Middle School Earth Sciences Laboratory

Are you looking to engage your students with a hands-on, interactive unit all about Earth Science? This rocks and minerals bundle includes everything you need to nurture and excitement for Earth Science and covers all your standards related to rocks, minerals, weathering, and erosion!

You’ll love this unit because it is packed full of the resources you need for your rocks and minerals earth science unit. You’ll find detailed lesson plans, interactive lab instructions, lab reports, reading passages about each topic, interactive notebook pages, games, activities, crafts, thinking maps, cooperative learning activities, simulations, review activities, and a final assessment over all things rocks and minerals.

If you’re teaching in an inquiry-based classroom, you’ll be pleased to find this unit is structured to follow the inquiry cycle: tuning in, finding out, sorting out, going further, and drawing conclusions.

Topics included in this Rocks and Minerals Bundle:

• Week 1: Distinguishing Between Rocks and Minerals

  • create a classifying system to distinguish between rocks and minerals
  •  make mock rocks
  • be a geologist for a day
  • take apart rocks
  • rocks vs. minerals reading passage
  • rocks vs. minerals interactive science notebook page
  • make a rock vs. mineral mobile

• Week 2: Identifying Minerals

  • describing minerals and properties
  • scratch test lab, guess my rule
  • gemstone bar graph
  • all about minerals reading passage
  • all about minerals interactive science notebook page
  • make mineral trading cards

• Week 3: Classifying rocks

  • rock properties lab
  • detecting calcite lab
  • modeling rock layers
  • types of rocks reading passage 
  • types of rocks interactive science notebook page
  • rock type logic line-up game

• Week 4: Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition

  • weathering chalk lab
  • freezing clay
  • wave and wind erosion boxes
  • acid rain lab
  • Weathering, erosion, deposition reading passage 
  • Weathering, erosion, deposition interactive science notebook page
  • sorting puzzles and tree map

• Week 5: The Rock Cycle

  • video or reading response
  • crayon rock simulation
  • web-based interactive lesson
  • rock cycle reading passage 
  • rock cycle interactive science notebook page
  • ride the rock cycle game

• Week 6: Review and Assess Rocks, Minerals**, Weathering, and Erosion**

  • find someone who study guide activity
  • numbered heads together review game
  • quiz-quiz-trade review activity
  • task card scoot review
  • end of unit test and answer key

Your students will love the hands-on earth science labs from making their own rocks to simulating the effects of acid rain. They’ll also be eager to show off their learning during high-engagement games and cooperative learning review activities.

You’ll love how easy it is to plan and prep! Make a few copies gather a few supplies, and your rocks and minerals unit planning is done!

Here’s what other teachers have to say about this rocks and minerals unit:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a wonderful resource for teaching about different minerals. The activities were easy for students to understand yet dug deep into the comprehension of minerals. I will be using these resources for years to come with my 4th grade students.   – Attiya

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love earth science, and I thought this resource was well done! Engaging, well-planned, and thorough. Fantastic job! Thank you! — Deana W.

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