PROGRAM 10

Rocks and Minerals

N GET READY TO WATCH
Ask students if any of them collect rocks and where they have found their most interesting or unusual rocks. Bring in two or three very different rocks that are big enough for students to examine, but small enough to pass around. Circulate the rocks and pose the question, How are rocks made? Record all the ideas the students present on a chart.

N Program Description
In this episode, viewers learn how rocks are created and their many uses. Celia and Bud have a contest to see who can find the most beautiful rock. During her search, Celia learns that rocks have a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. A jewelry maker shows Celia how he turns a mineral found in its natural state into a beautiful gemstone. A young scientist combines science and art by demonstrating how to make sand designs in a jar. Crinkleroot reveals where to find rocks in different places and invites Celia to crack open a rock that is deceptively ordinary on the outside but incredibly beautiful on the inside. The various uses of rocks and minerals in everyday lifefrom pencils to skyscrapersare highlighted.

N TALK ABOUT

After viewing, add, delete, or modify the ideas students had, about the formation of rocks, before they watched the program. Start a paper rock formation of things made with rocks and/or minerals as the original material. Cut several pieces of bulletin board paper in increasingly larger sizes of rock shapes. Label the shapes in the classroom, in the school, in the schoolyard, in the neighborhood, at home, in our town/city, in our state, in our country, etc., as far outward as you wish to go. Have students brainstorm items for each rock. (For example, the in the classroom rock might list such items as chalk, bricks or concrete blocks, pencil leads, window panes, counter tops, gears in the clock, metal table legs, etc.) They might gather items for the lists by observation, taking walks, interviewing adults, looking at pictures in newspapers, magazines, and books, and from many other resources, both print and nonprint. Display all the paper rocks in a formation so that the lists can be added to as students discover other items.

N CURRICULUM INTEGRATION ACTIVITIES Science

Have students conduct some experiments that will enlighten them about the properties of rocks: 1.To test for hardness, place five rocks on index cards labeled A, B, C, D, and E. Provide a penny, a nail, and a small glass jar. Instruct students to scratch each rock with their fingernail, the penny, and the nail, and to scratch the glass jar with each rock. Have them record their results on the reproducible data sheet. 2.Test for color with a streak test. Some rocks appear to have several colors. Obtain some pieces of white porcelain tile. (Stores that sell tile will often give teachers broken scraps.) Have students rub the rocks on the rough side of the tile and note the color of the streak. Assign the color a name by comparing it to colors of crayons. 3.Test for porosity. Set out containers of vinegar and water. Have students immerse each of the rocks in vinegar and observe what happens. Does any fizzing or bubbling occur? Are there any changes to the rocks or the vinegar over a period of time? Do the same experiment with water. Do any of the rocks soak up water over time? How can they determine that this has happened?

1998 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.

Teachers who have purchased this Backyard Backyard Safari SafariTeachers Guide are granted permission to reproduce pages from this book for their own classroom use (notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages.) In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.

ROCKS AND MINERALS

43

There are thousands of types of rocks, but geologists divide them into three groups depending on how they were formed: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed when rock melts under great temperatures and then solidifies again. Granite is a well-known igneous rock. Sedimentary rocks are formed from particles of sedimentpieces of older rocks that have worn away, that settle for thousands of years and become squashed into layers of rock by even more particles. Limestone and clay are examples of sedimentary rocks. Metamorphic rocks are those that have been changed by great temperatures or enormous pressure (usually from other rocks). Common metamorphic rocks are slate and marble. There are many rocks from these three groups on the earths surface, but deep underground, the rocks are primarily igneous. Over nine-tenths of the Earths crust is made up of igneous rocks.

N Crinkleroots Corner

4.Have students observe other characteristics of the rocks and record the information on their data sheets. How do the rocks feel (smooth, rough, jagged, sandy, slippery)? Do there appear to be layers in any of the rocks? Do any pieces of the rocks flake or chip off easily? Do any of the rocks have tiny holes? Do any of the rocks have tiny shells or other rocks as part of their makeup? What do the students observe with only their eyes, and what else do they see with a magnifying glass? 5.Observe the inner rock. With adult supervision, use a hammer to crack open a rock. (Place the rock inside a zip-lock plastic bag or cover it with a cloth before striking it to prevent flying rock pieces.) Have students compare the inside and outside of the rock. Discuss all observations and record conclusions from the students data sheets on a chart. Grow crystals. Place a few small pieces of brick, clay flower pot, or coal in a dish and cluster them together, but do not fill the dish. Mix four tablespoons of salt (not iodized), four tablespoons of water, four tablespoons of liquid bluing, and one tablespoon of household ammonia. (Leave the cap on the ammonia until you are ready to use it.) Pour the mixture over the broken pieces in the dish. To add color, put a few drops of food coloring on the edges of the pieces that are not submerged in the solution. Place the dish in a place where it wont be disturbed and the air is fairly dry. Crystals should appear in a fairly short time.

Language Arts

Write a class book, entitled Everybody Needs a Rock. Give everyone a piece of grocery sack paper that has been irregularly cut to resemble a rock. Have students complete the sentence frame, Everybody needs a rock. (For example, to carry in your pocket for good luck; to hide behind; to sit on and dream; to use as a paperweight; to skip on the pond; etc.) After students have illustrated their sentences, have them crumple the paper and then smooth it again. Make covers in the same rock shape as the pages, and bind the book together. Read the book, Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor, to learn her reasons for thinking rocks are necessary. Play a listening game, Im Thinking of a Rock, with a partner. Using the five rocks from the science experiments above, one of the partners thinks of a rock and the other student tries to guess which rock it is by asking a series of five questions that can be answered by Yes or No. Information from the data sheets suggests the questions, such as Does it have layers? or Is it reddish-brown? Have the partners take turns thinking of a rock and asking questions.

