Emma Starre Mineral Lesson Plan Objective- The students will discover through various tests the properties

of different minerals and they will then be able to classify the minerals based on the results. Content Standards- Observations of the environment 3rd grade Earth and Space sciences Earths resources-earths nonliving resources have specific properties.

Materials needed Mineral examples Nails Magnifying glasses Scales Magnets Streak plates Science notebooks

Procedure Engagement phase- Slide show of different minerals and where they are found both in nature and in everyday use. Show the YouTube video Geology Kitchen #2-identifying minerals as an overview of what the experiment will cover. Explain the vocabulary words and give each student a handout with the words and their definitions. This can be done as you walk the students

Emma Starre through the experiment so that they will understand what they are doing and so that the vocabulary words will be used in context. Exploration phase-The students will identify the minerals based on the properties of color, luster, density and hardness. In pairs the students will work together to discover which mineral they have. The classroom could be set up with different stations and each one containing a different mineral to test. The students will have a given amount of time to run the tests to find the properties of the unknown mineral. At each station there will be a different activity in case of early finishers like books, worksheets or games all on minerals. First at each station the students will identify their minerals colors and record their observations in their notebook. Next they will determine the minerals luster (see vocabulary words) by using these descriptive words: metallic, adamantine, vitreous (glassy), dull, earthy, silky, greasy or pearly. Now the students can weigh their minerals and record their findings. Finally the students will discover the hardness of their mineral by scratching a nail across the surface and viewing with their magnifying glass any evidence of a scratch mark. Each group will have a reference sheet with all the tested minerals and their properties. After each station, the students will compare their recorded results with this sheet and decide what the minerals common name is, that was just tested. Note not all the values will be exactly like on the sheet but the students will have to make a scientific guess on what their mineral is. Explanation phase- Discuss with the class their findings. Can they compare/contrast minerals with other ones? Can they categorize the minerals based on similar properties? Then explain what a mineral is and how it is different from a rock, but also how they work together or are found in the same area. This lesson could be the jumpstart to the next lesson on rocks and the rock cycle.

Emma Starre Elaboration phase- Now the students can go back and check to see if any of the minerals are magnetic. Also they can use the streak plate by rubbing the mineral over it to make a colored powered which is a better indication of the true color. Evaluation phase-Each science notebook will be looked at to judge if the student participated and if their findings of the properties were relatively close to the answer. A short quiz will be given to test their knowledge on how to identify minerals and their properties. Finally each student will pick a mineral a make a presentation on it, including where it can be found in nature, its properties (hardness level, color etc.) and how we use it in our modern world/where it can be found in everyday life. They will include at least three pictures of their mineral and their presentation can be on a poster board, made into a book, or on a PowerPoint. E-Learning- At the end of the lesson the kids will have the choice to visit a few websites that have lots of activities and games based on minerals like The Oxford University Museum of Natural History learning zone www.oum.ox.ac.uk or Interactive sites for Education interactivesites.weebly.com. Vocabulary words1. Luster-the way a mineral reflects light 2. Metallic-looking similar to metal, or having properties of metal 3. Adamantine: brilliant like a diamond 4. Vitreous-glassy, like quartz 5. Mineral-occurs in nature has consistent physical properties, they are solid and they are inorganic (not living or made up of living things.

Emma Starre 6. Rocks- are mixtures of different minerals or minerals are the building blocks of rocks, the ingredients.