Silicate Crystal Teacher Resources

In this igneous rocks worksheet, students identify and explain which minerals are the first to crystallize from cooling magma according to the diagram shown. Then they describe what types of rocks are formed by those minerals. Students...

In this minerals activity, students are given 6 statements about minerals and they find the errors in each sentence and re-write each properly. They also fill in the blanks for 8 sentences with given terms related to minerals, groups of...

Eighth graders investigate chemical reactions to produce polymers. In this polymers lesson plan, 8th graders experiment with sodium silicate and ethyl alcohol to make a polymer. They also experiment with borax and glue to make a polymer....

Students explore the concept of minerals. For this minerals lesson, students discuss how cooling affects the size of crystals. Students discuss how the structure of minerals is a tetrahedron. Students discuss the structure of silicates...

Students relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids.  In this planetary lesson students complete experiments to model the separation of light.

Unearth this gem of a resource to use in your geology unit! With colorful images, bullet-point text, and links to related videos, it deals with the characteristics, properties, and identification of minerals. There are also slides...

What occurs when a hydrate is heated? Lead your class in exploring the answer to this question as they investigate the properties of a hydrated compound. They heat copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate and evaporate the water...

Students study the physical properties of minerals and illustrate their functions.  In this mineral lesson students construct models of some minerals.

In this earth science worksheet, middle schoolers find the vocabulary words related to minerals by unscrambling the letters. They also complete other word puzzles.

Learners investigate the concept of planetary differentiation. They complete an experiment to simulate it using gelatin and food. The lesson includes vocabulary to increase reading comprehension skills as part of the inquiry. The lesson...

In this rock activity, students review the three types of rocks and their distinguishing characteristics. This activity has 10 matching and 10 short answer questions.

Young scholars examine how a variety of minerals are used in make-up. They discuss the minerals that are found in things like make-up, soap, shampoo, and toothpaste and determine where the minerals come from.

Instructional module focusing on the Silicate minerals. Discussion includes the most common minerals on Earth such as quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, pyroxene, and olivine. Site also includes an interactive practice quiz and links...

This site contains in-depth information on crystalline solids. Includes basic concepts, pictures, learning graphs, and useful tools.

This is a resource for students to use in their study of minerals. It begins with a general description that includes the list of essential characteristics of a "mineral." Minerals are then grouped alphabetically. Selecting a name...

A college course featuring mineral image galleries, labs, and instructor's notes on the topics of crystalline structure, crystal chemistry, and bonding in rock-forming minerals.

This encyclopedia article from Wikipedia provides a general overview of the gemstone topaz. Liinks are provided for additional information on related subjects.