Virginia Department of Education
Three Types of Rocks
Rock out with the second installment of a five-part series on earth materials and processes. Your budding geologists make observations of given rock samples and posit classification systems for rocks. They then learn about the accepted...
It's About Time
Volcanic History of Your Community
Did you know there are 20 volcanoes erupting at any given time? Pupils look at various igneous rocks, read local geologic maps, and determine if their area has a history of volcanic activity. A reading passage and analysis questions...
University of New Orleans
Rock Cycle and Rocks Lab
Science rocks! Explore three types of rocks and the rock cycle with an igneous rocks experiment. Pupils discuss textures, composition, and learn how melts are formed from the Earth's crust. They weigh materials using a scientific scale...
Curated OER
Volcanoes: Third Grade Lessons Plans and Activities
Discover how rocks are formed from volcanoes during a geology pre-lab activity. Third graders describe the volcanic rock samples and creating a model of Mt. Lassen, located in California. The lesson culminates in a discussion about how...
Curated OER
Volcanoes: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Fifth graders explore volcanoes and the rocks they produce using the Internet. The lab portion of the lesson prompts young scientists to compare and describe igneous rocks. Next, they critique a pair or more of books on volcanoes in...
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Volcanoes!
Give young geologists an up close and personal look at volcanoes with a series of hands-on earth science lessons. Whether they are investigating the properties of igneous rocks, building their own volcanoes, or making fudge to model the...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Rocks & Minerals
Take young geologists on an exploration of the rock cycle with this six-lesson earth science unit on rocks and minerals. Through a series of discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on investigations your class will learn about the...
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Rocks and Minerals in Our Lives
Young geologists discover the important role that rocks and minerals play in our everyday lives through this series of hands-on activities. Starting off with a lesson that defines the difference between plants, animals, and minerals,...
Curated OER
Rock On! Featuring the Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic Trio!
Get your classroom rocking with this four-lesson earth science unit. Through a series of shared reading activities and hands-on investigations, young geologists learn about the three types of rocks and the unique properties of each.
Berkshire Museum
Backyard Rocks
You don't have to travel far to learn about rocks, just step outside, pick up a stone, and begin investigating. After taking a class walk around the school grounds collecting rocks, young scientists practice their skills of observation...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Igneous Rocks
Dynamic music pumps up viewers as they learn about intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks. Presentation slides include a graphic depiction of magma below Earth's surface , photographs of lava exploding and flowing, and close-ups of...
Curated OER
Rock Stories
Youngsters pretend they are rocks sitting on a hill. They listen to the provided guided imagery script to conceptualize the process of how rocks change over time. They draw a diagram of what happened to them as rocks during the story. An...
Curated OER
Classifying Rocks
A well-designed lesson plan on rock classification awaits you. In it, fifth graders are divided into groups. Each group is given a box of rocks which they must sort into two categories. They use the "Rock 'n Roll Rule," in making their...
Curated OER
Layers of the Earth
While rudimentary, this could be a great review of types of rocks. With diagrams, pictures, and graphics, this presentation describes igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock formations. The pictures are particularly engaging.
Central Bucks School District
Igneous Rocks Lab
Searching for a simple igneous rocks experiment to assist pupils with rock classification based on texture and composition? In the activity, pupils view multiple rocks in various ways to determine texture and composition. They then...
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Take young geologists on an exploration of the collection of rocks and minerals that we call Earth with an upper-elementary science instructional activity. Through a series of class discussion and hands-on investigations, students learn...
Curated OER
Rocks Worksheet #3
Here is a worksheet in which junior geologists determine where the igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks might be found on a diagram of rock layers in Earth.s crust. They show what they know through a series of five multiple choice...
Curated OER
Rocks Worksheet #2
Topping the page is a chart of crystal size and mineral composition of several different igneous rocks. Geology whizzes answer five multiple choice questions after analyzing the information in the chart. This is a simple, but sufficient...
Curated OER
Science Jeopardy - The Earth Sciences
The earth sciences are the focus for this Jeopardy-style review game. Categories include geology, space, scientific investigation, meteorology, and oceanography. Diagrams and pictures are involved with most of the questions, making this...
Curated OER
The Rock Cycle - Thinking About Relationships Among the Major Rock Groups
Step-by-step, arrow-by-arrow, viewers are walked through the rock cycle. In the end, you have a simple, yet complete diagram of the process. Pictures appear to show samples of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. The presentation...
Curated OER
What is the Rock Cycle and Its Processes?
Geology beginners examine three different rock samples and determine their origin by their characteristics. By making and recording observations, they become familiar with features of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types....
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
In this earth science worksheet, students use the clues given at the bottom of the sheet to solve the crossword puzzle on mineral and rocks. They identify the various types of rocks formed and specific examples of these rocks.
Curated OER
Igneous Rocks
Second graders examine how igneous rocks are formed by watching a video. They create a volcano.
Curated OER
A Look At Rocks
Students write letters to organizations, such as United States Geological Society, to find out more about rocks. Students write about a pretend time they found a magic pebble. Students calculate distances to travel to see various...