Unit Overview
Content Area: Science
Unit Title: Rocks, Mineral, and Fossils
Unit: 2
Target Course/Grade Level: Fourth
Timeline: 6-8 weeks
Unit Summary
Rocks and fossils provide clues about living things and processes of change. Minerals provide information
on how rocks were formed. Fossils provide clues about life and environments of the past. Soil is formed
over time from rocks breaking down.
Primary interdisciplinary connections: Social Studies, Technology, ELA
21st century themes and skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; Creativity and Innovation;
Collaboration, Teamwork, and Leadership; Career Awareness
Unit Rationale
Earth is in constant change. Earth’s materials, such as rocks and soils, have varied properties, which makes
them useful resources as well as clues to changes on Earth. Fossils provide evidence of life in the past and
changes that have occurred over time.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.1 Science Practices
All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, modelbuilding enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The four Science Practices
strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to be proficient in
science.
A. Understand Scientific Explanations: Students understand core concepts and principles of science
and use measurement and observation tools to assist in categorizing, representing, and interpreting
the natural and designed world.
B. Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations: Students master the conceptual,
mathematical, physical, and computational tools that need to be applied when constructing and
evaluating claims.
C. Reflect on Scientific Knowledge: Scientific knowledge builds on itself over time.
5.4 Earth Systems Science
All students will understand that Earth operates as a set of complex, dynamic, and interconnected systems
and is a part of all-encompassing system of the universe.
B. History of the Earth: From the time that Earth formed from a nebula 4.6 billion years ago, it has
been evolving as a result of geologic, biological, physical, and chemical processes.
C. Properties of Earth Materials: Earth’s composition is unique, is related to the origin of our solar
system, and provides us with the raw resources needed to sustain life.
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9.1 21 Century Life and Career Skills
All students will demonstrate the creative, critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving skills
needed to function successfully as both global citizens and workers in diverse ethnic and organizational
cultures.
Content Statements
 Fundamental scientific concepts and principles and the links between them are more useful than
discrete facts.
 Building and refining models and explanations requires generation and evaluation of evidence.


Scientific understanding changes over time as new evidence and updated arguments emerge.
Revisions of predictions and explanations occur when new arguments emerge that account more
completely for available evidence.
 Scientific knowledge is a particular kind of knowledge with its own sources, justifications, and
uncertainties.
 Rocks can be broken down to make soil.
 Earth materials in nature include rocks, minerals, soils, water, and the gases of the
atmosphere. Attributes of rocks and minerals assist in their identification.
 Fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago, including whether they
lived on the land or in the sea as well as ways species changed over time.
 Brainstorming activities enhance creative and innovative thinking in individual and group goal
setting and problem solving.
 Collaboration and teamwork enable individuals or groups to achieve common goals with greater
efficiency.
 Digital media are 21-st century tools used for local and global communication.
CPI #
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
5.1.4.A.1
Demonstrate understanding of the interrelationships among fundamental concepts in the
physical, life, and Earth systems sciences.
5.1.4.B.1
Design and follow simple plans using systematic observations to explore questions and
predictions.
5.1.4.C.1
Monitor and reflect on one’s own knowledge regarding how ideas change over time.
5.1.4.C.2
Revise predictions or explanations on the basis of learning new information.
5.1.4.C.3
Present evidence to interpret and/or predict cause-and-effect outcomes of investigations.
5.4.4.C.1
Create a model to represent how soil is formed.
5.4.4.C.2
Categorize unknown samples as either rocks or minerals.
5.4.4.B.1
Use data gathered from observations of fossils to argue whether a given fossil is terrestrial
or marine in origin.
9.1.4.B.1
Participate in brainstorming sessions to seek information, ideas, and strategies that foster
creative thinking.
9.1.4.C.1
Practice collaborative skills in groups, and explain how these skills assist in completing
tasks in different settings (at home, in school, and during play).
9.1.4.E.1
Explain how digital media are used in daily life in a variety of settings.
9.1.4.E.2
Demonstrate effective communication using digital media during classroom activities.
9.1.4.E.3
Distinguish how digital media are used by individuals, groups, and organizations for
varying purposes.
Unit Essential Questions
 We can tell time, but what can time tell us?
 How long is a long time?
 How do things change?
 What is the nature of the universe?
 How is scientific knowledge constructed?
Unit Enduring Understandings
 The earth is made up of many materials.
 The Earth is constantly changing in various ways
and at various rates.
 Minerals are naturally occurring substances.
 Rocks are composed of minerals.
 How does scientific knowledge benefit, deepen,
and broaden from scientists sharing and debating
ideas and information with peers?
 Characteristic of fossils indicate if the organism
once existed on land or water.
 Over time, processes in nature change bedrock into
soil.
 Rocks and fossils hold clues about Earth’s past.
 Scientific knowledge builds upon itself over time.
 The growth of scientific knowledge involves
critique and communication – social practices that
are governed by a core set of values and norms.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
 Explore the physical properties of rocks.
 Compare and identify minerals based on their properties.
 Compare and contrast igneous and sedimentary rocks.
 Describe how rocks change over time and what can be learned from these changes.
 Explore the types of information that can be interpreted from tracks and footprints.
 Describe different types of fossils and how they are formed.
 Describe how fossils are collected and studied.
 Explain how fossils can provide other types of information about organisms of the past.
 Explore and describe three different soil samples.
 Describe what soil is.
 Relate pore spaces to soil permeability.
 Explain the importance of soil and ways that we can help preserve it.
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment
At conclusion of unit, students will be formally assessed using a modified version of either the Foss Kit
cumulative assessment or McGraw Hill assessment.
Equipment needed: Rock, Mineral, Fossil, and Soil samples, magnifying glasses, goggles and small
hammer kit for field trip/outdoor application, “Rocks/Minerals” Beach Ball
Teacher Instructional Resources: McGraw Hill Science textbook and supplements, Delta Foss Kit
Formative Assessments
 Use of scientific practices and procedures
during investigation activities.
 Participation/cooperation during group
activities.
 Note taking
 Presentation on how soil is formed. (Poster,
Power Point, hands on model, etc.)
 Identifying Minerals Lab activity
 Trivia questions using “Beach Ball”, United
Streaming Video Quiz
 What is soil made of “Explore” activity and
worksheet
 “Chocolate Chip” Mining activity, follow up
discussion (or make/use “mock rocks”)
Integration of Technology
United Streaming, Elmo, SMARTBoard, ELMO, microscope
Technology Resources
Click the links below to access additional resources used to design this unit:
Amnh.org/resources/mhscience
Mhscience02.com
Fossweb.com
Opportunities for Differentiation
 Student Centered Activities
 Flexible Grouping
 Cooperative Grouping, Learning Stations
 Use variety of modalities in instruction (VAKT, Elmo, SMARTBoard, Rock/Mineral/Fossil samples)
 Choice of presentation/project format
Teacher Notes:
 Send letter asking for soil samples several weeks before beginning unit. Options include samples
from students’ backyards or seeking samples from friends/relatives across the United States.
Encourage students taking vacations prior to the unit to bring back a soil sample.
 Inform students at beginning of unit that at culmination, they will have opportunity to share own
rocks/minerals collections if they desire and along with parent permission.
 A field trip to the Franklin Mineral Mine is usually planned to correlate with this unit.