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Understanding
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Problem-Based
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Proper
Implementation
of aProblem
-Based curriculum

PBL Corn

Volcano Middle
Lesson

The Secret
Rock Lesson

Reaction in a
Zip Bag Lesson

Baeza Rocket

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Objective: To provide 5 th grade students with the ability to take part in an inquiry based science investigation. Students will actively engage in a collaborative learning environment that allows for experimentation with diverse rocks and minerals. Students will obtain the ability to categorize, classify, eliminate and make predictions.

The Experiment: Assign a specific rock the “Secret Rock.” Students will be tasked with identifying it. By giving clues to which rock is the secret one using color, luster, hardness, streak and cleavage, students will be able to use deductive skills in order to solve the mystery.

Materials:

Mineral Kit including:

• Talc Olivine Plagioclase Feldspar
• Calcite Gypsum Amphibole
• Quartz Potassium Feldspar Halite
• Graphite Magnetite Garnet
• Fluorite Mica Hematite
• Galena

1 Nail

1 Glass Plate

1 White porcelain streak plate

1 Penny

Hand lens for each student

Hook: Give each group of four to five students a kit of rocks without labels and the rest of the materials. Have students in groups examine each rock. The students should then be instructed to categorize the rocks.

 Activity: After the students have wrestled with categorizing, it would then be appropriate to discuss some of the differences such as hardness, cleavage, luster color, and streak. Give each group a poster board and have them create and organize a chart utilizing each category. When students are finished with their poster they will then give a brief explanation of what they did and how. Tell students that there is a secret rock in their kit that should be identified. Tell them that their mission is to figure out which one it is by using the clues given to them. Give the students each the handout with the clues. Then have each student place the useful information sheet and the rock names and classification sheet in their Science folder. They should know that they may use that information to obtain the answers to the clues.

For supplemental material PDF for this activity |click here|

For more information e-mail me at:
mnlozano28@yahoo.com