How Do Geologists
Investigate Rocks?
(A Project-Based Learning Investigation)
Shannon Jarrett
Southwood Elementary
Grade Level: First Grade
Essential Question: How Do Geologists
Investigate Rocks?
Sub questions: How are rocks classified and
sorted? What are the properties of rocks? How
are rocks and minerals alike and different? How
and why do rocks change their shape? Why are
rocks important? To make this truly student-
inquiry based, sub questions can be formulated
from a KWL chart by the students.
Objectives:
Science
Competency Goal 2: The learner will make observations and use student-made
rules to build an understanding of solid earth materials.
Objectives
2.01 Describe and sort a variety of earth materials based on their properties:
•
Color.
•
Hardness.
•
Shape.
•
Size.
2.02 Describe rocks and other earth materials in more than one way, using studentmade rules.
2.05 Explore where useful earth materials are found and how they are used.
Competency Goal 3: The learner will make observations and conduct
investigations to build an understanding of the properties and relationship of
objects.
3.02 Investigate several ways in which objects can be described, sorted or classified.
3.03 Classify solids according to their properties:
•
Color.
•
Texture.
•
Shape (ability to roll or stack).
•
Ability to float or sink in water.
3.05 Observe mixtures including:
•
Solids with solids
Competency Goal 4: The learner will make observations and conduct
investigations to build an understanding of balance, motion and weighing of
objects.
4.01 Describe different ways in which objects can be moved.
Math
COMPETENCY GOAL 1:
The learner will read, write, and model whole numbers through 99 and compute
with whole numbers.
1.01 Develop number sense for whole numbers through 99.
f. Estimate quantities fewer than or equal to 100.
COMPETENCY GOAL 2:
The learner will use nonstandard units of measure and tell time.
Objectives
2.01 For given objects:
1.
Select an attribute (length, capacity, mass) to measure (use nonstandard
units).
2.
Develop strategies to estimate size.
3.
Compare, using appropriate language, with respect to the attribute selected.
COMPETENCY GOAL 4:
The learner will understand and use data and simple probability concepts.
Objectives
4.01 Collect, organize, describe and display data using line plots and tallies.
COMPETENCY GOAL 5:
The learner will demonstrate an understanding of classification and patterning.
Objectives
5.01 Sort and classify objects by two attributes.
English Language Arts
Competency Goal 2
The learner will develop and apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that
is read, heard, and viewed.
2.03 Read and comprehend both fiction and nonfiction text appropriate for grade one
using:
•
•
•
•
prior knowledge.
summary.
questions.
graphic organizers.
2.08 Discuss and explain response to how, why, and what if questions in sharing
narrative and expository texts.
2.09 Read and understand simple written instructions
Competency Goal 3
The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written
language, and media and technology.
3.01 Elaborate on how information and events connect to life experiences.
3.02 Recognize and relate similar vocabulary use and concepts across experiences with
texts.
3.03 Discuss unfamiliar oral and/or written vocabulary after listening to or reading
texts.
3.04 Share personal experiences and responses to experiences with text:
•
publishing non-print texts.
•
discussing interpretations.
•
recording personal responses.
4.06 Compose a variety of products (e.g., stories, journal entries, letters, response logs,
simple poems, oral retellings) using a writing process.
Computer/Technology
Competency Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the
use of computer and other technologies.
2.01 Use common computing devices and resources in class activities. (1)
2.02 Observe, discuss, and use software to enter, calculate, display data, and interpret
results as a class/group. (3)
2.03 Identify, discuss, and use word processing as a tool to enter numbers, words, and
phrases. (4)
Social Studies
Competency Goal 3
The learner will recognize and understand the concept of change in various
settings.
3.02 Describe past and present changes within the local community.
Competency Goal 5
The learner will express geographic concepts in real life situations
5.06 Compare and contrast geographic features of places within various communities.
Visual Arts
2.02 Use various techniques to create visual effects using texture.
Real World Connections
Go on a rock hunt at home and around the school to create a “Rock
Museum” within the classroom. Go on a field trip to a gem mine
such as Dan Nicholas Park to add gemstones to your rock collection.
Have a geologist come in as a guest speaker. Take a tour around the
school to observe things made of rock or people using rock in their
daily lives such as pencils, chalk, drinking from a glass.
Activities
The teacher can read a book about what scientists do. I read a big
book from Newbridge titled, Being A Scientist to familiarize
students with process terms and generally what scientist do to gain
information. Students will be referred to as “geologists” throughout
our investigation of rocks. Students begin by illustrating a Rock
Journal that will contain sub questions and answers to those
questions based on inquiry. Throughout the PBL students will record
information in them. They also have a folder that will contain any
products from our investigation, as well as, a rock alphabox that
students will add new words to throughout the PBL. Students will
generate the words for this as we investigate. Activities are
established based on the sub questions throughout the investigation.
1 Classifying rocks by different properties.
2 Using cookies to find out how minerals and rocks are
different.
3 Shaking sugar cubes to see how rocks change by Earth
movement.
4 Identifying gems.
5 Measure the hardness of rocks according to the Mohs
Scale.
6 Investigate why rocks are important.
Final Product/Presentation Description:
Students are in 4 groups. Each group made a list of the important
things that we learned about rocks. From that list I Assigned each
group a topic- ex. Properties of Rocks, Why Rocks Are Important,
Rocks vs. Minerals, How do Rocks Change/Other ways to Classify
Rocks. Each person within that group was assigned something to
“teach about”. We have learned that scientists communicate
information, which is our goal for our presentation. Each group
wrote information and made visuals to present/teach the
information. The presentation will be made to another class, as well
as, to visiting parents. During the PBL a few students created a
nonfiction book about Rocks through the ibook program and I
created an imovie with pictures/videos taken by students and
myself. These are also presented.
Evaluation of Product:
Rock Journals, KWL chart, Information presented during final
presentation
Activity 1 Title:
How do you sort rocks? How are rocks
classified?
Objectives Addressed:
Science: 2.01, 2.02, 2.05
3.02, 3.03, 4.01
Math: 5.01
English Language Arts: 3.08, 4.06
Computer/Technology: 2.01, 2.02, 2.03
Materials Needed: Rocks collected from home or school grounds
(Some magnetite would be best for testing for magnetism), 1 ft.
piece of yarn for every two students, chart paper, large bowl of
water, magnetic wands, Kidspiration computer program, Rock
journals
Approximate Time Needed: This activity is best divided into
parts- It’s cumulative time is 2-3 hours.
Activity Description:
1. Assign partners, have students get their personal collection of
rocks and find somewhere around the room to lay a piece of yarn in
a circle. Lay rocks around the outside of the circle.
2. Tell students to observe the rocks and find a group of rocks that
have something that make them alike. Put those rocks inside the
circle.
3. Then have groups share what those rocks have in common. (color,
size, shape, luster, texture, transparency, etc.) As they share, list
their responses on a chart.
4. Then tell them to identify a different group of rocks that have
something in common to put inside the circle. Again, let them share
how they are alike. Add any new properties to your chart or refer
to the words you have already written as they are repeated by other
groups. Make sure you do not have a title for this chart yet.
5. After repeating this 3-4 times, explain that they have discovered
the “properties of rocks” and write the title on the chart and review
their findings.
6. When finished (or another day), explain that rocks have other
properties we can investigate. Pass out magnet wands to see if the
rock is magnetic, drop them in water to see if they can sink or float,
or lay them at the top of an inclined book to discover how rocks
move- roll, slide, flip, etc.
7. Add these properties to the chart and display in order as to refer
to throughout the PBL. Have students write the sub questions in
their journals and respond to their findings.
8. Have students identify any words that could be added to the
alphabox in their folders.
Extension: Have students choose one “special” rock from their
collection and create a properties web in the Kidspiration program
in the computer lab.
Activity 2 Title: What are minerals? How are minerals and
rocks alike and different?
Objectives Addressed:
Science: 2.02, 2.03, 2.05, 3.02, 3.05
English Language Arts: 3.04, 4.06
Visual Arts: 2.02
Materials Needed: A nonfiction book about minerals, 1 animal
cookie and 1 chocolate chip cookie for each student, paper towels,
flour, water, collection of knick knacks such as paper clips, buttons,
ribbon, etc.
Approximate Time Needed: 1 Hour
Activity Description:
1. Read a book describing minerals and rocks.
2. Tell students that today our mission will be to see how minerals
are solid substances and rocks are made up of minerals.
3. Give each student an animal cracker. Explain that it is like a
mineral, solid and the same all the way through. Let them break it a
part and observe. You could give them magnifying glasses to make
them get a closer look.
4. Give each student a chocolate chip cookie. Explain that it is like a
rock, mixed with other things like minerals mixed within rocks. Let
them break it a part and study,
5. Record findings in journals and new words on alphabox.
Extension: Mix together flour and water for students to make a
model of a rock. They can choose other small items to mix in it
(buttons, pennies, etc.) to model how rocks are made of many things.
