Identifying Minerals
By Tubbesing, Julie on January 26, 2015
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Launch the media gallery 1 player - media #5The fifth graders are in the process of finishing up their Earth science unit. Recently they have been working on identifying minerals. The students have be investigating the different characteristics of twelve minerals. For several days, the fifth graders study each mineral looking at the following traits: color, luster, streak, hardness, and additional observations (smell, magnetic, density, and etc.). While testing the hardness of each minerals, they used their fingernails, paper clip, a penny, and a glass plate. The students enjoyed the activities. They will finish up the Earth science unit by studying rocks and locating some of the different minerals they have studied in several types of rocks. In addition, the fifth graders will also learn which rocks are sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous.