This week Tracey and I taught Lesson 2 of our Rocks and Minerals Unit and the focus was on the 3 types of rocks; igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary, as well as the rock cycle. Tracey and I had done a lot of preparation for this lesson and I found I needed to do a lot of research on the topic before I would be able to confidently distinguish the 3 types of rocks myself, let alone show the students how to do it. I found some great sites- The University of Missouri E-themes on Rocks and Minerals lists sites that provide credible info and fun activities for the unit, and The Geological Society had a wonderful interactive rock cycle and descriptions and uses of each of the 12 rocks we'd be using in class! I found these sites to be extremely informative and valuable while planning our lesson as well.
We began our lesson with the students on the rug and reviewed the 3 types of rocks; igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Fortunately our class teacher had already gone over these, but we were to introduce the concept of the rock cycle. Before we began our lesson the teacher reminded us to be very clear, concise, explicit, and to model the behaviors that we wanted the students to exhibit. She also said that because these were new concepts, not to bog students down with superfluous vocab, but instead to give them the main ideas. This was great advice, but it caused me a bit of panic when I realized my Rock Cycle poster was laden with words like "crystalline, foliated, intrusive, extrusive" etc. Luckily Tracey and I had time to reword our explanations into terms that the students would be more familiar with (like crystal vs. crystalline, or layered instead of foliated) and also to help them to make make connections with the new vocab (metamorphic) and concepts they already know (morph means to change like a butterfly transforms). I also got some fabulous ideas from another great website to show students how metamorphic rocks form from heat and pressure by having the students rub their hands together (and feel the heat) and push the hands together (to feel the heat and pressure). After consulting with the classroom teacher, I think next time we would introduce the rock cycle at the end of the lesson and not right after talking about the 3 types of rock-- it may have been a bit too much instruction all at once.
Because our lesson last week went over-time, this week we were very careful about our time-management, which included time spent on managing materials. Upon our classroom teacher's suggestion, we decided to "pre-assemble" our student's trays with the rocks that they would be using for the lesson as well as the hand lenses and calling students up a pair at a time to retrieve materials, so that valuable learning time wouldn't be wasted with students choosing the "prettiest rock" out of the bin. We also found that giving students time reminders during the activity so they knew how far along they should be (half-way, almost finished, 2 more minutes) were helpful for them and us.
Although the unit lesson did not explicitly cover the frameworks, we made sure to include the rock cycle and how rocks form in our lesson. Ben mentioned that students thought rocks could be fabricated, and that was a common misconception in our class as well and I'd like to revisit that point again when we discuss what the students have learned about rocks so far at the beginning of our next lesson.
A few other things worth mentioning are that I was really impressed with how well the students worked together in pairs and observed the rocks and then classified them- it was so great to see them talking like little geologists! We had also listed the major properties of each type of rock on the board and I think that was a huge help to the students, because otherwise I think they were overloaded with new information.
Another great moment was when a student came up to us after class to show us the geode she had brought in and explained to us how exciting it was for her to have found it! This was especially uplifting since at the beginning of our lesson when we asked of students were ready to look at rocks again, I heard a couple students say "no!" I'm sure when they see the dozen shiny and colorful minerals we have lined up for next week's lesson, they will be less lackluster!
With my daughter having surgery and being in and out of the hospital 3 times this week, I apologize if this post is not as entertaining as the previous ones, but to say that this has been an extremely difficult week would be an understatement.
That said, I think the first rocks and minerals lesson went fairly well! The students made observations and comparisons between 3 rocks; granite, gneiss (pronounced 'nice'), and conglomerate. For a more detailed description, check out my teaching partner Tracey's blog post for this week. She did a great job explaining the smooth and rough parts of the lesson, gneiss job Tracey!!
She and I worked really hard preparing for our first lesson, and I was glad to say we were "ready to rock" as Tracey said! She had made these great colorful name tags that had the students names like "Suzie the scientist," which I think they liked and it made it so much easier to call them by name. I also think this made them excited about the lesson! I was really impressed with how much they knew about rocks already, and how much they were willing to share. In fact we didn't have enough time to call on everyone that had their hand up! The classroom teacher, Miss Mary Poppins as I call her, gave us a great suggestion to not only call on students who didn't have their hand up, but to encourage them to share by saying, "I know you made some great observations, why don't you share one with the class." I thought that was a great way to get all the students involved, feeling part of the activity, and that their observations and opinions matter.
I felt Tracey and I did a good job of dividing up the lesson and instruction time, but next time we need to schedule the parts of the lesson so that it doesn't run over time. We were also told we need to work on speaking more formally and not addressing the students as "you guys," but since I was so nervous I don't even remember doing that! I will definitely be more aware of my diction during the next lesson. We wouldn't want the kiddos speaking like Sloth from the Goonies, "Heeeyyy, yoouuuu guuuuyyysss!!!"
