Grade+4

__Grade 4 Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion__

===__**Curriculum Objectives:**__ Science foundational and learning objectives: === Provide evidence of the Earth's history Describe how fossils are formed Recognize how inferencs are made
 * 1) Compare igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
 * 2) Explain how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks form.
 * 3) Explain that soil consists primarily of rock which has been broken down.
 * 1) Examine the relationships between sedimentary rocks and fossils.
 * 2) Classify fossils.
 * 3) Produce mold and cast reproductions of a shell or other artifact.
 * 4) Compare mold and cast reproductions to fossils.
 * 1) Explain how fossil evidence can be used to make inferences about dinosaurs.
 * 2) Explain how inferences about the Earth's history are made.

*The composition of a rock varies || ||
 * ** About Rocks: ** ||
 * *There are three different ways that a rock can form and those rocks are called:
 * Igneous Rocks *Sedimentary Rocks *Metamorphic Rocks
 * Every rocks have flecks or grains of different sizes and colours
 * ** Igneous Rocks **
 * ** Igneous Rocks **
 * ** *About The Name ** || ** *Igne ** - in Latin means fire
 * are called fire rocks ||

***How it is Formed?**

|| *Formed either underground or above ground magma becomes igneous rocks 
 * Underground**-formed when the melted rock, called **//magma//**, deep within the earth becomes trapped in small pockets
 * As these pockets of magma cool slowly underground, the
 * Above Ground**-formed when volcanoes erupt, causing the magma to rise about the earth’s surface. When magma appears about the earth, it is called **//lava//**
 * Igneous rocks are formed as the lava cools above ground
 * Some contain air bubbles, which makes them quite light
 * If there are no such air bubbles, igneous rocks can be heavy ||
 * ** *Interesting Facts ** || Examples: Dolerite, Granite, & Basalt ||
 * ** Sedimentary Rocks **

||
 * ** *About The Name ** || ** *//Sedere// ** - In Latin means to sit and is at the root of the word sedimentary

||

***How it is Formed**

|| *For thousands, even millions of years, little pieces of our earth have been **//eroded//**—broken down and worn away by wind or water
 * These little bits of our earth are washed downstream where they settle to the bottom of **//rivers, lakes,//** and **//oceans//**
 * Also smaller pieces often settle in layers on land, such as in **//desert dunes//**
 * Layer after layer of eroded earth is deposited on top of each
 * These layers are pressed down more and more through time, and are squeezed together until the bottom layers slowly and eventually cement together and turn into rock
 * Can usually see grains in these rocks ||
 * ** *Interesting Facts **

|| Examples: Sandstone, Limestone, & Conglomerate
 * Fossils are found in sedimentary rock ||
 * ** Metamorphic Rocks **

||
 * ** *About The Name **

|| ** *//Meta// ** - Greek word for change
 * //Morph//**- Greek word for form
 * combined to mean change of form ||

***How it is Formed**

|| *Rocks that have “morphed” into another kind of rock
 * These rocks were once igneous or sedimentary rocks
 * Rocks are under tons and tons of pressure, intense heat, or hot fluids within the earth causes the rocks to change
 * Rocks do not melt, but become smaller and denser as they change form ||
 * ** *Interesting Facts **

|| *Examine closely will discover how flattened some of the grains in the rock are Examples: Gneiss, Marble, & Pencil Slate ||

__Activity #1- Mineral Scavenger Hunt__
Matierals: -Mineral scavenger hunt handout

Engage: Students will participate in an individual brainstorming activity with a 2 minute time limit on it. During this activity students will be asked to think about different things around their house that may be made out of minerals or natural substances. There will be a periodic table at the front of the room that shows all of the different elements/minerals. This will give them some ideas of what they may find in their own homes.

Explore: Students will receive the “mineral scavenger hunt” handout and will take it home for the evening. They will have to fill in all of the blanks that say where we would find such things around our own homes. The students will be asked to bring one of the items from their list from their home to class the next day to use in a discussion.

Explain: The next day students will have a chance to share their answers with a small group. During this students will have a chance to check their answers and also collaborate to see if there are more than one answer for the questions. Also during this time they will have a chance to share their item from home with their group and come up with some essential characteristics that their item possesses to be shared with the large group later.

Elaborate: After the small group discussions students will join back into a large group. During this the teacher can facilitate a discussion about what they found and if they were aware that these items/substances were minerals. They may also have a chance to explore and examine some of the items that students brought for some of the essential characteristics that it possesses and why it is important to note them. During this time the teacher may want to delve in to other minerals and the importance of being aware of the ordinary house hold items that are made out of minerals. This is to show that minerals are everywhere and they come in many different shapes, sizes, textures and colours. Evaluate: The evaluation for this activity is based around participation in the small and large group discussions as well as a completed mineral scavenger hunt handout. The student must show an understanding that minerals are everywhere and all possess different uses and properties. 

