FOSS at Home
FOSS at Home
®
Earth materials
Name ____________________________________
FOSS®
The
(Full Option Science System™) program offers a number
of ways to get parents involved in their child’s science education.
Included here are short descriptions of several ways to bridge from
classroom to home.
Letter to Parents. The letter to parents can be sent home at the start
of a new science module. The letter describes what children will
be learning and ways that parents can enrich the science-learning
experience.
FOSS Science Stories. FOSS Science Stories is a series of original books
developed to accompany and enrich the FOSS modules. The books
include a variety of articles written in a number of styles, including
narrative tales, expository articles, technical readings, and historical
accounts.
Here are some suggestions for using FOSS Science Stories at home.
• Expository and Historical/Biographical Readings. The
expository and historical/biographical readings provide
excellent opportunities for students and parents to discuss
the science content students are learning in the module.
Specific articles include Digging It Up: Mining for Minerals,
Identifying Minerals, and Where Do Rocks Come From?
Date _____________________________________
LETTER TO PARENTS
Cut here and paste onto school letterhead before making copies.
SCIENCE NEWS
Dear Parents,
Our class is beginning a new science unit using the FOSS
Earth Materials Module. We will investigate a selection of the
most common rocks and minerals that make up Earth’s crust, and
learn some techniques used by geologists to identify them.
Geology requires analysis. To develop analytical skills and
techniques, we will first take apart a simulated rock called a Mock
Rock. We will observe them, break them apart, dissolve them in water, and evaporate the liquid
to discover the ingredients from which our rocks are made. We will then move on to real rocks
and minerals, using scratch tools and acid (vinegar) to test for specific minerals. Finally we will
look at granite, the base rock from which continents are made, and analyze it to discover the
minerals it contains.
You can increase your child’s understanding and interest in earth materials by asking him
or her to talk about the investigations we are doing at school. Rocks, which appear so
commonplace, may become objects that inspire questions and promote close observation. You and
your child may want to start a rock collection, or visit the library or (if possible) a rock and mineral
display to expand your rock and mineral knowledge. A visit to a landscape materials center or a
jewelry store (gems are minerals) can expose the broad range of uses for earth materials.
Watch for Home/School Connections sheets that I will be sending home from time to
time. These activities describe ways the whole family can look more closely at rocks and minerals around your home. Your child will be asked to bring a rock or mineral to class for a few
weeks to begin a class collection. He or she may choose to bring a special sample you picked up
on a family outing, or a rock collected right around the neighborhood.
We’re looking forward to weeks of fun with rocks and minerals! If you have questions or
comments, or have expertise you would like to share with the class, please drop me a note.
Comments:
FOSS Earth Materials Module
© The Regents of the University of California
Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use.
Investigation 1: Mock Rocks
No. 1—Teacher Sheet
No. 1—Teacher Sheet
• “Questions to Explore.” Students can read the article in
class and then answer the “Questions to Explore” at home
in their science notebooks. You might consider this strategy
after students read Postcards from the Ledge or Rock of Ages.
• After the Story. See the Science Stories folio in the Teacher
Guide for suggestions on how to extend the stories at
home. For example, after students read Written in Stone,
have students write a letter to someone and describe their
experiences in studying rocks.
Earth materials
1
earth materials
Name ____________________________________
Date
___________________________________
HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTION
INVESTIGATION 2: SCRATCH TEST
BIRTHSTONES
Tell your family what you learned about birthstones from the FOSS Science Stories book.
Tell them about the difference between rocks and minerals.
Ask family and friends when their birthday is and see if they know their birthstone. (If
they don’t, you can tell them!) Then complete the chart below and make a bar graph to
show which month among your family and friends has the most birthdays.
Name of person
Birthday month
1. ____________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________
6. ____________________________________________
7. ____________________________________________
FOSS Earth Materials Module
© The Regents of the University of California
Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use.
Turquoise
Topaz
Opal
Sapphire
Peridot
Ruby
8. ____________________________________________
Alexandrite
Emerald
Diamond
Turquoise
Aquamarine
December
Amethyst
Garnet
Amethyst
Aquamarine
Diamond
Emerald
Alexandrite
Ruby
Peridot
Sapphire
Opal
Topaz
Garnet
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
Home/School Connections 2
No. 34—Student Sheet
No. 34—Student Sheet
Name ____________________________________
Date
___________________________________
MATH EXTENSION—PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
INVESTIGATION 1: MOCK ROCKS
On his vacation Jay hunted for special rocks for his collection. On the first day he found
two rocks. The next day he found four rocks. On each day of his vacation Jay found two
more rocks than he had found the day before. On what day did Jay have 42 rocks in his
collection?
Student Sheets. Throughout the module, students complete various
recording and response sheets. Students should bring the sheets and/
or their science notebooks home for families to review and discuss.