Now we know what worked well, and what didn't, so we know what not to do for next time!
This week we had the pleasure of meeting the teacher and 4th grade class where we'll be teaching our science lessons about rocks and minerals. The school, despite its aged exterior, houses a warm and vibrant student and faculty population in a quiet and quaint suburban area. The teacher, who is like a modern day Mary Poppins fabulously dressed in Ann Taylor Loft from head to toe, was super friendly and eager to have us aboard. Of course it doesn't hurt that my science partner Tracey has known her for years through a mutual friend (that little Tracey has more connections than a USB hub)! Of course Miss Mary was a pleasure, and her "kiddos" as she calls them, were equally impressive even though we weren't formally introduced. We did watch them interacting with a guest speaker who was discussing the Industrial Revolution and we ascertained that if they were that comfortable with a complete stranger who was talking about the move from farms to factories, we could certainly expect them to be engaged in our hands-on and exciting rocks and minerals lesson (or at least we hope)!
I was going to name this post"Sex, Drugs, and Rocks & Minerals," but then I thought maybe not for 4th graders... so good thing this post is for my fellow graduate students! This week we were assigned our science unit and my teaching partner Tracey and I were given the subject Rocks and Minerals, yippee!
So, where could 2 lovely prospective teachers brush up on their Earth and Space Science concepts before they get down to the business of teaching it to 4th grade students? Well, first I checked out my partner Tracey's awesome post on the subject- she's a regular Googlista when it comes to compiling relevant sites! What a gem!
Next, I checked out what my old pals Tim & Moby at BRAINPOP had to say on the subject. After watching their mineral identification video, you could determine if that bling on your finger is the real deal or if it's time to get a new boyfriend! Hmmmm... should we give Rana's ring the scratch test?
Then I thought I might take a trip to one of the museums that I remember visiting as a kid and learning about rocks and minerals (or at least take a virtual trip anyway). The Museum of Natural History's Hall of Gems is brilliant! And the Harvard Museum of Science has a dazzling exhibit on Minerals, Gems, and Meteorites!
I also went on PBS' Teacher's website and checked out mineralogistElizabeth Arredondo's Real Scientist Clip to learn more about how multifaceted a career in minerals can be. Her job rocks!
Now I'm ready to facilitate my 4th graders exploration of rocks and minerals, and hopefully my lesson won't be so rocky! At least now I know the Mohs Scale has nothing to do with the Three Stooges, nice cleavage is not just a compliment- it's a mineral property and streaking can actually be a good thing to do in a classroom! YAY Rocks & Minerals unit, rock on!
This week Tracey and I taught Lesson 2 of our Rocks and Minerals Unit and the focus was on the 3 types of rocks; igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary, as well as the rock cycle. Tracey and I had done a lot of preparation for this lesson and I found I needed to do a lot of research on the topic before I would be able to confidently distinguish the 3 types of rocks myself, let alone show the students how to do it. I found some great sites- The University of Missouri E-themes on Rocks and Minerals lists sites that provide credible info and fun activities for the unit, and The Geological Society had a wonderful interactive rock cycle and descriptions and uses of each of the 12 rocks we'd be using in class! I found these sites to be extremely informative and valuable while planning our lesson as well.
s, not to bog students down with superfluous vocab, but instead to give them the main ideas. This was great advice, but it caused me a bit of panic when I realized my Rock Cycle poster was laden with words like "crystalline, foliated, intrusive, extrusive" etc. Luckily Tracey and I had time to reword our explanations into terms that the students would be more familiar with (like crystal vs. crystalline, or layered instead of foliated) and also to help them to make make connections with the new vocab (metamorphic) and concepts they already know (morph means to change like a butterfly transforms). I also got some fabulous ideas from another great website to show students how metamorphic rocks form from heat and pressure by having the students rub their hands together (and feel the heat) and push the hands together (to feel the heat and pressure). After consulting with the classroom teacher, I think next time we would introduce the rock cycle at the end of the lesson and not right after talking about the 3 types of rock-- it may have been a bit too much instruction all at once. 
teacher's suggestion, we decided to "pre-assemble" our student's trays with the rocks that they would be using for the lesson as well as the hand lenses and calling students up a pair at a time to retrieve materials, so that valuable learning time wouldn't be wasted with students choosing the "prettiest rock" out of the bin. We also found that giving students time reminders during the activity so they knew how far along they should be (half-way, almost finished, 2 more minutes) were helpful for them and us.
ot explicitly cover the frameworks, we made sure to include the rock cycle and how rocks form in our lesson. Ben mentioned that students thought rocks could be fabricated, and that was a common misconception in our class as well and I'd like to revisit that point again when we discuss what the students have learned about rocks so far at the beginning of our next lesson.
was so great to see them talking like little geologists! We had also listed the major properties of each type of rock on the board and I think that was a huge help to the students, because otherwise I think they were overloaded with new information.
