What are Minerals? How Do We Tell Rocks and Minerals Apart?
On Friday we started a new unit in Science, Earth Science. The students learned about what minerals are, different types of rocks, and how you can tell the different between rocks and minerals. They learned about igneous rocks (lava, basalt, and granite), metamorphic rocks (marble, quartzite, and slate), and sedimentary rocks (sandstone, limestone, chalk, and coal). They also learned the different properties of minerals, including color or streak, cleavage or fracture, hardness, and luster. The students then had an opportunity to observe some rocks and minerals with a magnifying glass, and wrote down their observations in their Science Notebook. Next week we will be focusing on what rocks and minerals are used for in everyday life, and focus more on how they are different and how they are alike.