THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 1–8
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Science and Technology
GRADE 4 ROCKS
& MINERALS ~ UNDERSTANDING EARTH AND SPACE SYSTEMS
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
1. assess the social and
environmental impacts of human uses of rocks and minerals;
2. investigate, test, and compare the physical properties of rocks and
minerals;
3. demonstrate an understanding of the physical properties of rocks and
minerals.
OVERVIEW
The study of rocks and minerals introduces students to
the science of geology. By examining different types of rocks and
minerals found in the earth's crust, students will learn that the unique
characteristics and properties of rocks and minerals are a result of how
they were formed. Such properties determine possible uses. It is
important that students become aware of how human uses of rocks and
minerals not only alter the landscape but also affect the environment in
various other ways.
Because rocks and minerals are such an integral part of our lives, it
may be hard for students in Grade 4 to see the issues clearly. It would
be very easy for their viewpoint to be skewed as they come to realize
the impacts associated with just one person's yearly use of these
natural resources (including impacts from mining, manufacturing, use,
and disposal). Therefore, it is critical that they be given
opportunities to look at the issues from the standpoint of all
stakeholders: mining companies, communities where the mines are located,
manufacturers, those who are dependent on the natural environment, and
people who benefit from the use of the products – the students and their
families. In communities where mining or related manufacturing processes
provide the livelihood for parents of many students, teachers must be
sensitive to the feelings of all students when discussing the costs and
benefits of using everyday objects and products made from rocks and
minerals.
It is important that students be able to identify and demonstrate an
understanding of practices that ensure their own personal safety and the
safety of others. For example, students need to know that some places
might be unsafe for collecting their rock samples (e.g., a construction
site) and that they need to wear eye protection when conducting
investigations (e.g., when chipping samples).
Fundamental Concepts
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Big Ideas
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Change and
Continuity
Sustainability
and Stewardship
Structure and Function
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Rocks and minerals have
unique characteristics and properties that are a result of
how they were formed. (overall expectations 2 and 3)
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The properties of rocks and minerals
determine society's uses for them.
(Overall
expectations 1 and 2)
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Our use of rocks and minerals affects the environment.
(Overall expectation 1)
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Overall
Expectations
1. ASSESS the social and environmental
impacts of human uses of rocks and minerals;
2. INVESTIGATE, TEST, and COMPARE the physical properties of
rocks and minerals;
3. DEMONSTRATE an understanding of the physical properties of
rocks and minerals.
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|Specific
Expectations
1
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Relating
Science and Technology to Society and the Environment
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Assess the social and environmental costs and benefits of using
objects in the built environment that are made from rocks and
minerals
Sample issues:
(a) Quarried stone, sand, and gravel are used to make
concrete. We need the strength and long life that concrete
gives to roads and buildings, but making concrete uses a lot
of natural resources and energy.
(b) Aluminum is used to make soft drink containers and trash
cans. It can be recycled many times, and recycling uses much
less energy than making aluminum from ore.
(c) One person uses 5.4 kilograms of salt per year on food
and another 180 kilograms a year for other things, such as
de-icing roads and sidewalks in winter. We need salt in our
diet, but when we use it excessively on our roads and
sidewalks, it causes damage to cars, water, and plants.
(d) Clay is used to make
plates and mugs, bricks for buildings, and kitty litter, but
clay is mined. The products made from it break down at rates
that are similar to those for other rocks.
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Analyse the impact on society and the environment of extracting
and refining rocks and minerals for human use, taking different
perspectives into account (e.g., the perspectives of mine
owners, the families of the miners, Aboriginal communities, the
refinery workers, manufacturers of items who need the refined
rocks and minerals to make their products, residents who live in
communities located near refineries and manufacturing facilities
and who are concerned about the environment)
Sample issues:
(a) Surface mining is used to extract rocks and minerals
for eventual human use. It is less hazardous for humans than
underground mining, but it has a greater impact on the
surface landscape, including the removal of significant
amounts of rich topsoil. Efforts are being made by mining
companies to reclaim land where mines and quarries have been
closed. Mined-out quarries can be filled with water and used
for recreational purposes. When a mine is closed, the
topsoil that had been removed can be replaced and native
species replanted.
(b) The smelting process is necessary to extract the
metals contained in some ores that can then be made into
products for human use. But the process produces waste
materials, including gases that contribute to climate
change, acid rain, and smog.
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2
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Developing
Skills of Scientific Investigation and Technological Problem
Solving
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Follow established safety procedures for
outdoor activities and for working with tools, materials, and
equipment (e.g., use scratch and streak test materials
for the purposes for which they are intended; when working
outdoors, leave the site as it was found). |
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Use a variety of tests to identify the physical properties of
minerals (e.g., hardness [scratch test], colour [streak test],
magnetism). |
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Use a variety of criteria (e.g., colour,
texture, lustre) to classify common rocks and minerals according
to their characteristics. |
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Use scientific inquiry/research skills (see page 15) to
investigate how rocks and minerals are used, recycled, and
disposed of in everyday life.
