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Gr. 4 Earth and Space Systems
Science Unit:
Rocks & Minerals
Rock Talks by Rockhounds
An Introduction to Rocks and Minerals
A School Visit Program
brought to you by
GMB
Services
GMBservices.ca
ROCK TALKS BY ROCKHOUNDS is a program about rocks & minerals and
the tools needed to be a scientific investigator. It is a half day program
(135 minutes) presented by an amateur geologist. It consists of 3 parts.
 1) An Introduction to the Tools of the Trade
The tools and equipment used by geologist are of great interest to
students. Students will see about 50 items used by geologists in the
field. Students will be able to touch and try on for size many of the
everyday objects used by field geologists.
2) 5 Hands-On Activity Stations ~ Experiments,
Investigation, Observation &
Classification Prior knowledge about rocks & minerals is not required -
just enthusiasm and curiosity.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
At the Mineral Stations students will do investigations
& experiments related to: magnetism, streak test,
conductivity, color, luster, cleavage, crystal habit, specific gravity
and hardness.
TYPES OF ROCKS At the Rock
Identification Station, students will investigate metamorphic,
sedimentary and igneous rock samples. They will discover
the difference between a rock and a mineral.
FOSSILS At the Fossil
Identification Station, students will be able to observe, identify and
handle fossil specimens that are 20 to 80 million years old.
3) What Have We Learned - Wrap Up
After the hands-on activities, students are given the opportunity to ask
questions of the presenter. The main concepts of the program will be
reviewed.
The cost is $200 plus GST for the half day (135 minutes)
program. Because of the hands on nature of the presentation, classes cannot be
combined. For 2 classes we recommend that you book a
full day for $350 plus GST. In cases where your school has split classes,
drop us a line & we will sort it out.
Teachers will receive a Blackline Master of a Rock &
Mineral Presentation Student Worksheet based on the presentation plus
and Answer Guide. Teachers will also receive a List of
Rock Talk Specimens that can be used after the presentation for
research topics.
To Book a Visit
Send us an
email
and tell us what you would like. Include a telephone number so that we
can speak with you in person if necessary. We'll get in touch and we'll work out
the details. Once all is set, we'll send you a School Visit Confirmation email. Payment is
due on the day of the visit.
Before the visit you will receive a Pre-Visit
Package via email which includes 1)Pre-Visit Checklist and
Short Program Description that can be used in your information
letter home to the parents and 2) Student Research Worksheets & Answer Guides.
Areas We Service
www.GMBservices.ca
We are located at Yonge and Highway 7, just
north of Toronto.
Our presenters will visit your school if you are located
in the GTA ~ Greater Toronto Area, Peel & York Region - namely
Aurora, Brampton, Etobicoke, King, Kleinberg, Maple,
Markham, Mississauga, Newmarket, Nobleton,
Oak Ridges, Richmond Hill, Scarborough,
Stouffville, Thornhill, Toronto, Whitchurch
and Woodbridge.
Our presenter will visit schools in the following school boards: YRDSB,
YCDSB, PDSB, DPCDSB, TDSB and TCDSB. Visits are
also made to Private Schools within these areas.
Although it is not essential that parent volunteers be
present during our visit, it has been our experience that having volunteers
significantly enhances the students’ learning. Parents have also told us
that they have thoroughly enjoyed the program and were thrilled to be part
of a hands-on learning situation with their kids. Volunteers could also be
coop students or high school students doing community service hours. Five
volunteers (1 for each station) would be ideal. In cases where the the class
is large, namely 25 or 30 students, volunteers are essential to maximize the
learning experience for the students.
Space needed for the
Presentation
 The ideal location for the presentation is an empty
classroom if you have one. The space needs to be lockable over lunch time. Desks set up into 5 groups with chairs are needed
for the activity stations. Floor space for students to gather around a
blanket with tools & equipment on the floor is required for the introduction
and wrap up sections of the program.
Some teachers are able to book the an empty classroom,
music room or library for their exclusive use, but that is rare. A portable
is also a good location. Most
teachers have the presentation in their own classroom. The presenter sets up
in the classroom of the “afternoon class”. During the morning, the
“afternoon class” uses the “morning class” classroom for regular curriculum.
