Lesson Plan Description

Learning about different types of rocks

Students will be engaged in hands-on activities that involve collecting and sorting rocks. They will analyze their findings and present to the class. The project will link IBL with traditional teaching by giving teachers options to best suit the needs of the class. More questions will emerge to continue scientific investigations and further the learning process.

child holding small colorful pebbles

Grade Level

6

Time Requirement

3-5 45-60 minute class periods

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Practical Application

This experiment allows students to understand how geologists collect and sort rocks. They will learn about the environment their school is located in and what types of rocks it has around it. Each student will have practice with the scientific process, including documenting and interpreting data.

Objectives

  1. Incorporate the process of inquiry-based learning into a traditional direct instruction classroom setting.
  2. Students will be able to use multiple means to find answers to their questions, including but not limited to
  3. participating in the inquiry experience, reading information from primary and secondary sources, watching videos, and talking with more knowledgeable individuals in their community.
  4. Students will be able to identify the different types of rocks, such as igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.
  5. Students will be able to design an experiment to answer a comparative question.
  6. Students will be able to complete steps in collecting, identifying, and sorting rocks from outside the building.
  7. Students will be able to uncover additional questions and think critically about the data found..

Educational Standards

6.ESS.1: Minerals have specific, quantifiable properties.

6.ESS.2: Igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks have unique characteristics that can be used for identification and/or classification.

6.ESS.3: Igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks form in different ways.

6.ESS.4: Soil is unconsolidated material that contains nutrient matter and weathered rock.

6.ESS.5: Rocks, minerals, and soils have common practical uses.

8.ESS.4: Evidence of the dynamic changes of Earth’s surface through time is found in the geologic record.