This page includes links to recommended web resources to go along with my Rocks and Minerals Unit! Find the Rocks and Minerals Unit and other nature-based learning materials in my Shop!
1.) Mineral Research Project & Mineral ID: suggested resources (external links)
- Geology.com has pages for common minerals with lists of their physical properties and photos.
- University of Minnesota’s Common Minerals website has an alphabetical list of minerals including physical properties and key identifying features.
- Mineral Education Coalition has lots of info on common rocks and minerals
- The website GeologyScience includes pages for common minerals.
- GeoRockMe.com’s Mineral Study guide includes a data table with listing many mineral’s physical properties and a visual bank with photos of common minerals.
2.) Rock Research Project & Rock ID: suggested resources (external links)
- Pictures and descriptions of common Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rocks on Geology.com
- Mineral Education Coalition has lots of info on common rocks and minerals
- Rockhound Resource’s website offers good advice on rock ID as well as tables with common rock’s properties (at the bottom of the article)
- Flowcharts by S. Brande for identifying common igneous, sedamentary, and metamorphic rocks.
- I came across this free Rock Scanner App for iPhone and Android. Of course still ID your rocks the old-fashioned way too, but it can be fun to play around with the App and see how often the App gets it right!
3.) Additional lesson plans and free activities – for educators (external links)
- Various rock cycle activities from Carleton College’s SERC Site Guides (various grade levels)
- Rocks & Minerals lesson plan by L. Greene, S. Yelton, D. Haine, & T. Stadelman, accessed via the Center for Public Engagement with Science website of the UNC Institute for the Environment (4th grade)
- Weathering and Erosion lesson plan from L. Whitfield, accessed via the Understanding Science Lessons site from UC Berkeley (grades 4-6)
- Khan Academy weathering and erosion video (middle school)
- Online lab: identify unknown mineral samples, from Mineral Study Guide (not grade specific)
- Online lab: identify unknown igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock samples, from Mineral Study Guide (not grade-specific)
4.) References (external links)
These include reference websites, books, and materials I used to fact-check the information within the Rocks and Minerals Unit as well as websites you may find helpful when gathering background information on this unit’s topic. Use the links below to enjoy the wealth of information these references have to offer!
- Brande, S. (n.d.). Digital Bank. Mineral Study Guide. Available: https://omg.georockme.com/mineral-bank
- Earle, S. (2019). Physical Geology. BCcampus Open Education. (Chapters 2-7). Available: https://opentextbc.ca/physicalgeology2ed/
- Geology.com (n.d.). What are Minerals? Available: https://geology.com/minerals/
- GeologyScience (2018). Top 10 Minerals Used in Everyday Life. Available: https://geologyscience.com/gallery/geologic-lists/top-10-minerals-used-in-everyday-life/
- Geology Science (n.d.). Minerals. Available: https://geologyscience.com/category/minerals/
- Johnson, C., Affolter, M.D., Inkenbrandt, P., & Mosher, C. (2017). An Introduction to Geology. Salt Lake Community College. (Chapters 3-6). Available: https://opengeology.org/textbook/
- Jones, C. E. (n.d.). Igneous Textures. University of Pittsburg. Department of Geology and Planetary Science. Available: https://sites.pitt.edu/~cejones/GeoImages/2IgneousRocks/IgneousTextures.html
- Khan Academy (n.d.). Weathering and Erosion (video). Middle School Earth and Space Science. Available: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/middle-school-earth-and-space-science/weathering-and-erosion
- Plummer C.C., Carlson D.H., & Hammersley L. (2019). Physical Geology. McGraw-Hill Education. (Chapters 1-7).
For the parts of the Rocks Unit, I also used an OpenAI tool to assist with editing my writing to ensure all text was at an appropriate level for an elementary school-aged child:
- OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (May 9 Version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com
