Physical Geology: Minerals
Unit Driving Questions Ohio Standards**
  1. How are minerals classified and identified?
  2.  What role does environment play in mineral classification and identification?
  3. Why and how are rocks and minerals important to humans and other life on Earth?
  4. In what ways do the chemical and physical components of Earth's minerals determine the properties of those minerals?
  5. How do the environmental conditions in which a mineral forms and exists impact the mineral?
PG.M: Minerals
  • PG.M.1: Atoms and Elements
  • PG.M.2: Chemical Bonding (ionic, covalent, metallic)
  • PG.M.3: Crystallinity (crystal structure)
  • PG.M.4: Criteria of a mineral ( crystalline solid, occurs in nature, inorganic, defined chemical composition)
  • PG.M.4: Properties of minerals (hardness, luster, cleavage, streak, crystal shape, fluorencence, flammability, density/specific gravity, malleability)
Science Inquiry and Application
  • Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations
  • Design and conduct scientific investigations
  • Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communication
  • Formulate and revise explanations and models using logic and evidence (critical thinking)
  • Recognize and analyze explanations and models, and
  • Communicate and support a scientific argument
Understandings
  1. Chemical and physical components of minerals determine the properties of those minerals. For example, cleavage and hardness are connected to chemical bonding of minerals.
  2. Scientists research, test, and evaluate minerals through mineral testing – investigations, experimentation, observation, technology, and models are used.
  3. The environment in which minerals form in important in the classification of a mineral. Mineral data can be used to interpret the environmental conditions that existed during the formation of the mineral.
  4. Properties such as cleavage and hardness are properties that can be used to identify minerals.
  5. Mineral testing, experimentation, and modeling are used to evaluate minerals.
Learning Targets:

Students will be able to....

  1. Describe 7 main topics studied in Physical Geology and why each is important.
  2. Develop an expanding portfolio of learning, both electronic and hard copy.
  3. Define crystal, rock, and mineral. Explain the differences.
  4. Explain the difference between a crystalline substance and an amorphous substance.
  5. List minerals common in Earth's crust.
  6. Explain how crystals form.
  7. Describe the effects of temperature (and thus time) on crystal formation.
  8. Explain that properties of minerals are a result of their chemical and physical (crystalline) makeup, so properties can be used to ID minerals.
  9. Construct and explain models of crystal structure and relate each model to a specific quantifiable property (cleavage, hardness)
  10. Observe and collect data on minerals for color, hardness, luster, cleavage, malleability, flammability, fluorescence, specific gravity.
  11. Connect properties of a mineral to its chemical bonding.
  12. Research. test, evaluate, and identify various minerals.
  13. Use mineral data to identify and describe environmental conditions existing at the time of the mineral's formation.
  14. Describe mineral habitats in terms of how they are impacted by natural and human processes.
Academic Vocabulary: Bricks Academic Vocabulary: Mortar
  • Amorphous
  • Atom
  • Calcite
  • Chemical bond
  • Chemical composition
  • Cleavage
  • Crystalline, Crystallinity (crystal structure)
  • Cubic
  • Element
  • Feldspar
  • Flammability
  • Fluorescence
  • Hardness
  • Inorganic
  • Luster
  • Hexagonal
  • Malleability
  • Mica
  • Mineral
  • Monoclinic
  • Natural
  • Organic
  • Orthorhombic
  • Physical Geology
  • Precipitate
  • Quartz
  • Saturated/unsaturated
  • Solute
  • Solution
  • Solvent
  • Specific gravity
  • Tetragonal
  • analyze
  • classify
  • compare
  • contrast
  • define
  • describe
  • elaborate
  • explain
  • interpret
  • list; state
  • relate
  • law (in science)
  • theory
  • claim
  • evidence
  • reason
Activities Differentiation Assessent
  • Growing crystals activity
  • Close read: Minerals, rocks, crystals – what’s the difference?
  • Learn to perform tests on minerals to determine their properties.
  • Build crystal models in small groups. Explain how a specific property of a mineral is related to the crystal structure.
  • Mineral identification – collect data and research the chemical formula, mineral use, chemical bonds, and properties of the mineral.
  • Create a webpage that relates a mineral’s structure to its formation, mining, use, and laws governing such.
  • Many opportunities to hear, read, write, speak both scientific and academic vocabulary.
  • Design and conduct an experiment (or research) to test specific properties of a mineral that has a unique use (quartz battery, gypsum wallboard)
  • Construct and explain models of crystal structure and relate structure to properties
  • FA - Stick quizzes
  • CER modeled with Crystals Around You activity, practiced with Growing Crystals and with Mineral ID labs.
  • Summative unit test on Schoology
  • Summative

