Wesley Heights, Year One
Heil – Jen Weisphal
Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:
Students will be able to accurately identify descriptions of rock types as sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic, as well as provide further descriptions of these rock types. Students will also practice reading skills within the lesson.
Integration Area/Subject:
Science: Types of Rocks
State Standards:
S3E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the physical attributes of rocks and soils.
- Ask questions and analyze data to classify rocks by their physical attributes (color, texture, luster, and hardness) using simple tests. (Clarification statement: Mohs scale should be studied at this level. Cleavage, streak and the classification of rocks as sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic are studied in sixth grade.) * The modern understanding of this core idea is that all minerals are rocks but not all rocks are minerals.
ELAGSE3RF4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
- Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
ELAGSE3RI10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Materials/Playing Space:
- Scrap paper of similar size in three colors
- Three matching color markers for white board/smart board
- 1 basket
Description:
We first play a round of Snowball to introduce the Snowball game in a fun way by having the class vote for their favorite color out of the three offered by writing their name on it and throwing it in the basket. This allows for individual expression and learning student names.
Then we transitioned into a game of matching with rock types. This school has a specific need to focus on reading skills, so we worked on reading by having the teacher write three descriptions on the white board in corresponding colors to the three sheets of paper available to the students. Each description is specific to a certain type of rock: Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary. The teacher also wrote an answer key in in black for students to read and copy for their answers. Example on white board:
This type of rock is formed from lava
This type of rock is not porous
This type of rock often has layers
Students will then write which type of rock matches each description and throw all their ROCKS into a basket. The teacher and I went through the ROCKS tallying “votes” to find the correct answers based on majority rule, as this activity was a review and students should be able to recount this information.
Now that we know that Red is Igneous, Green is Metamorphic, and Blue is Sedimentary, we asked the students to write another attribute they know about each of these types of rocks on their corresponding color paper. As a group, we will go rock group by rock group and give a thumbs up or thumbs down to the answers on each Snowball. If the answer is incorrect, we ask why the answer is incorrect to have students work on articulating the differences between rock types.
Notes:
Tallying “votes” was additionally helpful to the teacher to gather quantifiable data on how much of the class is retaining and accurately understanding the differences between rock types.