Middle School Science 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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Other Science Resources:

Thermal Energy and Heat Interactive Science Labs

Electricity Interactive Science Labs for Electrical Energy

Life Science Food Chain Sequence Game

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Permission to copy for single classroom use only.

Sharing is kind, so please purchase additional licenses if you intend to share this product.

Are you searching for a highly engaging, versatile, any-time AWESOME set of activities related to the Nature of Science & Engineering? This GREAT science bundle includes some of my favorite Science and Engineering Process activities! Each Student Tested (and approved!)- ready-to-go product focuses on a different aspect of science or engineering.

In this bundle, you will find a time tested creativity & science research project, a high quality & visual procedures lab, an EZ and rewarding engineering challenge and much more! These activities focus on problem solving and cooperative learning. Many aspects are naturally differentiated for your students, as students research, create, build and learn at their own rate and level.

Improve student engagement and get your middle school students involved in science and engineering by conducting these student centered activities. Several of these activities are great for sub plans as well.

What's Included in this 11 Activities Bundle?

★ One of my most popular and creative science research projects- "Science- Ology"

★ The Rainbow Procedures Lab- a very clear and visual lab related to human error and following directions.

★ Hoop Glider Engineering Challenge. So much fun!

★ Student activities related to Science Process Skills & Lab Safety.

★ Clear and easy to follow, editable products in pdf and Google formats.

★ Optional class competition.

★ Quick Prep Info and Instructor Directions.

★ FREE "Science Current Events" bonus activity.

How To Use This Resource?

★ This bundle is filled with fun and interactive activities that enhance any scientific method or nature of science and engineering unit. The activities can be used with multiple age groups and EACH requires 1+ class periods to complete.

★ You can use these activities in one unit or spread out over a year.

★ Use these as scaffolded inquiry investigations or as introductions to the various parts of the science & engineering process.

Nitty Gritty:

With these editable and printable products, students engage in the processes of both science and engineering.

These activities are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards for Science & Engineering.

What other teachers have said about Super Star Science products:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Stephanie C.H. Loved it!! What an engaging engineering challenge to use in online school and with younger grades! This activity is so well explained and set up. The visuals are very clear and the instructions make it easy to use this challenge without much work ahead of time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Laurel D. What a great resource. I was able to modify it to fit my curriculum easily. I will be using this weekly, as our school goal is to improve reading across the curriculum. I look forward to more resources from this author. Thanks!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Ann H. This is one of the most original and creative project-based lessons I have seen. Students are highly engaged in the subject matter and produce some truly amazing presentations.

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Check out a few of my other science and engineering resources.

*Marshmallow Catapults

*Water Cycle in a Baggie Project

*Static Electricity Stations Lab

*Magnetism One-Pager Project

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Terms of Use: ©Super Star Science. 

All rights reserved by Kim Karper. This single user product is to be used by the original purchaser only. Please do not share this product with other teachers. If you would like to have multiple users for this document, please note that TeachShare offers multiple license options.