Backyard Safari 10

8/12/2019 Backyard Safari 10

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PROGRAM 10

Rocks andMinerals GET READY TO WATCHAsk students if any of them collect rocks and where they havefound their most interesting or unusual rocks.

Bring in two or three very different rocks that are big enough forstudents to examine, but small enough to pass around. Circulatethe rocks and pose the question, How are rocks made? Recordall the ideas the students present on a chart.

TALK ABOUTAfter 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/orminerals as the original material. Cut several pieces of bulletin

board paper in increasingly larger sizes of rock shapes. Label theshapes 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. Havestudents brainstorm items for each rock. (For example, the in theclassroom rock might list such items as chalk, bricks or concreteblocks, pencil leads, window panes, counter tops, gears in theclock, metal table legs, etc.) They might gather items for the listsby observation, taking walks, interviewing adults, looking at picturesin newspapers, magazines, and books, and from many otherresources, both print and nonprint. Display all the paper rocks ina formation so that the lists can be added to as students discoverother items.

CURRICULUM INTEGRATION ACTIVITIESScienceHave students conduct some experiments that will enlightenthem about the properties of rocks:

1.To test for hardness,place five rocks on index cards labeledA, B, C, D, and E. Provide a penny, a nail, and a small glass jar.Instruct students to scratch each rock with their fingernail, thepenny, 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 haveseveral 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 andnote the color of the streak. Assign the color a name bycomparing it to colors of crayons.

3.Test for porosity. Set out containers of vinegar and water. Havestudents immerse each of the rocks in vinegar and observe whathappens. Does any fizzing or bubbling occur? Are there anychanges to the rocks or the vinegar over a period of time? Do thesame experiment with water. Do any of the rocks soak up waterover time? How can they determine that this has happened?

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 outsid

but incredibly beautiful on the inside.

The various uses of rocks and minerals

in everyday lifefrom pencils to sky-

scrapersare highlighted.

1998 GPN/University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved.TeacherswhohavepurchasedthisBackyardSafariBackyardSafariTeachersGuidearegrantedpermissiontoreproducepagesfromthisbookfor their ownclassroomuse(noticeor copyrightandsourcemust

appear onall copiesof pages.) Inall other cases, nopartof thispublicationmaybereproducedinwholeor inpart, or storedinaretrieval system, or transmittedinanyformor byanymeans,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior writtenpermissionof GPN. R O C K S A N D M I N E R A L S


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4.Have students observe other characteristics of the rocks andrecord the information on their data sheets. How do the rocksfeel (smooth, rough, jagged, sandy, slippery)? Do there appear tobe layers in any of the rocks? Do any pieces of the rocks flake orchip off easily? Do any of the rocks have tiny holes? Do any ofthe rocks have tiny shells or other rocks as part of their makeup?What do the students observe with only their eyes, and what elsedo they see with a magnifying glass?

5.Observe the inner rock. With adult supervision, use a hammerto crack open a rock. (Place the rock inside a zip-lock plasticbag or cover it with a cloth before striking it to prevent flyingrock pieces.) Have students compare the inside and outsideof the rock.

Discuss all observations and record conclusions from the studentsdata 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 ofwater, four tablespoons of liquid bluing, and one tablespoon ofhousehold ammonia. (Leave the cap on the ammonia until you areready 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 ofthe pieces that are not submerged in the solution. Place the dish ina place where it wont be disturbed and the air is fairly dry. Crystalsshould appear in a fairly short time.

Language ArtsWrite a class book, entitled Everybody Needs a Rock.Giveeveryone a piece of grocery sack paper that has been irregularlycut to resemble a rock. Have students complete the sentenceframe, Everybody needs a rock. (For example, to carry inyour pocket for good luck; to hide behind; to sit on anddream; to use as a paperweight; to skip on the pond; etc.)After students have illustrated their sentences, have them crumplethe paper and then smooth it again. Make covers in the same rockshape as the pages, and bind the book together. Read the book,Everybody Needs a Roc kby Byrd Baylor, to learn her reasons forthinking 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 ofthe partners thinks of a rock and the other student tries to guesswhich rock it is by asking a series of five questions that can beanswered by Yes or No. Information from the data sheetssuggests the questions, such as Does it have layers? or Is itreddish-brown? Have the partners take turns thinking of a rockand asking questions.


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CrinklerootsCorner

There are thousands of types

of rocks, but geologists divide

them into three groups depending on

how they were formed: igneous, sedi-

mentary, 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.

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MathHave students classify rocks in different ways using a collectionof small rocks. Provide several Styrofoam meat trays and suggestthat they put rocks that are alike in some way in the trays. Studentsmight classify them according to color, size, shape (e.g., flat versusround), texture, and the like. They will likely have many ideas aboutways to classify the rocks. Provide opportunities for them to explaintheir classifications.

Have students estimate equivalent weights of rocks using rocksof different sizes and a balance scale. Working in small groups,have students place a large rock on one side of the scale and askthem to guess how many rocks need to be placed on the otherside in order to balance the scale. Have them experiment with dif-ferent combinations of rocks until they arrive at a balance. Alloweach group to explain its discoveries. To make the experimentsmore diverse, use a piece of pumice or another less dense rock asone 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 willhave to justify their decisions using evidence, such as actual meas-urements. An interesting problem might be for the students to

determine how they might measure a round rock.

Social StudiesFind out what local, state, and national examples of rock ormineral landmarks, monuments, and statues students have vis-ited or have information about. If possible, take a field trip to localsites and/or make inquiries about how they were constructed. (TheChamber of Commerce, Office of Tourism, Historical Society, orlocal museums might have this information.) Locate pictures ofother famous sites and discuss how they might have been built.Enlist the aid of the school library media specialist or public librari-an in finding out how these structures were built and why they arefamous.

ArtMake pebble sculptures or mosaics. For these projects, workwith ordinary rocks that are not part of anyones personal rock col-lection. In order to decide on a subject for a sculpture, have stu-dents lay out a few rocks and see if any of them suggest an objector part of an object (e.g., a head or body part). Then have themselect other rocks that will fit with the first rock chosen. After theyhave made their decisions, they may glue the rocks together. Astrong craft glue or hot glue (adult assistance is needed with theglue gun) works best. After the glue is thoroughly dried, studentsmay paint their sculptures. To make a pebble mosaic, small rocksin a variety of colors and sizes are desirable. A piece of thin ply-wood, 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 designis to look, they are ready to glue the pebbles to the background.A coating of shellac will provide a glossy finish and hold everythingin place.

Sasss SceneFor a sweet crystal-like treat, make

rock candy. Heat one cup of water to

just boiling. Add sugar, one table-

spoon 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 undis-

turbed until crystals form on the sticks.

In about a week, the rock candy should

be ready to eat!


appear onall copiesof pages.) Inall other cases, nopartof thispublicationmaybereproducedinwholeor inpart, or storedinaretrieval system, or transmittedinanyformor byanymeans,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior writtenpermissionof GPN.


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CRINKLEROOT SAYS,DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Check out the local library or bookstore forthese books about rocks and minerals:

Baylor, Byrd. Everybod y Needs a Rock.Illus. by Peter Parnall. Scribners, 1974.

Cole, J oanna. The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth.Illus. by Bruce Degen. Scholastic, 1987.

Fowler, Allan. I t Could Sti l l Be a Roc k. Childrens Press, 1993.

Gans, Roma. Rock Col lec t ing.Illus. by Holly Keller. HarperCollins, 1997.

Marcus, Elizabeth. Rocks and Minerals .Troll, 1983.

ODonoghue, Michael. Rocks & Min erals of the Wor ld.Thunder Bay Press, 1994.

Parker, Steve. Rocks and M inerals. DK, 1993.

Parnall, Peter. The Roc k. Macmillan, 1991.

Selsam, Millicent & Hunt, J oyce. A First Look at Roc ks.Illus. by Harriett Springer. Walker, 1984.

Simon, Seymour. The Rock Houn ds 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 resourcesThe Magic Schoo l Bus Ins ide the Ear th. Reading Rainbow video. GPN.

Rock & M ineral. Eyewitness Living Earth video. DK, 1996.

Rocks and M inerals : Format ion. Featherbys Fables video series. GPN.

Rocks and Minerals : Uses. Featherbys Fables video series. GPN.

Rocks and Minerals: Propert ies. Featherbys Fables video series. GPN.

Smithsonian Gem and Mineral Col lec t ion.

Internet site:http://galaxy.einet.net/images/gems/gems-icons.html


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Backyard Safari 10

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