For example, student sheet number 10, Scratch Test: Hardness, is a
good opportunity for students to explain and review with parents
that hardness, a mineral property, is the resistance of a mineral to
being scratched.
Home/School Connections. Home/School Connections are activities
developed specifically for the whole family to enjoy at home. For
example, in Investigation 2 (student sheet number 34), students are
asked to share information about birthstones, gather data about
family members’ and friends’ birthdays, and make a bar graph.
Students can use the data they collect to add to the class bar graph.
Interdisciplinary Extensions. Each investigation has suggestions for
art, language, math, social studies, and science extensions. These are
good family activities. For example, after Investigation 3 students
and their families gather about 20–25 small rocks in a jar, screw the
lid on tightly, and shake the jar vigorously. After several minutes of
shaking, students dump the contents from the jar onto dark paper and
observe what has taken place. This introduces the idea of mechanical
weathering as a process that breaks rocks down over time into smaller
and smaller pieces. Students can record their observations in their
science notebook. Students might also do the Math Problem of the Week
at home.
FOSSweb (www.fossweb.com). FOSSweb is an interactive website
where families can find instructional activities and interactive
simulations specifically designed for each FOSS module. FOSS Earth Materials Module
© The Regents of the University of California
Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use.
Problem of the Week
No. 22—Student Sheet
No. 22—Student Sheet
NOTE: All student sheets,
including the Letter to Parents,
Home/School Connection, and Math
Problem of the Week, are available in
FOSS Teacher Guides and online at
www.fossweb.com. They are also
available in Spanish. See For
Parents and Teachers: Home/
School Connection on page 4 of this
folio.
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NOTE: Pages 3 and 4 of this folio can be photocopied and sent home
for parents to read. Those pages provide information on the resources
for students and their
families on FOSSweb.
full option science system
FOSS at Home
FOSSWEB (WWW.FOSSWEB.COM)
The FOSS program maintains a resource-rich website for students
and their families and friends. To explore the resources available for
the Earth Materials Module, first enter www.fossweb.com in your
browser.
The FOSS website requires plug-ins for your browser. We recommend
that you click the “Test Your Browser” link at the bottom of the home
page before you begin to ensure your computer has the minimum
requirements.
Click the grades 3–6 icon to get a menu that links to each of the 3–6
modules. There you can choose Earth Materials and travel to a
wealth of information and activities specific to this module.
ACTIVITIES
In the Earth Materials Module, you’ll find two activities: Rock
Database and Mohs’ Drill & Castle of Doom. You can introduce both
activities after students have completed Investigation 2, Scratch Test.
In Rock Database, children can view images and descriptions of a
number of rocks and minerals. They can select images by choosing
one of these categories: igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, or
minerals. Or they can choose from the entire list of rocks and
minerals, using a pull-down menu.
In Mohs’ Drill & Castle of Doom, children are challenged to use what
they have learned about the hardness of minerals to drill through the
castle walls. You might ask,
•
What are some of the properties of the minerals we have studied?
•
Do all minerals have the same hardness?
• How did we test for the hardness of a mineral?
Tell children,
Geologists use a numerical scale called Mohs scale to help identify and rank
minerals according to hardness. The hardest mineral on this scale is a 10, a
diamond, and the least hard is a 1, talc. Geologists used the same tools we
did to find out the hardness of a mineral. They have assigned numbers to the
tools: fingernails are a 2 on the Mohs scale, the penny is a 3, and the paper
clip is a 5. Higher numbers on the Mohs scale can scratch lower numbers.
For example, diamond can scratch talc.
Review the introductory screen. Click the ? button. Review this
information with the children. Return to the introductory screen and
click anywhere on the screen to move to the activity.
Earth materials
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earth materials
MOVIES
The Movies section includes a video clip of Apollo astronauts
collecting rocks on the Moon.
PICTURES
In the Pictures section, you can view images of different rocks and
minerals, fossils, landforms, and structures made from rock. These
pictures might be used as a starting point for further research for the
end-of-module project.
WEBSITES
The Websites section includes links to sites that can extend and enrich
children’s experiences with the Earth Materials Module.
VOCABULARY
In the Vocabulary section, you will find the glossary words and
definitions used in the Earth Materials Module. They are provided in
English and Spanish.
BOOKS/SOFTWARE
This section includes an annotated list of books, videos, and software
recommended for the Earth Materials Module. You should be able to
find many of these titles at your local library. FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS: HOME/SCHOOL
CONNECTION
The For Parents and Teachers section includes the Home/School
Connection that describes ways for families to do science together.
For example, in Investigation 3, families can find rocks in their
neighborhood, and then students can demonstrate to family members
how to test the rocks for calcite. Look in this section for other
resources included in a downloadable PDF file, including a general
letter introducing the module, student projects, and math problems
that relate to the science investigations.
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Copyright The Regents of the University of California
full option science system
1014951