A Rocks History

To gather some appreciation of our world, especially our rock

world, we are going to gather an assortment of rocks from our
campus. You will use a rock key to classify some of the
samples we collect.

Procedures:
The class will go outside to collect an assortment of rocks.
You will need to collect at least one sample to use for the
remaining procedures. Please stay with the class and
observe boundary restrictions on our hunt.

From the rock assortment, choose one sample. Draw a

picture of the details in your sample. Remember to use color
to enhance your observations. List the physical
characteristics.

Follow the instructions to determine if your sample is

metamorphic, sedimentary or igneous rock.

Questions:
Are your crystals large enough to see using the magnifying
glass? Or with a microscope?

What do you see using the magnifying glass or microscope?

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 1 of 17
 Can you see different types of materials within the same
rock (fossils, layers of different material, color contrast)?

Would you classify rocks as a mixture? Why?

What step on the rock key helped you to identify your rock?

Conclusion:

When writing a conclusion on a lab, please summarize the lab

procedures you found helpful in solving the problem presented.
Summarize the findings of your experiment (classifying your
rock sample). What did you like most about this lab?

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 2 of 17
A Rocks History
Suggested Grade Span

68

Task
To gather some appreciation of our world, especially our rock world, we are going to gather an
assortment of rocks from our campus. You will use a rock key to classify some of the samples
we collect.

Procedures:
The class will go outside to collect an assortment of rocks. You will need to collect at least
one sample to use for the remaining procedures. Please stay with the class and observe
boundary restrictions on our hunt.

From the rock assortment, choose one sample. Draw a picture of the details in your
sample. Remember to use color to enhance your observations. List the physical
characteristics.

Follow the instructions to determine if your sample is metamorphic, sedimentary or igneous

rock.

Questions:
Are your crystals large enough to see using the magnifying glass? Or with a microscope?

What do you see using the magnifying glass or microscope?

Can you see different types of materials within the same rock (fossils, layers of different
material, color contrast)?

Would you classify rocks as a mixture? Why?

What step on the rock key helped you to identify your rock?

Conclusion:

When writing a conclusion on a lab, please summarize the lab procedures you found helpful in
solving the problem presented. Summarize the findings of your experiment (classifying your
rock sample). What did you like most about this lab?

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 of 17
Big Ideas and Unifying Concepts
Cause and effect
Evolution and equilibrium
Patterns

Physical Science Concept

Properties of matter

Earth Science Concepts

Earth's history
Earth systems

Mathematics Concepts
Data collection, organization and analysis
Diagrams
Measurement

Time Required For the Task

Ninety minutes to two hours.

Context
This is the final activity for my students rock and mineral unit. The students have covered
mineral composition, crystal patterns, characteristics of rocks and basic identification strategies.
We have identified 30 common minerals. The students have studied the rock cycle, erosion and
weathering, and rock classifications. Students should have a working knowledge of rock
identification tests to apply to samples they have collected on our school campus.

What the Task Accomplishes

This activity gives students the opportunity to apply the observation, data gathering and
analysis skills they have learned to their immediate environment. It allows the teacher an
opportunity to assess a students application of various investigation skills practiced in a
laboratory setting. It also encourages students to become actual geologists as they study,
theorize about and identify geological processes occurring around their school. This inquiry
activity is broken down into a two-day lesson.

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 4 of 17
How the Student Will Investigate
The inquiry actually begins on the first day of the rock and mineral unit. I introduce our final
activity as a challenge to the students. They will be able to identify rocks by their classifications:
sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic. I always have someone who says, We dont have any
rocks around our school. (Oh, the challenges!) On day one of the inquiry activity, students are
instructed on the task, collecting rocks. Each student is expected to collect at least one sample
and bring it back to the classroom. I carry a geologist's hammer or a claw hammer, my goggles
and a magnifier. I also ask someone to carry a large bucket for all the extra rocks we may want
to collect. We stay within a defined space. I like to give directions, such as, We will start at the
football field and work our way south, down the slope onto the lower soccer field; we will then
cut back to the parking area, and then back to the lower sidewalk, and return to the classroom.
This gives students a general sense of direction when working outdoors. Students might also
carry a 3x5 index card with them to jot down notes about where they found the rock sample, if
there were many rocks of this type in the same area, etc.

