GRADES 3-5 UNIT OUTLINE

Summary of Purpose for the Unit

This unit of study was developed to provide students with multiple opportunities to investigate rocks. It uses multigenre nonfiction text and inquiry to develop a basic understanding of geology while answering the essential question: How do scientists classify rocks?

Standards Alignment

National Science Education Standards: Science Content Standards

Science content standards are found in Chapter 6 of the National Science Education Standards.

Science as Inquiry (Grades K-4 and 5-8)

• Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events in the environment
• Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses
• Communicate investigations and explanations

Earth and Space Science

• Properties of earth materials (Grades K-4)
• Earth’s history (Grades 5-8)

IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts

View the standards at http://www.ncte.org/standards.

1 – Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts.

3 – Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.

4 – Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

5 – Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

7 – Students conduct research on issues and interests.

8 – Students use a variety of technological and information resources to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

11 – Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

12 – Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes.

Unit Outline

Engage

Read the first 11 pages of Let’s Go Rock Collecting (from the Virtual Bookshelf) to introduce students to rocks and rock collecting. Use the text and the conversation around it to introduce the rock classification activity.

Rock Classification

Ask students to bring in rocks from home, or allow them to collect rocks from the schoolyard. Each student should first select one rock, draw a picture, and write a short description of the rock. Students will then work in groups to develop a classification scheme for their rocks. This open-ended activity will provide insight into students’ prior knowledge of geology. Asking students to explain how and why they developed their classification scheme orally or in writing will extend the value of the activity. See Common Misconceptions about Rocks and Minerals for more information about how student misconceptions and prior knowledge can impact a formal geology unit.

Next, read Reader of the Rocks (this month’s Feature Story) with the class. (You may choose to print and photocopy the story as text-only or as an illustrated book to share with individual students, or you may use the electronic book version in a computer lab or on an interactive whiteboard.) After students read and discuss the article, ask if they know how scientists (geologists) classify rocks. Record student responses on chart paper, or start a KWL or KLEW chart on the topic.

Explore

Idea Circle

Assign students to small groups, and allow each student to select a book about rocks and minerals. (Within a small group, each student should ideally have a different book.) Students read to answer the focus question (How do scientists classify rocks?) and discuss their findings with their group.

Sample Idea Circle texts
Find these titles (and others) in the Virtual Bookshelf.
Let’s Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans
Rocks by Sally M. Walker
Rocks and Minerals by Ann O. Squire
Geologists by Heather Hammonds

Groups complete an idea circle graphic organizer. Discuss findings as a class, adding information to the chart (or KLW chart) that was used to record student ideas in the Engage phase of the unit. At the end of the idea circle, students should be familiar with the three types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic) and some of the basic differences between them. See The Basics of Rocks and Minerals and Polar Geology if you need a quick refresher yourself!

Next, provide time for students to explore the web site Rock Hounds with Rocky. Focus student attention on the Rock Creations page, which includes animations that explain how sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks are formed, and the Become a Rock Expert page, which includes pictures and descriptions of common rock types. Again, provide time for students to clarify and revise their thinking on the class chart.

Minerals

Some of the texts used in the idea circle may also have introduced the concept of minerals to students. Devote some time to learning about minerals and how they are identified. Lessons 2 and 3 in Minerals, Crystals, and Gems: Stepping-Stones to Inquiry provide an introduction to the crystalline structure of minerals and their everyday uses. Depending on the needs of your students, you might want to introduce them to the properties of minerals and how they are used by scientists to aid classification. If possible, allow students to examine mineral specimens, test for hardness with a streak plate, describe the mineral’s luster, and so forth. Provide time for students to clarify and revise their thinking on the class chart.

Examining Rocks

The lesson Rock Cookies provides an opportunity for students to simulate the three types of rocks as well as the mineral composition of rocks with cookies (prepared by the teacher or by the students). Allow students to revisit and revise the class chart one last time.

Explain

Have students revisit the rocks they classified in the Engage phase of the unit. Ask them to reclassify them using what they’ve learned about how scientists classify rocks. You may choose to have students work independently, or as a group. Each student should explain the rationale behind the classification scheme, either orally or in writing. Students should also have access to the texts from the idea circle, any materials used in the Explore phase, and the class chart.

You might expand this assignment by having students create a rock and mineral exhibit as described in this lesson from Smithsonian Education. The book Rocks in His Head (from this month’s Virtual Bookshelf) pairs nicely with the concept of creating an exhibit.

Expand

Ideally, the content covered during this phase emerges from student questions and interests that arise during the unit. Some possibilities include:

• Examine rocks from other locations across the country or world. Organize a rock swap, or borrow an Antarctic rock box from the U.S. Polar Rock Repository.
• Investigate the rock cycle. While the underlying concepts of plate tectonics are beyond the expectations for elementary students, advanced students may be able to begin to learn about this topic.
• Learn more about the discipline of geology. Read books on the subject (such as the ones mentioned in the Virtual Bookshelf) or invite a geologist to speak to the class about his or her work.
• Study weathering and erosion using resources from Issue 9: Earth’s Changing Surface.

Assess

This unit provides opportunities for formative and summative assessment.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is conducted throughout the unit. For example:

• Observation of groups’ classification of the rocks in the Engage phase will provide insight into students’ prior knowledge and misconceptions about geology.
• Student and group participation in the idea circle will allow teachers to monitor progress.
• Ongoing completion of the KLEW chart will allow teachers to modify the unit accordingly.

Summative Assessment

Students’ rationale for their reclassification of the rocks in the Explain phase can be assessed for understanding of the three types of rocks and the difference between rocks and minerals. Content knowledge can be assessed using a teacher-created rubric.