Rocks and Minerals
Lesson 8
Shining a Light on the Minerals
Students explore minerals to learn more about their properties by performing the light test and recording their results.
3. Lesson set up and Management
INQD: Simple instruments, such as magnifiers, thermometers, and rulers provide more information than scientists can obtain using only their unaided senses.
PS2A: Objects have properties, including size, weight, hardness, color, shape, texture, and magnetism. Unknown substances can sometimes be identified by their properties.
PS2B: An object may be made from different materials. These materials give the object certain properties.
- Students will test, record and compare results of how much light shines through each mineral.
Light test - How much light goes through each mineral sample?
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
- Make sure the penlights are all working before you begin this lesson.
Student Management:
- Assign one partner to be the materials manager and have that student pick up the materials from the materials center after you model how to do it.
- PROCEDURE #3
- Have students use the vocabulary "transparent," "translucent" and "opaque" on their Mineral Profile sheets. Put the adjectives next to the vocabulary on the board or in the WORD BANK to help the students remember the scientific words.
- PROCEDURE #5
- Use the Mineral Profile Transparency to mark a symbol on which area they should use. As the lessons progress, mark each new area with another symbol to help them keep track.
Writing Support:
- Students record their observations on their Mineral Profile sheets. Student will write in their science notebooks about the importance of a mineral’s ability to transmit light and how it relates to the use of minerals.
- Students record three important pieces of information about calcite and muscovite in their science notebooks.
- Students complete a prediction in their science notebooks about three mineral samples of their choice, sharing if they think the mineral sample in translucent, transparent or opaque and their reason why they think this.
Reading Support:
- There is information to read on page 30 of the student activity book about the minerals, muscovite and calcite. This is a great chance for students to partner read and record information in their science notebooks as they read to help them identify these minerals.
Math Support:
- Have students sort samples based on their light test results and create a pie chart showing their results.