Geology+Learning+Experience+3


 * Learning Experience 3: Breaking Rocks**

Materials:
 * Hammer
 * Safety goggles
 * Plastic ziplock bags
 * Hand lenses
 * quiz on properties [|properties quiz.doc]
 * sentence starters for comparing / contrasting rocks
 * students' illustrations from last week
 * list of criteria for rock sketches from last week
 * camera
 * sentence starters up on chart paper

Learning Targets: 1. I can sketch and describe the inside and the outside of a rock so someone can understand how they are different. 2. I can describe the inside and the outside of the rock. 3. I can compare and contrast rocks. This means I can say how they are the same and how they are different.

Procedure: > **In the afternoon,** > > "The inside and outside of my rock are both...." > "The inside of my rock is ... but the outside of my rock is ..." (They must choose one property that is different.) > Then they will write some words to compare / contrast the inside and outside of their rocks. Point out the learning target for this. > Give them the sentence starter: "The inside and outside of my rock are both...." (They must write about size, shape, color, or texture, and choose one thing that is the same.) > And, "The inside of my rock is ... but the outside of my rock is ..." (They must choose one property that is different.) > Ask, “Is the rock you cracked made up of several different materials, or is it just one material all the way through? How can you tell?” > "The different colored materials you might see in your rocks are minerals. We will be learning more about minerals soon." > "Why do you think the inside is different from the outside?" Share a few ideas.
 * At morning circle, or the day before:**
 * 1) Ask what students think is inside of rocks. Share ideas.
 * 2) Go over safety rules for breaking open rocks: adults help with the hammer, you have to wear safety goggles if you are nearby, the rocks have to be in plastic bags.
 * 3) Students will break open the rocks they sketched and described last week. Prep them in bags with kids' names on them ahead of time.
 * 4) Break rocks open during lunch / recess. Take pictures!
 * 1) Quick quiz on properties of rocks. (10 minutes)
 * 1) Have students look at the insides of their rocks. Ask them to think about how the inside is similar or different from the outside of the rock. Share as a group what some of these similarities and differences are. Have them turn and talk with a partner using these sentence starters: (5 minutes)
 * 1) Instructions for observations: Tell them they will now sketch the inside of the rocks. Remind them of the criteria for high-quality sketches, and that their work will be displayed. (25 minutes)
 * 1) If students finish, they can start to mount their work on nice paper to hang in the hall. (Drafts from last week, property descriptions from last week, and sketches and words from this week.)
 * 2) Class discussion at the end: (10 minutes)