Lesson Plan Duration: 45 minutes

Purpose:

• use measuring tools to gather data about mock rocks
• observe and describe the physical properties of mock rocks
• record and compare observations about mock rocks

Materials:

    For the Class:

• Access to a spreadsheet program on a computer. (Exel or another type of spreadsheet program)
  

    For Each Group:

• 2 paper plates
• 1 balance with plastic cups
• 1 set of metric mass pieces
  
• 1 meter tape
• 2 hand lens
• 2 mock rocks (provided by FOSS Science Kits)
• colored pens or pencils

Introduction:

• Tell students that they are going to be geologists and that the study of the materials that make up planet Earth is called geology.
  
• You may want to discuss the word meaning of geology by breaking the work apart. For example:
• -ology = "the study of"
• -ologist = "a person who studies"
• ento- = "insects"
• bio- = "life"
• geo- = "earth"

• Introduce vocabulary and add to the word bank.

• Diameter is the distance across a circular object.
• Circumference is the distance around a circular object.
• Depth is how thick an object is.
  

Teacher Input:

• Explain that geologists make detailed observations of the rocks they want to study. They start with observations, because when they test the rock, the rock is usually changed in some way, and geologists want to be able to compare the change with the rock before the test. Make a list on the board of a sheet of chart paper. The list should include words that reflect texture, color, shape or edges, size, mass, and perhaps smell.
• Show students the mock rocks and explain that they are simulations of real rocks. Tell them that their challenge is to describe their rock in detail so that later, if the rock is changed in any way, they will have a record to refer to. Students should keep their mock rocks in one piece for their initial observations.
  
• Introduce students to the hand lens, meter tape, and balances with mass pieces. Distribute their record notebooks and show they what to record.

Guided/Independent Practice:

• Allow students to dive in and observe their mock rock.
  
• Sketch or trace the rock and record what they see.
• Make magnified observations and draw a magnified view of a small part of their rock.
  
• Teacher should visit students as they work. Make sure they are using the tools correctly and recording their observations and measurements.
  
• Once they have completed their measurements, they can add it to the spreadsheet, on the computer, at the front of the classroom.

Closure:

• Compare and contrast the measurements each group found on the spreadsheet.
  
• Have students compare the simulated experience to that of what geologists do.
  
• Ask reflective questions:
• What are some of the tools scientists use to study rocks?
• What information does each tool provide?
• What kind of information is important to include notes?
• How is a mock rock like/different from a real rock?
• How would you study a real rock?
• Return materials to the correct locations.
  

Evaluation:

• Teacher will continually check the observation notebooks, throughout the unit, of each student to make sure that they have made correct observations and recorded what is needed.
  

Higher Order Thinking Skills: (used throughout the lesson)

• Recall: What are the properties a geologist might use to describe rocks?
  
• Analysis: What patterns or relationships do you see between rocks and minerals?
  
• Comparison: How is a rock different from a mineral?
  
• Inference: If you were a geologist, how would you go about conducting an experiment?
  
• Evaluation: Which experiment has been the most useful? Why?