• The Image Gallery has many pictures and information on the physical properties of minerals & gemstones. Just go to a gallery & click on a name.

  • Mineral Gallery http://www.theimage.com/mineral/index.htm

  • Gemstone Gallery http://www.theimage.com/gemstone/gemstone.html

• Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada
  This association is very interested in providing information about mining in Ontario to students.
• Mineralogical Society of America - Mineralogy 4 Kids
• Building Wealth - An educational Game of the Mining Industry
  • Musee de la civilisation - bilingual site

National Geographic Magazine Articles on Rocks, Minerals and Erosion

• Oct. 1972 Mercury, Man's deadly servant p. 507

• Feb. 1974 The Glittering World of Rockhounds p.276

•     Questing for Gems p.835

• Sept. 1977 Salt - The essence of life p.381

• Sept. 1977 Amber, Golden Window on the Past p. 423

• Aug. 1978 Aluminum, The Magic Metal p.186

• Nov. 1983 The miracle metal - Platinum p.686

• Sept. 1984 Do we treat our soil like dirt? p.350

• Aug. 1985 Our restless planet Earth p.142

• Aug. 1985 Fossils: Annals of life written in rock p. 182

• July 1990 The timeless Mystique of Emeralds p.38

• July 1990 Hawaii's Volcanic Cradle of Life p.70

• Dec. 1998 Petra Ancient City of Stone p.116

• Dec. 1998 Dinosaur Embryos p.34 (fossils)

• April 1999 Copper Age p.70

• June 1999 A Dinosaur named Sue p.46 (fossils)

• June 1999 Sahara Rock Art p.98

• Oct. 1999 Rubies and Sapphires p.100

• Sept. 1999 Preserving Sahara Art p.82 (rock art)

• Mar. 2000 Hard Rock Legacy p.76 (mining)

• Oct. 2000 Sky-high over the Sonoran p. 31 (landscapes, deserts, dunes)

Source: It's all yours, Snoopy   by Charles M. Schulz