Unit Plan: Rocks and Minerals

1. Unit Plan:Rocks and Minerals Covering science and language arts (writing) standards.

2. Topic and Big Ideas • Topic: Rocks and Minerals • Minerals-properties of • Rocks- types of • Rock Cycle • Big Ideas: • Scientific investigations may take many different forms, including observing what things are like or what it happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments. (nature of science) • Students will understand that the rock cycle helps explain how our earth is constantly changing. (life science) • Writing is a form of taking your understanding and helping others understand your content knowledge.

3. Differentiation of Key Terms • Describe the properties of minerals such as luster, color, streak and hardness to identify different minerals. (Memory) • Find examples of cycles and apply them to real life situations. (Practical) • Synthesize information from mineral properties and rock cycle to create story based a on personified character. (Creative) • Compare and contrast what makes a rock different from a mineral and vice versa. (Analytical)

4. Core Proposition # 3:Teachers are Responsible for Managing and Monitoring Student Learning. • This unit embodies different forms of assessment which range from standard worksheet (question/answer) to creative means (through creating a rock and story) to writing. This way I can see which students are succeeding based on multiple views. Some students may struggle with the writing part, but if I can see clear understanding in other areas, I can then tailor my teaching to fit my students individual needs. • Also by using various teaching techniques (discussion, direct, group work, individual work) my students will see how the knowledge they learn can be applied and tested in many different avenues. • Using the different techniques also keeps students engaged more than just using direct instruction. Therefore keeping the students interested.