Day two begins with each student selecting one rock to study further. I provide rock
identification keys, magnifiers, colored pencils, nails for the hardness test, hammers to break
rocks (to expose clean faces), soap, water, and HCl for the acid test (this last test I will do for
the students upon request). Students should be instructed to make an accurate drawing of their
rock (they could also include a scale for size) and then begin the process of identifying their
samples by conducting various tests. It is important to remind students to look for small fossils
as they work. We study fossils later in the year, and this activity lays the foundation for those
studies.

Interdisciplinary Links and Extensions

Science
Students will be introduced to the topic of fossils later in the year; this task can be extended to
include an investigation of fossils and fossil evidence. Outside explorations also allow the
teacher to point out signs of (physical and chemical) weathering, erosion, deposition and soil
composition. Students could also create their own rock and soil identification keys and geologic
maps of the school grounds, using county soil maps as a resource.

Social Studies
Ask students if they can find any evidence that the geologic history of an area has affected the
development of the area's economy (e.g., tourism), its use of natural resources (e.g., mining,
agriculture), its legal practices, etc.

Language Arts
Many myths and tall tales (e.g., Paul Bunyon stories) are connected to the geological history of
a region. Students could research and write both factual and fictional versions of famous rock
formations, fossil evidence and geological events. Using their selected rock samples, students
could create a family album describing its formation and geologic history.

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 5 of 17
Teaching Tips and Guiding Questions
I recruit a fellow teacher to help with class management while outdoors. Students will tend to
lag behind, or move ahead, and it is helpful to have someone with each group. You should
scout areas ahead of time find some potential rock sources and varieties. Good locations are
on slopes, at the end of drainpipes, around eroded ditches and in tilled topsoil. It would be
helpful to know the geologic processes that occurred in your area, but it is not a requirement.
(Local museums and county agencies might be helpful here.) Your students will begin to
develop some theories by the end of this investigation.

Cover your tables with old newspapers. Break rocks inside a rolled newspaper to prevent
fragments from flying and possibly striking students. Safety goggles are recommended when
breaking rocks.

Some questions to guide the inquiry might include:

Do you see any fossils in the rocks you are examining? (only sedimentary rocks hold
fossils)
What is it about the rock that caught your eye? color? size? luster? shape? hardness?
cleavage? fluorescence? location?
Does it remind you of any rocks weve already studied?
Did you note the location of your rock? Were there many rocks of the same type in that
area? Was it on a slope? At the end of a drainage area?
How do you think the rock got to the place where you found it? What is the soil like in that
area?
What characteristics of the rock will help you to identify it later in the lab?

Concepts to be Assessed
(Unifying concepts/big ideas and science concepts to be assessed using the Science
Exemplars Rubric under the criterion: Science Concepts and Related Content)

Earth Science Earth System; Earth's History: Students identify the characteristics of rocks
that reveal information about their composition (minerals and plant and animal remains) and
formation (erosion, transport, deposit, pressure, temperature, etc.).

Physical Science Properties of Matter: Students observe, identify and classify rocks and
minerals according to their properties.

Mathematics: Students use diagrams and precise measurements. Students collect, organize
and analyze data appropriately.

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 of 17
Skills to be Developed
(Science process skills to be assessed using the Science Exemplars Rubric under the criteria:
Scientific Procedures and Reasoning Strategies, and Scientific Communication Using Data)

Scientific Method: Observing, predicting, classifying, recording, communicating, using tools

(magnifier, microscope, geologist hammer), interpreting information and analyzing rocks using
the rock identification key.

Other Science Standards and Concepts Addressed

Scientific Method: Students describe, predict, investigate and explain phenomena.

Scientific Theory: Students look for evidence that explains why things happen and modify
explanations when new observations are made.

Scientific Inquiry: Students use systematic observations, precise measurements and prior
knowledge to clarify ideas and answer questions.

Earth Science Concepts Earth Systems; Earth's History: Student's observe that rocks are
composed of different combinations of materials (minerals and plant and animal remains) and
are formed and acted upon by many different forces and events over time (erosion, transport,
deposit, pressure, temperature, etc.).