(e.g., nickel and copper are made into coins; coins that
are out of circulation can be melted down and the metal can
be used for making other things; calcium [from limestone],
silicon [from sand or clay], aluminum [from bauxite], and
iron [from iron ore] are made into cement that is used for
roads and buildings; concrete can be returned to cement and
concrete production facilities, and can be recycled; rocks
from quarries are used for garden landscaping, and these
rocks can be reused; marble is used for countertops and
statues)
Sample guiding questions: Where might we find products made
from rocks and minerals in our daily life? How might you find
out other ways in which rocks and minerals are used in everyday
items? Why might some people and groups have concerns about the
use of some of these rocks and minerals? What might be some
alternative materials that could be used instead of the rocks
and minerals? How are some of the items made from rocks and/or
minerals disposed of when they are no longer useful? Which
minerals can be recycled or reused in other products?
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Use appropriate science and technology
vocabulary, including hardness, colour, lustre, and texture, in
oral and written communication. |
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Use a variety of forms (e.g., oral,
written, graphic, multimedia) to communicate with different
audiences and for a variety of purposes (e.g., use a graphic
organizer to show how rocks and minerals are used in daily
life). |
3
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Understanding Basic Concepts
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Describe the difference between rocks
(composed of two or more minerals) and minerals (composed of the
same substance throughout), and explain how these differences
determine how they are used. |
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Describe the properties (e.g., colour,
lustre, streak, transparency, hardness) that are used to
identify minerals. |
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Describe how igneous, sedimentary, and
metamorphic rocks are formed.
- Igneous rocks form when hot,
liquid rock from deep below the earth's surface rises
towards the surface, cools, and solidifies, for instance,
after a volcanic eruption.
- Sedimentary rocks form when
small pieces of the earth that have been worn away by wind
and water accumulate at the bottom of rivers, lakes, and
oceans and are eventually compacted and consolidated into
rock; they can also be formed when sea water evaporates and
the dissolved minerals are deposited on the sea floor.
- Metamorphic rocks form when
pre-existing rocks are changed by heat and pressure.
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Describe the characteristics of the
three classes of rocks,
- Sedimentary rocks often have
flat layers, are composed of pieces that are roughly the
same size with pores between these pieces that are commonly
filled with smaller grains, and sometimes contain fossils.
- Igneous rocks generally have no
layers, have variable textures, and do not contain fossils.
- Metamorphic rocks may have
alternating bands of light and dark minerals, or may be
composed predominantly of only one mineral, such as marble
or quartzite, and rarely contain fossils.),
and explain how their characteristics
are related to their origin. |
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 1–8
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Science and Technology
Scientific Inquiry/Experimentation Skills
THE SKILL CONTINUA FOR SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL
PROBLEM SOLVING
Learning science
[and technology] is something students do, not something that is done to
them.
National Science Education Standards
(1996), p. 20
Along with a knowledge foundation, the study of science and technology
offers students varied opportunities to learn and master skills that are
relevant to their everyday world.
In
the specific expectations, reference is made to the following three
skill areas:
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scientific
inquiry/experimentation skills
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scientific
inquiry/research skills
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technological
problem-solving skills
Skill continua are provided on the following pages for these skill
areas. The continua present an ordered series of descriptive statements
that mark out students’ development along the road to mastery of these
specific skills. The continua provide teachers with a way of looking at
what students can do so that they can plan for further development of
their students’ skills. In general terms, the skills involved in
scientific investigation and technological problem solving are the
following:
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initiating
and planning (e.g., asking questions, clarifying problems, planning
procedures)
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performing
and recording (e.g., following procedures, accessing information,
recording observations and findings)
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analysing
and interpreting (e.g., organizing data, reflecting on the
effectiveness of actions performed, drawing conclusions)
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communicating (e.g., using appropriate vocabulary, communicating
findings in a variety of ways)
The Scientific Inquiry/Experimentation Skill Continuum
Although there is no single scientific method, there are scientific
methodologies – practices that are followed when investigating questions
in a scientific manner.
In
scientific inquiry, students engage in activities that allow them to
develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas in much the same
way as scientists would. Like
scientists, students must also develop skills in the two major
components of scientific investigation – experimentation and research.
Experimentation involves conducting “fair tests” to determine whether
changing one factor in the experimental set-up affects the results, and,
if so, in what ways. In a fair test, the scientist/student identifies
variables that may affect the results of the experiment; selects one
variable to be altered (tested), and keeps other variables constant;
measures all trials in the same way; and repeats tests to determine the
validity of the results.
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 1–8
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Science and Technology
The Technological Problem-Solving Skill Continuum
Through technological problem solving, students develop the ability to
design solutions to problems. Students create models of new devices or
new processes to help address human needs and desires, as well as new
knowledge about those devices or processes. When engaged in
technological problem solving, students should be given opportunities to
be creative in their thinking, rather than merely to find a prescribed
answer. Critical aspects of technological problem solving are: careful
planning; purposeful selection of tools and materials; testing,
retesting, and modifications of a product or process; communicating
about the solution; and recommending of changes or improvements.
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