Unit Planner: Earth Rocks!

Science 01 JAIS
Monday, June 11, 2018, 10:55AM

JAIS > 2017-2018 > Grade 1 > Science > Science 01 JAIS > Week 20 - Week Last Updated: Today by Nancy
26 Wong
Wong, Nancy

Stage 1 - Desired Results

Unit Description
In this Earth Science unit, students learn what earth materials are and how we use them. They will explore the
properties of rocks, sand, and soil, and how they are the same and different. Students will learn how these earth
materials are formed and used, and that the properties of the materials determine how we use them.

Enduring Understandings Essential Questions

Strong Essential Understandings are often established by Strong Essential Questions often begin with the stem:
beginning with the following stem: "Students will "How..." and "In what ways..."
understand that..."

 Students will understand that the earth is made of  How are the earth materials rock, sand, and soil
materials that we use (rock, sand, soil). formed?
 Students will understand how the earth materials  How can the earth’s materials be classified and
are formed. sorted?
 Students will understand that the materials have  How do the properties of the earth materials
properties that help us to classify them. determine their uses?
 Students will understand that we choose how to
use the earth materials based on their
properties.
 Students will understand how people in the area
use earth’s materials.

Unit Learning Targets Content

Bloom's Taxonomy Science Skills: Observations, Finding evidence and
Students will learn: drawing conclusions

 Knowledge: what the earth materials are and Mathematic Skills:

their properties
 Comprehension: that the earth’s materials can be Language Arts Skills: Writing of Persuasive Letters
sorted by their properties, and that we use
earth’s materials every day
 Application: how the earth’s materials are used
 Analysis: how the properties of the various
earth’s materials determine how it is used
 Synthesis: to choose appropriate materials based
on their properties to be used for various
functions
 Evaluation: to reflect on the environmental
concerns of using earth’s materials

Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence

Assessment
Pre-Assessment Formative Assessment
Pre-Assessment: Visual Assessment Formative: General Assessment
Pre-Assessment: “Chalk Talk” of 4 questions Formative: Anecdotal records and observations

 What is the Earth made of? What is the “stuff”
near the surface made of?
 What is the Earth’s “stuff” for?
 How do we use the Earth’s “stuff”?
 Has the Earth stayed the same forever
Summative Assessment
Other written assessments
Summative: Students will write a persuasive letter
explaining which earth material they think is the most
important and why. (Assessment Tool: Rubric)

Stage 3 - Learning Plan

Activities
INTRODUCTION

 Brainstorm and discuss what materials students think we get from the Earth
o Focus on rock, sand, soil

ROCKS

 "Rock Walk" around the school and campus to look for things they think are made of rock
o take photos with iPads
 INVESTIGATIONS (FOSS: Pebbles, Sand, and Silt)
o Investigation 1, Part 1: Three Rocks
 Students receive 3 rocks (very hard, medium hardness, and soft)
 Students will scratch the rocks against each other and write down their observations
 Which rocks write on others, which rocks crumble, which rocks stay the same
 From the observations, they will draw conclusions about the rocks based on properties they
learned about in World of Matter
 Which rock they think is the hardest, medium, and softest
o Investigation 1, Part 2: Washing Three Rocks
 Students will receive the same 3 rocks as above, place them into water, and write down their
observations (such as bubbling)
 From the observations, they will draw conclusions about the rocks
o Students will brainstorm why they think the rocks’ properties were the way they were
 Observe, describe and sort rocks based on properties
 ROCK IDENTIFICATION KIT
o Identify rocks based on their properties
 Rock Observations with grade 6 (Ken)

SAND

 Look closely at sand using senses and magnifying glasses

o shells, rocks, dirt, etc
o Make list of properties of sand
 Make sand by rubbing rocks together
o What did you learn about sand by making it?
o How do you think the rocks can be rubbed together and therefore sand made?
 wind
 water
 rocks tumbling again rocks
 Sand Sifting with grade 6 (Ken)

SOIL

 Take soil samples from around the campus and label each bag
 Soil observation worksheet based on what soil looks and feels like
 Kinds of soil worksheet
  What is in soil by color worksheet

VISITOR
Dr. Carmit Ish Shalom
54-447-4846 (Whats App) - call at least 4 weeks in advance so she can plan visit into her busy schedule
600 nis for 2.5 hour visit (and she drives up from Ein Gedi)

 Uses of rock and rock observations outside

 Sort rocks
 ID rocks via properties (acid test, malleability test, scratch test, and color)
 Fossils
 Volcano and how volcanic rocks are made

WRITING

 Students write 3 paragraphs about Dr. Carmit's visit

o one paragraph each for something they did and learned from her visit
o use a graphic organizer to help them plan
 Students write a persuasive letter to the teacher with which earth material (rock, sand or soil) they think is the
most important
o 3 paragraphs
 each paragraph explaining a reason why they chose that earth material
o Teacher writes back a short note indicating whether or not the letter persuaded you with their letters
and reasons

USES (IF TIME)

 Make a chart of possible uses of each earth material

o Rocks
 Construction, walls
o Soil
 Gardens, sand castles, clay statues
o Sand
 sandpaper, glass
 Engineering for the Three Little Pigs:
o Read The Three Little Pigs
o Follow the sand castle building activity from www.TeachEngineering.org
 Read The Three Little Wolves and the Big, Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas
 Engineering Class Discussion: Have the students discuss why we use certain materials for certain jobs. Why
don't we use concrete for airplanes? Why don't we build pencils out of sand? Why don't we build windows
out of clay? Why don't we build schools out of diamonds? The students should realize that the properties of
the material dictate what we use and where we use it. When building, engineers must pick the correct rocks,
soils and minerals so that their design will work, is safe and is not too expensive.
 Explore other uses of earth materials and discuss what properties make them appropriate for that use
o Sandpaper rubbings
o Sand sculptures
o Clay jewelry
o Clay bricks
o Tunnels

KindsofSoilWorksheet.pdf
Properties and Types of Soil.docx
TypesofSoil.pdf
Learning About Sand.docx
the-origins-of-sand (1).pdf
AreYouaSuperSavySoilSleuth.pdf
WhatmakesupsoilScientificInquiryActivities (1).pdf

Resources
  The Three Little Pigs by Ann McGovern by Paul Galdone
 The Three Little Wolves and the Big, Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas
 Stone Soup by Ann McGovern
 Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
 A Rock Can Be by Laura Purdie Salas
 Magic School Bus: Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole

FOSS Kit
Libary books about geology
Rock Identification Kit
Lakeshore Learning Rock kit
Rock samples
Brain Pop and Brain Pop Jr videos

Internet:
http://www.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/geology/activities.html
http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us/tools/lessons/
http://www.instructorweb.com/resources/geology.asp
http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/55161.aspx
http://www.zoodles.com/free-online-kids-games/national-geographic-kids_first-1st-grade_geology
http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/edsci.htm
http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/ylp/units/curriculum_units/95-96/Rockology_LPerez/overview.html
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/land/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/dictionarysubjects/geology.shtml

Reflections

Atlas Version 8.5.3

© Rubicon International 2018. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy