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Grade 5 Earth and Space Sciences Benchmark C: Rocks
 
This mini-collection aligns with Earth and Space Sciences Benchmark C: Describe Earth's resources including rocks, soil, water, air, animals and plants and the ways in which they can be conserved. This collection includes 2 lessons, 2 assessment items, and a content resource focusing on rocks. This is the third mini-collection in this series that addresses this benchmark. ORC #10781 looks at soils and ORC #10782 deals with renewable and nonrenewable resources. Best practices in science instruction incorporate science process skills with science content. The process skills featured in these lessons are related to communicating observations. Resources included in this mini-collection will help students apply what they know about resource conservation to real-world problems. (ts)


   
Rock Hunters (ORC#: 3546)
 
The focus of this lesson is to describe rocks both quantitatively and qualitatively. Students draw detailed pictures of rocks, and weigh and measure them. Communication is an important scientific skill. One of the ways scientists communicate their observations is through detailed drawings. Through this lesson, students can improve their ability to communicate what they observe. (ts)


   
Bring A Rock (ORC#: 6317)
 
Students communicate what they observe about rocks in this lesson as well. This time, they are writing detailed descriptions about their rocks. It is important that students learn to make detailed observations of the objects they find in their environment. Too often, students are asked to memorize the classifications of objects in a rather matter-of-fact manner without exploring the characteristics of the objects sufficiently. Before formally introducing the different types of rocks, give students an opportunity to thoroughly examine and sort rocks. This practice allows them to discover that there are similarities and differences in rocks before they learn how scientists classify them. (ts)


   
NAEP Assessment Item, Grade 4: Identifying a rock (ORC#: 1571)
 
Seventy-five percent of students who responded to this question correctly identified, "the minerals the rock contains" as information that can be used to identify rocks. This may indicate that students understand that size, weight, and temperature (the other options) are not characteristics unique to a particular type of rock. (ts)


   
NAEP Assessment Item, Grade 4:: Recognize rock type based on the process of its formation (ORC#: 7198)
 
Sixty-five percent of students tested failed to identify the type of rock that is formed when dead ocean animals fall to the bottom of the ocean. Students in this grade band are not expected to know in great detail how rocks are formed. However, some mention of how sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks are formed will set the stage for further studies in middle school. (ts)


   
Fundamentals of Physical Geography [excerpt]: Chapter 10, "Introduction to the Lithosphere" (ORC#: 9173)
 
This is a great content resource for finding images of rocks to share with students. The information provided may be too detailed for students in this grade band, but it is a great resource for teachers who would like to refresh their own knowledge about rocks. (ts)