Fun with Mrs.Foster!: Rocks, Minerals, and Magnets~ It's Science time! (Unit 4)

Change can be a good thing and I think after a few weeks of Social Studies, we are all excited about moving on to Rocks, Minerals, and Magnets! I LOVE Science and I hope that I can teach your child many new things that they will be able to apply to their own lives. We will be spending about 25 days on this unit so we will have plenty of time to EXPLORE! :)

We are going to start our Science unit with Earth Science. Here are the standards:

S3E1 Students will investigate the physical attributes of rocks and minerals.
a. Explain the difference between a rock and mineral.
b. Recognize the physical attributes of rocks and minerals using observation (shape, color, texture), measurement, and simple tests (hardness).
c. Use observation to compare the similarities and differences of texture, particle size, and color in top soils (such as clay, loam, or potting soil, and sand).
d. Determine how water and wind can change rocks and soil over time using observation and research.

S3E2 Students will investigate fossils as evidence of organisms that lived long ago.
a. Investigate fossils by observing authentic fossils or models of fossils or view information resources about fossils as evidence of organisms that lived long ago.
b. Describe how a fossil is formed.

Next, we will move on to Magnets which are Physical Science. Here is the standard:

S3P2 Students will investigate magnets and how they affect other magnets and common objects.
a. Investigate to find common objects that are attracted to magnets.
b. Investigate how magnets attract and repel each other.

Rocks and Minerals (20 Days):
Students will be able to:

Explain the difference between a rock and mineral.
Recognize the physical attributes of rocks and minerals using observation (shape, color, texture), measurement, and simple tests (hardness).
Use observation to compare the similarities and differences of texture, particle size, and color in top soils (such as clay, loam, or potting soil, and sand).
Determine how water and wind can change rocks and soil over time using observation and research.

Important vocabulary: Rocks, minerals, hardness scale, characteristics, scratch test, attributes of rocks- shape, color, texture, igneous rock, sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock, rock cycle, erosion, weathering, glacier, soil,

Magnets (5 Days):
Students will be able to:

Identify, through experimentation, objects that are attracted to magnets and their common characteristics.
Illustrate how a magnetic field is formed.
Describe the ways magnetic poles.

Students will know that:

Magnets attract objects that contain iron or steel.
Magnets are surrounded by a magnetic field.
Magnets have two poles (north and south)

Important Vocabulary: magnets, repel, attract, opposite, north, south, metal, steel, iron, hypothesis, conclusion, magnetic, horseshoe magnet, disk magnet, bar magnet, investigate.

Rocks and Minerals Resources/Books: