SEPUP Units: Issues and Earth Science
Rocks, Minerals, and Soils
| This engaging unit combines the Studying Soils Scientifically and the Rocks and
Minerals units from the Issues and Earth Science course. Students begin with a study of the properties
of different types of soils in the context of preparing a school garden. They investigate soil profiles,
organic and inorganic components, use of fertilizers, and soil mapping. In the next unit, students investigate
properties of rocks and minerals as they consider questions related to use of our natural resources.
Physical properties of individual specimens, such as luster, hardness, and color are investigated, as
are sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic types, and how rocks change from one form to another in the rock
cycle.
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Activity 1. INVESTIGATION: Into the Field
Students develop skills of observation
and scientific language as they become familiar with the equipment used in the book.
Activity 2. TALKING IT OVER: The Garden Problem
Students are introduced
to a scenario and analyze a problem wherein a school garden will not grow plants.
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Activity 3. LABORATORY: Observing Soil
Students observe soil
carefully and begin to develop a definition of soil.
Activity 4. LABORATORY: Soil Columns
Using the same soils as the
previous activity, students separate the components of soil with water and further investigate its composition.
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Activity 5. READING: Soil Composition
Students read about the composition
of soil, with topics such as the role of particle size of weathered rocks, organic material, and the soil horizons.
Activity 6. LABORATORY: Describing Soil Scientifically
Students scientifically
describe the texture, consistency and color of the soils in order to identify the school soil.
 Activity
7. INVESTIGATION: Mapping Soils
Students simulate field sampling of solid data and map the soil composition
of the United States.
Activity 8. ROLE PLAY: The Dust Bowl
Students relate the school garden
to the broader issue of farming by learning about the Dust Bowl.
Activity 9. INVESTIGATION: Nutrients in Soil
Students investigate the
relationship between plants, soil and nutrients.
Activity 10. LABORATORY: Organic Matter Test
Students test for organic
matter in the school garden soil.
Activity 11. ROLE PLAY: Garden Action
Students decide what to do with
the garden and make a proposal to the principal of the school.
Activity 12. INVESTIGATION: Observing Natural Resources
Students examine
and rank four natural resources from most to least valuable.
Activity 13. LABORATORY: Diamond Dilemma
Students gather data on an unidentified
mineral that appears to be a diamond.
Activity 14. PROBLEM SOLVING: Analyzing Diamond Data
Students compare
data on the unidentified mineral to that of four known materials and then identify the sample as fluorite.
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Activity 15. READING: Mineral Properties
A reading on minerals
and their properties introduces the idea that rocks are made of minerals.
Activity 16. LABORATORY: Mineral Identification
Students design
an investigation to identify an unknown mineral.
Activity 17. LABORATORY: The Minerals in Rocks
Students select
and test a single property to determine whether the mineral found in two different rock samples is calcite
or quartz.
Activity 18. TALKING IT OVER: Every Rock Tells a Story
Students
analyze the content of a fictional newspaper story that describes the alleged discovery of diamonds in a
national forest.
Activity 19. READING: Rock Formation
The formation of sedimentary,
igneous, and metamorphic rocks is explained in the context of coal, kimberlite, and marble formation.
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Activity 20. LABORATORY: Identifying Rock Types
Students observe and identify
rocks as either igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic.
Activity 21. MODELING: Modeling Rock Layers
Students model the formation
of sedimentary rock layers by dropping plastic chips into a cylinder.
Activity 22. INVESTIGATION: The Rock Cycle Game
Students play a game that
models the rock cycle.
Activity 23. TALKING IT OVER: Making Minerals
Students evaluate data on
mined vs. manufactured diamonds and discuss their relative value.
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Refill Items for this kit are available HERE
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