Name:  Lacey Shepherd, Melissa Blanton, Dusty Galloway
School: S.L. Mason
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Time Length of Lesson: 45 minutes
Grouping Plan for Teaching: Whole group and small group
 (Rock Facts & Properties- Rocks are a naturally occurring solid material consisting of one or
more minerals.  Rocks are everywhere, in the ground, forming mountains, and at the bottom of the
ocean.  Earth’s outer layer is made mostly of rock, or crust, is made mostly of rock.  Rocks are
divided into three groups: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.  Igneous rocks are formed from
the magma, which is emitted by volcanoes.  Sedimentary rocks are formed at the Earth’s surface
from weathered and eroded fragments of pre-existing rocks.  Metamorphic rocks are formed
through a solid sate due to the action of temperature and/or pressure.)

Lesson Objective(s): Students will be able to recognize the difference in size, shape, texture and
color of rocks.  Students will be able to recognize a volcano and learn how it erupts.

QCC Standard(s): (1.) Grade Level: Kindergarten; (2.) Subject: Earth/Space Science; (3.)
Number: 17; (4.) Topic: Earth Materials; (5.) Standard: Recognizes and names common earth
materials, such as soil, rocks, water, and air.  (1.) Grade Level: Kindergarten; (2.) Subject:
Earth/Space Science; (3.) Number: 18, (4.) Topic: Earth Materials; (5.) Standard: Sorts rocks and
soils by color, size, and texture.

Materials: plastic bowls, water, magnifying glass rock collection, crayons, worksheet with rocks
that look as if they are in an egg carton, paper towels, paper plates, modeling clay, toilet paper
tubes, baking soda, vinegar, red food coloring, volcano diagram, map of U.S., pool stick, 2 plastic
cups, string, hanger, and a scale worksheet.

Technology Connection: http://onlinebiz.com/zach/mvols.htm, A to Z Teacher Stuff Lesson Plans, Quality Core Curriculum Lesson Plans for Earth Materials

Beginning Attention & Interest Focus: Pass around certain rocks and have students notice the
different color, texture, and size of the different rocks.  Tell class that we are going to study rocks
and we are going observe lots of different types of rocks and even how they react in water and
volcanoes.

Introduction: Discuss with students the expected good manners of working in the PAWS science
bus.  They will be working in groups doing activities.  Ask students to discuss positive ways of
how they can be a group worker.  Discuss that there are rocks just about everywhere we go.
Whether we are at home, at school, or just about anywhere we can find rocks.  Have the students
identify and/or describe rocks that they have seen or may have.

Modeling: Teacher will ask students if she were to drop the rock into the bowl, would the rock
change in color, texture, shape, or size.  The teacher will allow the students to make predictions
about the rock in the water.  The teacher will then drop the rock in the water and the teacher and
the students will then discuss the predictions that the students made.

Guided Practice: The teacher will demonstrate how to use the scale to determine which of the
rocks are heavier.  She will show the students how to place the rocks in the cups and then how to
move the string along the hanger to balance the two.  The teacher will also explain how to
determine which of the rocks is heavier.

Independent Practice: Divide class into 6 groups, each group will complete all three activities.
Teacher will explain the three activities and assist groups as needed.  Students will work in groups
to complete the 3 activities and write their discoveries and findings on their worksheets.

Activity 1 – Some Rocks Are Heavier Than Others

· The teacher will tell the students that we know that rocks are different in color and sizes.  Today
we are going to find out which rocks are the heaviest.  The teacher will then ask the children, “Can
they think of other ways that rocks are different than size and color?”  The teacher will then show
several rocks. The teacher will tell them today that we will find out which rocks are the heaviest.
She will then have the children try to tell by first looking and then by feeling which rock will be the
heaviest and which will be the lightest.  The teacher will then have the children take turns putting
two rocks at a time in the balance scale to see which rock is the heaviest.  The children then draw
a picture of a light rock and a heavy rock on their worksheet.  If time permits, the teacher will
follow up this activity by asking if the rock they thought would be the heaviest was in fact the
heaviest and if the biggest rock always the heaviest.

Activity 2 – Rocks Are Different Colors

· The teacher will begin by asking the students how rocks are different.  The teacher will also ask
the children if they have ever found a rock that was a pretty color.  The teacher will then have the
students look at the rock collection and tell about the colors that they see.  Then the teacher will
then put each rock in a bowl of water.  The teacher will ask the students if the rock changed
color.  Also the teacher will ask the students if they can see the rock better in the water.  The
teacher will then dry the rocks and place them back into the egg carton.  The teacher will instruct
the students to take their worksheet and color each rock the same color that they see.

Activity 3- Making a Volcano

· The teacher will ask the students if they know what looks like a mountain but has a large whole in
the center, makes funny noises from time to time and has hot lava that comes out of it.  The teacher
will explain to the students how a volcano forms by using a large diagram of a volcano.  The
teacher will explain that volcanoes form when hot liquid (magma) from inside the earth rises and
leaks into the top layer of the earth. (crust) The hot liquid comes into the center of the volcano and
sometimes erupts!  The liquid is very hot, so you would not want to be around when this happens.
Volcanoes are a beautiful part of the earth, but they can also be very dangerous.  Tell students that
volcano eruptions happen most in the states of Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and California. (Show
students a map of this area of the U.S.)  The teacher will then let the students make their own
volcano by following these steps: ( The teacher will complete steps 1-3 prior to teaching)
1. Build a mound of clay on the paper plate.
2. Make an opening about the length of a toilet paper tube.
3. Insert the toilet paper tube into the opening.
4. Fill the tube with baking soda.
5. Put a few drops of red food coloring inside.
6. Add vinegar to the baking soda.
7. Watch it erupt!
 

Assessment: Teacher will observe students during the class discussions and as they work in their
groups to complete their activities.  After the groups have completed their activities, students will
discuss their findings to describe and define rocks.  The students will describe properties of rocks
that they observed during the activities.  The teacher will assess the students through observations,
discussions, and students’ written findings listed or drawn on their worksheets.

Closure: Discuss with the students how rocks are all around us.  We can find them in mountains,
volcanoes, streams, and throughout many other places.  Also that we use rocks for driveways, for
decorative sidewalks and other things.  The teacher will also tell the students that we can find lots
of rocks within the soil.

1. Describe how the students were engaged in learning during your lesson.
My part of the lesson was on the volcano.  The kids showed they were learning about the volcano by answering my questions and asking questions of their own.  I asked the groups why they thought the lava came out of the volcano, and some students explained that it was because the lava got really hot.  The students were able to point out places on my U.S. map where there are many volcanoes.  The students learned the most by actually watching the volcano erupt.

2. Describe how the students responded to your lesson.
The kids seemed very enthused about the whole lesson.  Because the lesson was on the PAWS Mobile instead of their regular classroom, the students were curious to know how the bus lesson would be.  They seemed excited about learning about the volcano, and they could not wait to see it erupt.  They wanted me to do it over and over again.  One kid even shared with us that he used to live in Hawaii where most volcanoes erupt.

3. Describe how the students achieved the assessment of your lesson.
The three of us moved around to the different groups of students and monitored their activities for the assessment.  the only written assessment was with the rocks. The students were given a worksheet with pictures of rocks.  They had to color the rocks according to the rock they saw being passed around.