Activity 3 Title: Why do rocks change shape? How do they
change shape?
Objectives Addressed:
Science: 3.03, 4.01
English Language Arts: 2.03, 2.08, 3.03, 3.04, 4.06
Materials Needed: 1 milk carton/student, 2 sugar cubes/student,
Nonfiction book on Earth movement or how rocks change shape,
Rock journals
Approximate Time Needed: 30 Minutes
Activity Description:
1. Read nonfiction book about concept to provide knowledge and
vocabulary.
2. Tell students that the Earth is always moving and today they
will investigate how that movement causes rocks to change shape.
3. Give each child two sugar cubes. One cube should stay in front of
them and the other should be placed in a milk carton. Tell them they
are the Earth and shake the cube inside the carton for a minute.
4. Take the cube out and compare to the perfect cube. Discuss what
happened to the cube and why.
5. Write responses in journals and add words to alphabox.
Extension: Discuss how water and wind effect rock shape and
texture. Many rocks in creeks, etc. are smooth.
Activity 4 Title: How do you identify gems?
Objective Addressed:
Science: 2.01, 2.02, 2.05, 3.02, 3.03
Math: 2.01, 4.01
English Language Arts: 2.09, 3.01, 3.02, 4.06
Materials Needed: Gemstones collected from a mine or brought in
by teacher, identification chart, line plot, recording sheet, Rock
Journal
Approximate Time Needed: 1 Hour
Activity Description:
1. The most effective prelude to this activity is to take students to
mine for gemstones.
2. The students have their own collection of gemstones (or have
enough for this to be done in groups).
3. Using an identification chart that has both pictures of rocks and
the name, students sort their rocks by color and begin identifying
the gems they have.
4. Give each student a recording sheet that has the name of the
gemstones. Students can tally the number of identified rocks from
the chart.
5. Discuss which kind of gemstone they have the most of, least of,
the hardest to identify, etc.
6. Record today’s findings in Rock Journals and alphabox.
Extension: Choose one gemstone that most students have to count.
Create a line plot that shows how many of that type of gemstone
each student has.
Activity Title 5: How can you measure the hardness of rocks?
What scale do you use? What are some examples of soft and hard
rock?
Objectives Addressed:
Science: 2.02, 2.05, 3.02, 3.03
Math: 2.01
English Language Arts: 2.03, 3.01, 3.04, 4.06
Materials Needed: Variety of rocks (soft and hard), A nonfiction
book about Friedrich Mohs/Mohs Scale of Hardness, A Visual of the
Mohs Scale 1-10, recording sheet with scale, and Rock Journals
Approximate Time Needed: 45 minutes
Activity Description:
1. Read/Introduce a nonfiction book about measuring the hardness
of rocks developed by Friedrich Mohs.
2. Tell students that you are going to investigate where different
rocks fall on the Mohs Scale. Use a variety of rocks:
Soft: Chalk, Talc, Limestone
Hard: Gemstones
3. Give each pair of students rocks to take outside: They can test
the hardness of rocks by scratching them against the cement,
hitting rocks together, etc.
4. As they discover whether the rocks break a part, they can write
and/or draw the rocks where they fall on the mohs scale.
|---------------------------------------------------------|
1
5
10
Soft
Hard
5. Come back and discuss the findings. Some follow-up questions
may include: Why is lead best for pencils? Why are gemstones
best for jewelry?
6. Record information in Rock Journal and New words on alphabox.
Activity Title 6: Why are rocks important?
Where do we see
rocks in our everyday life?
Objectives Addressed:
Science: 2.05, 3.02
English Language Arts: 2.03, 2.08, 3.01, 3.03, 3.04, 4.06
Materials Needed: Nonfiction book about how rocks are used in
everyday life, as well as, how rocks have been used throughout time,
clipboards, recording sheet, Rock Journals
Approximate Time Needed: 45 minutes
Activity Description:
1. Read a nonfiction book about how rock is used in our everyday
life or have picture cards of things made from rock. Include
discussing how rock was used years ago as tools, weapons, starting
fires, etc. (this may be a separate activity).
2. Tell students that their mission is to investigate how rocks are
used at your school and/or at home. Give each student a clipboard, a
recording sheet, and a pencil.
3. Tour the school grounds pointing out things such as pencils, the
building, windows, sidewalks, chalk, etc. Students record their
findings.
4. Return to room and groups discuss. Share and create a list of
How Rocks Help Our School.
5. Record in Rock Journals and words on Alphabox.