Rocks and other Earth materials are included in national, state, and local standards. For example, "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012) contains topics related to Earth systems, which include the hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. By second grade, students should be able to describe how most areas where…

Discusses the use of a National Energy Foundation (NEF) poster, "Rocks and Minerals and How to Use Them." The poster is designed to increase student awareness of the part that minerals play in their daily lives. Information about the NEF and poster availability is provided. (MDH)

In this article, a group of five preservice teachers and a teacher arranged to try a few activities at their campus day care. Together, they created and tested a series of learning centers involving rocks and minerals. Since minerals occur in such a wonderful variety of colors, they formed the basis for an engaging lesson on color sorting. This…

Presented are interdisciplinary activities that help students to identify minerals and to begin to understand the properties that make each one unique. The concept of individuality is emphasized. Included is a section on minerals and an explanation of their physical characteristics. (KR)

Presented is a poster and article which details the process of obtaining minerals from the earth and refining them for use. On the reverse is a chart of helpful mineralogy information. A list of four information resources is included. (CW)

Describes historical accounts of the manipulation and importance of the Earth and its mineral resources. A foldout, "Out of the Rock," provides a collection of activities and information that helps make integration of the aforementioned concepts easy. (ZWH)