 Then in the afternoon, the “afternoon class” has the presentation in their
own homeroom. That way both classes get dismissed from their own homerooms
at the end of the day.
Access
Because of the
quantity of material and equipment that we bring for our presentation, the
room that is chosen must be accessible with a dolly – namely on grade or via
a ramp. If the presentation is on the second floor, then an elevator is also
required.
A teacher is expected to be with the class at all times during the
presentation. The Presenter is responsible for program. The teacher is
responsible for behavior management. Should another teacher come into the
program after it has started (e.g. to release the homeroom teacher for prep
coverage) then the new teacher is expected to be an active participant in
the class activities & is ultimately responsible for student behavior. At no
time should the presenter be left in the classroom with the students without
a teacher present.
About Us & Our Presenters
GMB Services,
established in 1999, is a family business that draws on the expertise of our
Principal Associates Nicholas Gere
and Elfi Berndl. Our presenters are Amateur Geologists (aka
Rockhounds) who
are members in good standing of CCFMS (Central Canadian Federation
of Mineralogical Societies). They are semi-retired and soon-to-be
retired professionals who have taken their love of rocks as the
foundation for a new career.
Nick and Elfi have been putting on
mineral identification and rock art workshops since 1998. Their website
RocksForKids.com
has had over 900,000 hits since
2001. Nick, a former architect, has taught courses at the community college level and is currently presenting the
in-school Rock Talks.
 Elfi, who still teaches in the Junior Division
in the GTA, is a co-presenter at some of the weekend Workshops. Check
out About GMB
for more details.
Drop us a
line if you would like to know more about what we do.
Why Bring in an Expert for
your Rocks & Minerals Unit?
We are active Rockhounds who love rocks and minerals. We have
many mineral samples because we collect them throughout Ontario and
North America. During our
program students will be able to touch and examine minerals that they may
have only seen in pictures before. They will perform experiments on rocks
& minerals. They will see and touch the tools we use
and learn how minerals are collected. They will come in contact with someone who
"does" science and loves it. The
excitement is contagious!
Few adults in urban settings muck about with rocks. Although almost
everything in the urban environment is made from rocks & minerals,
little connection is made by most people with what the original raw
material actually looks like. Unlike plants & animals, rocks, minerals
and fossils are unknown to most people – including teachers. In
addition, access to rocks, minerals and fossils as described in books
& on the internet is difficult to come by. Most rocks & minerals
that are for sale have been processed (cut, polished, dyed) or are not of
the ordinary type that demonstrate the concepts that need to be brought
across. Teachers often have difficulty finding affordable hands on
resources to bring this unit to life.
The purpose of this program is to allow students to learn the
basics about rocks, minerals and fossils by hands on activities
involving a large variety of samples that demonstrate the concepts
covered in the earth science curriculum. The presenter brings
an extensive collection of rocks & minerals that can be handled by
the students. There is nothing like the real thing to make learning
connections. Students who get to touch, feel and examine the incredible variety of
minerals that exist on earth cannot help but feel the excitement that
comes with discovering the incredible wonders of nature.
Which science strand is covered by the
presentation?
The
2007
Ontario
Science Curriculum for Grade 4: Earth and Space Systems ~ Rocks &
Minerals
- Grade 4 Rocks &
Minerals Big Ideas
- Rocks and
minerals have unique characteristics and properties that are a result of
how they were formed.
- The
properties of rocks and minerals determine society's uses for them.
- Overall Expectations Covered by the Rocks &
Minerals Presentation
-
INVESTIGATE,
test and compare the physical properties of rocks and minerals
- DEMONSTRATE
an understanding of the physical properties of rocks and minerals
- Specific Expectations:
Developing Skills of Scientific Investigation
-
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;
-
Use a variety of tests to identify the physical properties of
minerals (e.g., hardness [scratch test], colour [streak test],
magnetism).
-
Use a variety of criteria (e.g., colour,
texture, lustre) to classify common rocks and minerals according
to their characteristics.
-
Use scientific inquiry/research skills to
investigate how rocks and minerals are used,
-
Use appropriate science and technology
vocabulary, including hardness, colour, lustre, and texture, in
oral and written communication.
- Understanding Basic Concepts
Rock Talk Presentation held at the McMichael
Art Gallery - November 2009
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