1998 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.

44

ROCKS AND MINERALS

Teachers who have purchased this Backyard Backyard Safari SafariTeachers Guide are granted permission to reproduce pages from this book for their own classroom use (notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages.) In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.

Math

Have students classify rocks in different ways using a collection of small rocks. Provide several Styrofoam meat trays and suggest that they put rocks that are alike in some way in the trays. Students might classify them according to color, size, shape (e.g., flat versus round), texture, and the like. They will likely have many ideas about ways to classify the rocks. Provide opportunities for them to explain their classifications. Have students estimate equivalent weights of rocks using rocks of different sizes and a balance scale. Working in small groups, have students place a large rock on one side of the scale and ask them to guess how many rocks need to be placed on the other side in order to balance the scale. Have them experiment with different combinations of rocks until they arrive at a balance. Allow each group to explain its discoveries. To make the experiments more diverse, use a piece of pumice or another less dense rock as one of the large rocks. Have students arrange rocks in a collection from small to large. Since some of the stones will appear to be the same size, they will have to justify their decisions using evidence, such as actual measurements. An interesting problem might be for the students to determine how they might measure a round rock.

N Sasss Scene

For a sweet crystal-like treat, make rock candy. Heat one cup of water to just boiling. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until all the sugar is dissolved (about 1-1/2 cups) and a clear syrup has formed. Allow to cool slightly and poor the syrup into a glass jar. Place one or two popsicle sticks in the jar. Cover the jar with foil or plastic wrap to keep out dust and other particles. Leave the jar undisturbed until crystals form on the sticks. In about a week, the rock candy should be ready to eat!

Social Studies

Find out what local, state, and national examples of rock or mineral landmarks, monuments, and statues students have visited or have information about. If possible, take a field trip to local sites and/or make inquiries about how they were constructed. (The Chamber of Commerce, Office of Tourism, Historical Society, or local museums might have this information.) Locate pictures of other famous sites and discuss how they might have been built. Enlist the aid of the school library media specialist or public librarian in finding out how these structures were built and why they are famous.

Art

Make pebble sculptures or mosaics. For these projects, work with ordinary rocks that are not part of anyones personal rock collection. In order to decide on a subject for a sculpture, have students lay out a few rocks and see if any of them suggest an object or part of an object (e.g., a head or body part). Then have them select other rocks that will fit with the first rock chosen. After they have made their decisions, they may glue the rocks together. A strong craft glue or hot glue (adult assistance is needed with the glue gun) works best. After the glue is thoroughly dried, students may paint their sculptures. To make a pebble mosaic, small rocks in a variety of colors and sizes are desirable. A piece of thin plywood, scraps of paneling, or Masonite provides a sturdy backing. Have students sketch a design on the backing, and arrange the pebbles on the design. Once they have decided how the design is to look, they are ready to glue the pebbles to the background. A coating of shellac will provide a glossy finish and hold everything in place.

1998 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.

Teachers who have purchased this Backyard Backyard Safari SafariTeachers Guide are granted permission to reproduce pages from this book for their own classroom use (notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages.) In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.

ROCKS AND MINERALS

45

N CRINKLEROOT SAYS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Check out the local library or bookstore for these books about rocks and minerals: Baylor, Byrd. Everybody Needs a Rock. Illus. by Peter Parnall. Scribners, 1974. Cole, Joanna. The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth. Illus. by Bruce Degen. Scholastic, 1987. Fowler, Allan. It Could Still Be a Rock. Childrens Press, 1993. Gans, Roma. Rock Collecting. Illus. by Holly Keller. HarperCollins, 1997. Marcus, Elizabeth. Rocks and Minerals. Troll, 1983. ODonoghue, Michael. Rocks & Minerals of the World. Thunder Bay Press, 1994. Parker, Steve. Rocks and Minerals. DK, 1993. Parnall, Peter. The Rock. Macmillan, 1991. Selsam, Millicent & Hunt, Joyce. A First Look at Rocks. Illus. by Harriett Springer. Walker, 1984. Simon, Seymour. The Rock Hounds Book. Illus. by Tony Chen. Viking, 1973. Steig, William. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Simon & Schuster, 1969. Symes, R. F. Rocks & Minerals. Alfred A. Knopf, 1988. Wyler, Rose & Ames, Gerald. Secrets in Stones. Four Winds Press, 1970.

Additional resources

The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth. Reading Rainbow video. GPN. Rock & Mineral. Eyewitness Living Earth video. DK, 1996. Rocks and Minerals: Formation. Featherbys Fables video series. GPN. Rocks and Minerals: Uses. Featherbys Fables video series. GPN. Rocks and Minerals: Properties. Featherbys Fables video series. GPN. Smithsonian Gem and Mineral Collection. Internet site: http://galaxy.einet.net/images/gems/gems-icons.html

1998 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.

46 R O C K S

AND MINERALS

Teachers who have purchased this Backyard Backyard Safari SafariTeachers Guide are granted permission to reproduce pages from this book for their own classroom use (notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages.) In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.

REPRODUCIBLE #06

1998 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.

Teachers who have purchased this Backyard Backyard Safari SafariTeachers Guide are granted permission to reproduce pages from this book for their own classroom use (notice or copyright and source must appear on all copies of pages.) In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of GPN.

ROCKS AND MINERALS

47