Suggested Materials
Materials for this task include magnifier, safety goggles, hammer, nails, microscope, bucket,
newspapers for tables, HCl (optional), resource books and rock identification charts, notebooks,
3x5 index cards and pencils for taking field notes. Common white vinegar, a less caustic acid
than HCl, can also be used to detect the presence of limestone or dolostone (rich in calcium
and magnesium carbonates). Pouring a small amount of vinegar onto the rock sample will
produce fizzing as the acid reacts with the base elements in the rock. (Note: Limestone will
bubble much more than dolostone. Placing acid on powdered dolostone, scratched out by a
knife or nail, will create more of a fizz.)

Possible Solutions
Specific solutions will vary depending upon the samples collected. Solutions should include
data related to characteristics observed in the lab and/or outside. Assessment should be based
on the student's ability to apply prior knowledge and appropriate tests (e.g., hardness) and use
identification keys and scientific tools (e.g., magnifiers) appropriately.

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 7 of 17
Task-Specific Assessment Notes
Novice
The students drawing of the rock sample shows some detail but lacks labels describing the
rocks physical characteristics. No specific color indicators are noted in the drawing. The
student shows evidence of using tools (magnifier and microscope) but identifies crystals only
through their use, when other items could also be seen (sand particles, different layers, colors,
etc.). The student classifies rocks as a mixture but provides no viable explanation indicating a
lack of understanding of the scientific term or its meaning. No conclusions are given. No
procedures are summarized, indicating a lack of a strategy for investigation.

Apprentice
The students drawing of the rock sample shows some detail but lacks labels describing the
rocks physical characteristics. No specific color indicators are noted in the drawing. The
student identifies the rock as metamorphic but later describes characteristics of sedimentary
rocks, indicating some understanding of observable characteristics but a lack of understanding
in how to use the identification key. The student shows evidence of attempting to use tools
(magnifier and microscope) appropriately and identifies no crystals, some sand particles,
fossils, and hairy, pokey things like a porcupine. The student classifies rocks as a mixture and
provides an explanation with examples (sand and shells) indicating some understanding of
the scientific term. Limited conclusions are given, using only the identification key, indicating a
partial strategy for investigation.

Practitioner
The students drawing of the rock sample shows some details and lists three of the rock's
physical characteristics (rough, foliated, muddy). Dark and light colors are indicated in the
drawing. The student identifies the rock as sedimentary and later describes several appropriate
characteristics, indicating an understanding of observable characteristics but a lack of
understanding that foliated applies only to layering in metamorphic rock. The student shows
evidence of attempting to use tools (magnifier and microscope) appropriately and identifies no
crystals; tan, brown, white and gray colors; dirt and rock fragments; and a fossil. The student
classifies rocks as a mixture and provides an explanation with examples (soil, rock particles,
crystals) indicating some understanding of the scientific term. Conclusions are based on
appropriate procedures, including use of the rock identification key and other tools and on an
analysis of observed properties, indicating a successful strategy for investigation.

Expert
The students drawing of the rock sample shows details and lists numerous physical
characteristics (rough, size of palm, ridges, colors, etc.). The student identifies the rock as
sedimentary and later describes appropriate characteristics, indicating an understanding of
observable characteristics of sedimentary rock. The student shows evidence of attempting to
use tools (magnifier and microscope) appropriately and identifies surface features, colors, sand,
little rocks and a fossil. The student classifies rocks as a mixture and provides an explanation
with examples (sand and gravel) indicating some understanding of the scientific term.

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 8 of 17
Conclusions include a more full explanation of the procedure, including the characteristics used
for identification, tools used and an analysis of observed properties, indicating a successful
strategy for investigation. The student did not need to use a key.

Note: This is classified as Expert primarily due to the detail included with the drawing, the
scientific vocabulary used in explanations, and the procedural description in the conclusions.

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 9 of 17
Novice

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 of 17
Novice

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 11 of 17
Apprentice

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 of 17
Apprentice

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 13 of 17
Practitioner

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 14 of 17
Practitioner

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 15 of 17
Expert

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 16 of 17
Expert

A Rocks History
Copyright 2007, Exemplars, Inc. All rights reserved. 17 of 17