• Create a photo gallery of some unknown/unfamiliar minerals and their identification properties.

• Students will become familiar with an image editing program.
  

• Students can apply what they have learned in class about minerals and their properties to explore new unknown/unfamiliar minerals. Students can use any photo-editing program to store and clip their information. Thus they can investigate a new photo-editing program while learning about some new minerals.

• Prepare students by defining what a mineral is and relate it to its occurrence within the earth’s crust . Then distinguish between the various properties that are used in mineral identification. Allow students to work with ordinary hand samples (specimens) before doing this activity via the Web.

• Develop a worksheet to guide students to some unknown minerals by developing a list with some examples. In this document you should also include some Websites where students can begin their search.

• Prepare a handout with some tips for using this new photo-editing program. Depending on the program you are using, you may find an online tutorial that the students could find very beneficial.

1. Review the identification properties of minerals.
2. Introduce this new activity and inform students of what will be expected of them.
3. Give out the handout about the new photo-editing software they will be using to complete this activity.  Go through the tips and allow students to have a little practice using the program.
4. Allow students to work independently or in groups of two.
5. Hand out the activity worksheet, give students the chance to ask questions before they get involved in the actual project.
6. Allow students time to complete the activity.  The online research and the creation of the photo gallery should take approximately 50 minutes.

Software

• Photo-editing program.

Websites
(These Websites are all related to finding images and information for identifying minerals)

• http://www.theimage.com/mineral/minerals1.html

• http://www.webmineral.com/specimensB.shtml

• Evaluate students on their photo gallery by assessing the images and the correct documentation of the mineral properties.

• This activity is to enhance what students have already learned about minerals and their identification properties.

• You could further enhance this activity with the students displaying their findings on a poster for the classroom wall.  This would also allow the other students in the class to retain this information for their own mineral database. 

• The activity could also be enhanced with the students creating a class Webpage and posting their images and documentation on the Website.  Inorder to incorporate this activity you would have to have a Webpage development program.  Netscape Composer or Front Page are user friendly, but you can use any program that may be available.   Make sure you include this portion of the project into your evaluation.