Science
SCI.V.1.2
Grade: 5
Strand V:
Using Scientific Knowledge in Earth Science
Standard 1:
Geosphere - All students will describe and explain how the earth’s
features
change over time
Benchmark 2:
Explain how rocks are formed.
Constructing and Reflecting:
SCI.I.1.1 - Generate scientific questions about the world based on observation.
• Construct questions for each of the investigations suggested below to guide the design of the investigation.
SCI.II.1.5 - Develop an awareness of and sensitivity to the natural world.
Vocabulary / Key Concepts
Context
Rock cycle processes:
• melting and cooling (igneous rocks)
• heat and pressure (metamorphic rocks)
• cementing of sediments (sedimentary rocks)
Physical environments where rocks are being
formed:
• volcanoes
Materials:
• silt
• clay
• gravel
• sand
• rock
• lava
•magma
•remains of living things (bones, shells, plants)
Depositional environments:
• ocean floor
• deltas
• beaches
• swamps
Metamorphic environments deep within the
Earth’s crust.
Knowledge and Skills
Explain how rocks are formed.
Resources
Coloma Resources:
An Usborne Guide – Rocks and fossils pgs 815
Rock Cylce Kit
Silver Burdett & Ginn – Earth Science – Chapter
9 pgs 192-215
Other Resources:
•
Bill Nye: Atmosphere, Earth Quakes, Earth
Crust, Rocks & Soil, Volcanoes
•
Volcano World – Univ. ND
•
•
The Geology Wing – UC Berkeley
•
Petrology – All about rocks – Univ. British
Columbia
Exploring the Environment - Volcanoes
•
Michigan Teacher Network Resources
Instruction
Focus Questions:
How are rocks different?
How are minerals different?
Students will observe a variety of rocks. They will collect
data on the shape and size of crystals or mineral grains,
rock color, and the presence of rock layers. The teacher
will ask what is similar and different about these rocks.
From these data, students will develop charts and make
generalizations to determine which of the three basic
groups the rocks fit into. Care must be taken to
differentiate sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
Foliated (layered) metamorphic rocks like schist and
gneiss often look just like sedimentary rocks
Discussions about where rocks come from will help
students infer the cyclical nature of the raw recycled
materials necessary to form rocks. Students will
demonstrate their understanding of the classification of
rocks and how they are formed by drawing a preliminary
diagram of the rock cycle and communicating their
rationale to the class. Students also will question the
conclusions of their peers. If students don’t generate
questions about incorrect rock cycles, the teacher will ask
leading questions specific to the presented rock cycle. It
is important that the teacher allow students to construct
meaning on their own.
An accurate rock cycle should include the following ideas:
Igneous rock:
• Can be broken down to form sediments
• Can be exposed to pressure and heat to form
metamorphic rock
• Can re-melt to form magma or lava
• Will form from cooled magma or lava
Sedimentary rock:
• Can be broken down to form sediments
• Can be exposed to pressure and heat to form
metamorphic rock
• Can melt to form magma or lava
Metamorphic rock:
• Can melt to form magma or lava
• Can be broken down to form sediments
• Can be exposed to pressure and heat to form
metamorphic rock
As a class, with teacher guidance, students will use their
models and reasoning to complete a traditional rock cycle
drawing.
Resources (Continued)
Videoconferences Available
For more information, see
www.remc11.k12.mi.us/dl or call Janine Lim
471-7725x101 or email
jlim@remc11.k12.mi.us
V.1.MS.2
Rocks & Fossils from the Liberty Science
Center
Rock Riddles and Mineral Mysteries from the
Buffalo Museum of Science
5th Grade Science Curriculum
Technology Resources
V.1.MS.2
Rocks & Fossils from the Liberty Science
Center
Rock Riddles and Mineral Mysteries from the
Buffalo Museum of Science
Assessment
Required Assessment:
Given a collection of rocks and minerals, the student will be able to classify them as igneous,
metamorphic, or sedimentary.
Create a model of the rock cycle that includes the three basic types of rocks; igneous, metamorphic,
and sedimentary. Present this model to the class, sharing understanding of how the rock cycle is
used to explain how rocks are formed.
(Give students rubric prior to activity)
Criteria: Apprentice
Basic
Meets
Exceeds
Completeness of chart:
Lists five or fewer surface features.
Lists six to eight surface features and places up to six correctly on the data chart.
Lists nine surface features with at least eight placed correctly on the data chart.
Lists ten or more surface features with ten placed correctly on the data chart.
Accuracy of essay:
Writes an incomplete essay to address the issue of latitude and/or elevation about the form that water takes on
this continent.
Writes an essay that correctly addresses a few of the connections between elevation, latitude, and the forms
of water that are found in this region of the continent.
Writes an essay that correctly addresses many of the connections between elevation, latitude, and the forms
of water that are found in this region of the continent.
Writes an essay that correctly addresses all of the connections between elevation, latitude, and the forms of
water that are found in this region of the continent.
Teacher Notes:
“Land forms are the result of a combination of constructive and destructive forces. Constructive forces include
crust deformation, volcanic eruption, and deposition of sediment, while destructive forces include weathering
and erosion.
• Some changes in the solid earth can be described as the "rock cycle." Old rocks at the earth's surface
weather, forming sediments that are buried, then compacted, heated, and often recrystallized into new rock.
Eventually, those new rocks may be brought to the surface by the forces that drive plate motions, and the rock
cycle continues.
• Soil consists of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material from dead plants, animals, and bacteria.
Soils are often found in layers, with each having a different chemical composition and texture.
Focus Questions:
•
•
•
How is the formation of rocks related to the rock cycle?
How are rocks formed?
How is rock layering used to understand and explain the age of the Earth?