* You can check with a local rock and stone supplying business to see if they would be willing to donate the rocks to your classroom. (This worked for me!)*
I went to a local soil and rock business and asked for about 20 rocks for a Kindergarten project. They were more than gracious and allowed me to pick any rocks I wanted. First I would engage the students by showing them my rock collection and asking them to tell me what they notice about the rocks. This can allow them to have a simple conversation and gain their interest about the rock discovery box.
Books:
Rocks- By: Brenda Parkes- (Left) This is an easy reader text that students could read on their own and use the pictures to grow their understanding about where rocks can be found.Rocks- By: Sarah Phillips- (Right) This mini-encyclopedia could be used to show students how non-fiction texts can help them learn information. The images would be helpful in learning more about different types of rocks.
Rocks in His Head- By: Carol Otis Hurst-
In this text, students would hear about a character that collected rocks for fun. He learned a science museum was a great place to go and look at rocks. This story could be used in a whole group setting.
Rock Collecting- By: Roma Gans (Right)- In this book students can see and hear more about different specific types of rocks. The book gives students different ideas of how rocks are used everyday and how they could start their own collection.
Sorting Activity:
For this part of the investigation the students will be sorting the rocks in many ways to learn more about their characteristics.
The students will take out all of the rocks and will sort them onto the three different labeled plates. They have to decide if the rocks are small, medium, or large in comparison to each other. The teacher will want to take this into consideration when choosing the rocks.
Now the students will sort the rocks by whether they are smooth or rough. Here you could introduce the word texture to students. This is how the rock feels in our hand. Students can experiment and talk about why they feel each rock is a certain texture.
Giving students a choice can motivate their learning; in this activity I decided I would allow students to have a free choice sort. The teacher should take note of how they organize the rocks. Children can be so creative, let their imagination tell them something about the rocks!
Float or Sink?
For this experiment the students will be looking at a variety of rocks and will make a hypothesis if they think the rock will sink or float.
*Make sure you have included a piece of pumice rock in your collection. This is the only rock that will float!*
I created a simple chart for the students to organize the rocks on. They can place each rock on either the side that says float or sink. Then the students will fill up the cup and gentle place each rock in to see if they are correct. This hands on activity will allow the students to make predictions and test them out.
* Make sure you have some paper towels ready!
My Rock Book
The teacher could have a conversation with students about how scientists need to record the data they find. The book the students will create is a way of collecting information and showing characteristics of good scientists.
Each student will create a My Rock Book. In the book they will record different rocks they encounter. This is an activity that can be taken outside where they teacher can have the students hunt for rocks around the school.
The first page of the book will ask the students to record a picture of the rock they found.
Now the students can record the size, color, and shape of the rock. When choosing rocks you will want to choose a variety of colors. For example, some can be red, brown, gray, or white. The size of the rock could be small, medium or large or any language that has a similar meaning. The shape of the rock can be left to the children's vocabulary. Some rocks take on a square shape while others are more circular.
This page, My Rock Feels, will give the students a sensory experience. Here the students will record how the rock feels to them. By the touch of the rock against their fingers they can tell if it is rough, smooth, hard, and/or sharp. The students can find an abundance of words to represent each rock they find.
The students should record where they found the rock. This could be as simple as writing the words school or home or more detailed like under the tree in my yard. Students could use this page to write or draw where they found the rock.
Extension Activity
Students could create a class rock collection. This is one way to keep their science mind always working. Students can collect rocks and bring them into the classroom to share. This can build the resources the class has to experiment with. This could be a recording in the My Rock Book or in a science journal.
