Mineral Research Report
Teachers Guide
Primary Goals:
1. Students will engage in research for the purpose of gaining experience with
library resources.
2. Students will demonstrate the fundamentals of the report process.
Student Outcomes:
1. Students will research a particular mineral as assigned.
2. Students will create a single-page report on the mineral.
Overview
The Research Project is one of the Suggested Multiple-Measure Assessments for
Coordinated Science. Multiple Measure Assessments provide alternative means of
assessing student ability. The critical piece of this benchmark is successful completion of
a properly formatted report.
As an instructional strategy, the Research Project reinforces summarizing and note-taking
strategies found to have a large effect on student achievement (Marzano, “What Works in
Schools.) With that in mind, and the fact that this is a brief report, computer-generated
product is not necessary or recommended. Try having the students collect research notes
(input) and create the report (output) in their interactive notebook. If the internet and a
color printer are available, students may glue pictures into their notebooks.
The following page has a template for the Mineral Research Report that can be displayed
on an overhead transparency or document camera. Students can easily copy this info in
Cornell style on an input page.
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Mineral Research Paper
Part 1: Research
Conduct research on the mineral you have been assigned.
Take notes about what you learn that will help you answer
the Topic Questions. You must submit copies of your notes
and resources with your final written report.
Part 2: One Page Written Report
Mineral’s Name – (common/scientific)
Chemical Composition – What are the primary elements in this
mineral?
What are the observable properties of this mineral?
(at least five sentences explaining the properties of this mineral –
hardness, texture, color, luster, etc)
Where is this mineral found?
(at least five sentences describing the geology where the mineral
is found, such as at plate boundaries, ancient oceans, etc., and
how this mineral is formed – sedimentation, pressure, heat, etc.)
What are the common uses of this mineral?
(at least five sentences about how this mineral is commonly
used.)
Resources
List all the sources of your information in a form that will allow the
reader to find the information again.
101007jbd
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Mineral Research Paper
Part 1: Research
Conduct research on the mineral you have been assigned.
Take notes about what you learn that will help you answer
the Topic Questions. You must submit copies of your notes
and resources with your final written report.
Part 2: One Page Written Report
Mineral’s Name – (common/scientific)
Chemical Composition – What are the primary elements in this
mineral?
What are the observable properties of this mineral?
(at least five sentences explaining the properties of this mineral –
hardness, texture, color, luster, etc)
Where is this mineral found?
(at least five sentences describing the geology where the mineral
is found, such as at plate boundaries, ancient oceans, etc., and
how this mineral is formed – sedimentation, pressure, heat, etc.)
What are the common uses of this mineral?
(at least five sentences about how this mineral is commonly
used.)
Resources
List all the sources of your information in a form that will allow the
reader to find the information again.
.
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