Handouts

Links to Resources: (will open in a new window)


Daily Learning Activities

Day 1 Thursday August 16

  • Learning Target/Question
    • Describe 7 main topics studied in Physical Geology and why each is important.
    • Develop an expanding portfolio of learning, both electronic and hard copy.
  • Activities/Strategies
    • Notes set-up, with date, topic, learning target. Living thing gallery walk and claim-evidence-reasons.
    • Intro to Physical Geology - gallery walk and written summary to develop understanding of the course learning objectives.
    • Hand out paperwork; notebook setup.
  • Assessments
    • summary table
  • Assignment

    • Read intro materials, signatures, set up notebook.
Day 2 Friday August 17
  • Learning Target/Question
    • Define crystal, rock, and mineral. Explain the differences.
  • Activities/Strategies
  • Assessments
    • Crystals Around You responses
    • Summary table from Day 1; stick quiz - minerals and crystals 1
    • Review analysis answers together and label Claim, Evidence, Reasons.
  • Assignment

Day 3 Monday August 20
  • Learning Target/Question
    • Develop an expanding portfolio of learning, both electronic and hard copy.
  • Activities/Strategies
  • Assessments
    • Stick quiz (FA) crystals, minerals, rocks
  • Assignment
Day 4 Wednesday August 22
  • Learning Target/Question
    • Explain how crystals form.
  • Activities/Strategies
    • ENTRY TICKET: Read through Growing Crystals lab. Underline in pencil any unfailiar terms.
    • IN CLASS: Growing Crystals lab setup; effects of temp and time setup
  • Assessments
    • Lab writeup when finished
  • Assignment

Day 5 Thursday August 23
  • Learning Target/Question
    • Explain how crystals form. Describe the effects of temperature (and thus time) on crystal formation
    • Connect properties of a mineral to its chemical bonding.
  • Activities/Strategies
    • Check crystals; record observtions.
    • Interactive lecture/demo - solutions and crystallization.
    • Temperature demo and the Unfair Build a Crystal Race.
  • Assessments
    • Exit pass
  • Assignment

Day 6 Friday August 24
  • Learning Target/Question
    • Explain that properties of minerals are a result of their chemical and physical (crystalline) makeup, so properties can be used to ID minerals.
  • Activities/Strategies
    • ENTRY TICKET: Check crystals; record observtions. Skim Mineral ID handout.
    • Introduction to Mineral ID and chemical makeup of crystals.
  • Assessments
    • Stick Quiz - mineral ID
  • Assignment

    • Lab prep
Day 7 Monday August 27
  • Learning Target/Question
    • Construct and explain models of crystal structure and relate each model to a specific quantifiable property (cleavage, hardness)
  • Activities/Strategies
    • ENTRY TICKET: Check crystals; record observtions.
    • IN CLASS: Crystal shape - construct models.
  • Assessments
    • MIneral ID lab and quiz
  • Assignment

Day 8 Wednesday August 29
  • Learning Target/Question
    • Observe and collect data on minerals for color, hardness, luster, cleavage, malleability, flammability, fluorescence, specific gravity.Research. test, evaluate, and identify various minerals
  • Activities/Strategies
  • Assessments
    • Claim, evidence, reason conclusion when finished.
  • Assignment

Day 9 Thursday August 30
  • Learning Target/Question
    • Observe and collect data on minerals for color, hardness, luster, cleavage, malleability, flammability, fluorescence, specific gravity. Research. test, evaluate, and identify various minerals.
  • Activities/Strategies
    • Testing minerals lab
  • Assessments
    • Summarization of data from mineral ID.
  • Assignment

    • Continue writing C-E-R conclusion, identifying your assigned minerals.
Day 10 Friday August 31
  • Learning Target/Question
  • Activities/Strategies
    • Testing minerals lab
  • Assessments
    • Stick quiz - mineral ID
  • Assignment

Day 11
  • Learning Target/Question
  • Activities/Strategies
  • Assessments
  • Assignment

 

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