** MINERAL SCAVENGER HUNT ** **Find these minerals and mineral products around your home. Write down where you found each one.**
 * ** Mineral or Mineral Product **

|| ** Uses **

|| ** Location **

||
 * aluminum || aluminum foil, cosmetics, beverage cans, deodorant, hand lotion, antacids, cooking pots  || kitchen, bathroom  ||
 * beryllium || fluorescent lamps  || ||
 * chromium || chrome fixtures (cars, bicycles, lamps, plumbing fixtures), stainless steel  || ||
 * copper || wires, pipes, cooking pots, gutters, roofs, brass, pennies  || ||
 * fluorite, (fluoride) || toothpaste, drinking water  || ||
 * gold || dentistry, jewelry, computers, electronics  || ||
 * gypsum || wallboard, plaster  || ||
 * halite || table sale, food preservatives, de-icers  || ||
 * iron || cosmetics, hair dye, steel wrought iron  || ||
 * lead || car batteries, computers, fuel tanks, TV tubes, leaded glass, X-ray shields, fishing sinkers  || ||
 * mica || sheet rock, paints, hair dye, cosmetics, soap, electronics  || ||
 * molybdenum || fertilizer, filament supports in light bulbs  || ||
 * nickel || nickels, stainless steel, alnico magnets, sheet rock  || ||
 * zinc || sun block, fertilizer, cosmetics, dandruff shampoo, pennies, galvanized metal, brass, dry cell batteries  || ||
 * zirconium || deodorant, jewelry  || ||
 * perlite || gardening (soil conditioners)  || ||
 * phosphate || fertilizer, dishwashing detergent, laundry detergent  || ||
 * potassium (potash) || fertilizer, toothpaste  || ||
 * silica || computer chips, glass, cosmetics, antacids, paint, laundry detergent, drain cleaner, quartz watches  || ||
 * sulfur || fertilizers, matches, tires  || ||
 * talc || baby powder, cosmetics, antacids, sheet rock, primer  || ||
 * titanium || cosmetics, hand lotion, soap, toothpaste, hair dye, bug spray, primer, paint  || ||
 * tungsten || filament in light bulbs, drill bits (tool steel)  || ||

__Activity #2__
- Metamorphic Sandwiches- "Bread Rock"

Objective: To graphically show how metamorphic rock is formed by pressure and heat. Materials: -4-6 slices of bread per student (white or wheat) -Wax paper -Heavy books or blocks -Microwave (optional)

Engage: Hand out 2 or 3 slices of white and wheat bread to each student. Have them examine the bread and write a description of what they observe. Have students measure the size of each slice of bread and record their results.

Explore: Stack the bread by alternating slices of different colored bread and wrap the stack in wax paper. Then place heavy books or blocks on top of the bread so that layers squish together, much as the earth's pressure transforms soft rock into denser hard rock. Have the students discuss in small groups what they think might happen and why. Some questions that you may want to pose are: what do you think is going to happen? What are some factors that are attributing to this? Is there anything else that may make this effect more drastic or less drastic? After this, if available, place "sandwiches" in a microwave for 30-60 seconds to dry and harden. Remove the wax paper to obtain the "metamorphic" sandwich. Have the students examine their "rock." How is it different from what they observed originally? How different is the size? Can they notice anything about the layers of bread that have now been “squished” together?
 * If microwave is not available at school, you could have the students do this as a homework assignment and see who brings back the most metamorphosed sandwich and what they did to get it.

Explain: Explain to the students that the end product (rock) is a direct result of how much pressure and heat is applied just as it is with the metamorphic rock in our earth.

Elaborate: Have students get into groups and brainstorm where they might have seen rocks like this. If available bring in rocks such as marble, slate or gneiss to show examples of this type of rock. Rock kits are available from the government of Saskatchewan that have rocks from all three different rock categories if you desire. If this is not available show the students pictures of these rocks so that they can visualize what they may look like. Explain that metamorphic rocks tend to weigh a lot as they are very dense. Also explain that fossils do exist in these rocks although they are not as perfect as they would be in a sedimentary rock as the fossil would have been squished out of shape from the intense pressure and heat that they rock underwent to become metamorphic.

Evaluation: Participation in this activity is a good way to evaluate. Students must demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of a metamorphic rock and the qualities needed to make it this way. Students must have a positive attitude and a willingness to learn as well as participate in the class discussions and small group or individual activities.  = =  =**__Activity #3- Sedimentary Rock Layers__ **= Objectives: -Explain how sedimentary rocks form -Examine the relationships between sedimentary rocks and fossils

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: Arial;">Materials: - glass jars with lids -Water -Rocks -Pebbles -Sand -Soil Engage: Have students collect rocks, pebbles, sand, and soil at school or home. Explain that all of the rocks collected must fit into the jars that will be provided. Fill the jars about one-third full with the rocks, pebbles, sand, and soil. Then explain to the students that we will be adding water. Have the students talk in small groups or write in their journals about what they think will happen. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: Arial;">Explore: Add water and shake jar carefully. Let the jar stand undisturbed. Materials will settle into layers with the coarser, heavier material at the bottom and the finer, lighter layers at the top.

Explain: Tell the students that these sedimentary layers usually form in lake beds and near running water. After a long period of time, they will turn to rock called sedimentary rock. Also, explain that it is in these types of rocks that we find fossils in their most perfect form. They may not be complete skeletons as the water needed to form these fossils may wash parts away. It is the best type of rock to preserve fossils because it creates a mould for the organism to harden and later forms a fossil. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Elaborate: Have students measure and graph the various sizes of the layers. Have the students shake up their jars again and test to make sure that the layers will be in the same order as before. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri;">If available bring in rocks such as sandstone, limestone or conglomerates to show examples of this type of rock. Rock kits are available from the government of Saskatchewan that have rocks from all three different rock categories if you desire. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: Arial;">Evaluate: Students can be assessed on their participation in the activity as well as their journal entries and hypothesis’. They must demonstration an understanding that sedimentary rock is composed of different layers that form into rock with the help of water. They must also understand that fossils are most commonly found in this type of rock.

Objective: -Produce mold and cast reproductions of a shell or other artifact. -Compare mold and cast reproductions to fossils. Materials: -top of egg cartons/milk cartons cut in half the long way (so that it may be filled with play dough and fit a foot) -Oil -coffee group fossil recipe (found at the bottom of this activity) -Soap Engage: Show picture of fossils to students. Have the students label their egg cartons and flatten out the chunk of playdough given to them. Explore: Have the students get into small groups and put oil on one foot. Then instruct the students to step into the playdough so that it leaves an imprint. Clean foot after. Set fossils away to dry (drying may take up to a week and fossils need to be flipped around day 3). Explain: After all of the fossils are made, explain to the students that the fossils that we made are called trace fossils. Explain that fossils are usually just the mould of something left behind and that there are many different types of fossils that are formed in many different ways. Instruct the students that there are also casts, which are spaces left in rocks after the object has decayed away or been removed and this is the type of fossil that we just made. Elaborate: Have the students discuss in partners or small groups how having these fossils can help us better understand our history and what are some ways that we can use these artifacts. Evaluation: Students will complete a short journal entry explain how they think that the fossils that we have now help us to better understand our past.
 * __ Activity #4- Making Fossils __**

Coffee Ground “Fossils” Recipe

1 cup used coffee grounds ½ cup cold coffee 1 cup flour ½ cup salt Wax paper mixing bowl

-Mix all ingredients together and knead until the texture is that of play dough. Place in an airtight bag or else it will dry and be unusable.

Objectives: Compare sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks and how they go through a particular cycle when formed.
 * __ Activity #5- The Rock Cycle __**

Materials: -Bubble gum -Pop rocks -Picture of the Rock Cycle -Clean dish

Engage: Take out a piece of bubble gum, hold it up and say "This represents a Sedimentary Rock ." Put it in your mouth and begin chewing it. Ask the students, "What am I doing?" Ask them to think scientifically. Ask them "what am I doing to the gum." ( Is it cold inside my mouth, no, so I am applying heat, yes). Ask what is happening when my teeth come down on the gum (applying pressure)? Is the gum being changed at all? Pull the gum out of your mouth and place it on a clean dish. Explore: Open up a packet of "Pop Rocks" and pour some onto the gum. Then squeeze or fold them into the gum. Explain that this represents an Igneous Rock. Now, place the gum (igneous rock) in your mouth and chew. Ask the students: What am I doing? (applying heat and pressure. Here pressure is more intense to crush the "Pop Rocks" ( crystals )). Chew until all the "Pop Rocks" are mixed in as part of the gum. Pull out the gum and say this represents a Metamorphic Rock.

Explain: Explain to the students that we have just gone through the rock cycle.

Elaborate: Then hand out a diagram of the rock cycle. Give the students a few minutes to discuss in small groups how they went through the rock cycle and the different changes their “rock” went through. If available, have a real example of each rock category for students to observe.

Evaluate: Check for understanding by ensuring that the students can answer these questions throughout the activity. // What am I doing? What am I doing to the gum? Is it cold inside my mouth? Am I applying heat? Am I applying pressure? Is the gum being changed? Did it take more pressure to form the metamorphic rock than it did the igneous rock? //  <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> The Rock Cycle:

Cross Curricular and Ties to Other Activities:
This unit in the science curriculum offers many connections to the seasons, water and oil as well as soil. Rocks and minerals, erosion and fossils could be talked about within the seasons unit as the varying seasons as there are specifica seasons (spring and summer) that lend themselves to more rain which in turn effects the amount of erosion that occurs. Also it rocks and minerals could be talked about throughout the different seasons and how difficult exploring for these things are through the different seasons. Connections with the air and water unit are very clear as these things have a great impact on rocks, minerals, erosion and fossil preservation. The water cycle is a main area of focus within this unit as there are clear ties to erosion within this. Also the preservation of fossils is highly tired to the environment surrounding them, and rain and exposure to oxygen has an impact on the fossilization process which could be discussed within this area. Lastly, the connections to the grade 3 soil unit are also evident as some soil/dirt is essentially made from crushed up rocks. Students could study the soil and link these two units together. In this unit connections can be made to the language arts curriculum as well as the arts curriculum.