In Lesson 14, students compare the information they have recorded about each mineral with that provided by a geologist on mineral identification cards. Applying all the information they have accumulated, students match each mineral sample to the appropriate card and thereby identify the minerals by name. In Lesson 15, students are challenged with an application assessment. They apply the field tests of their choice to learn as much as they can about each mineral. The unit concludes by giving students the opportunity to make the connection between minerals and rocks and to explore their uses.
Students learn that minerals are obtained from rocks.
Using guided and independent research, they prepare reports on a rock or mineral that interests them. Students' oral presentations of these reports provide an opportunity for a final assessment of the knowledge they have gained from their study of earth materials. Throughout Rocks and Minerals, students have many opportunities to observe the similarities and differences in properties of minerals and rocks and to gather, organize, and interpret data. They discover that the application of scientific techniques can provide them with useful information about rocks and minerals.