Lesson Plan

Topic: LDC Science Day 3

Grades: 4th grade Date: February 16, 2017
Standard(s): SC.4.E.6.2 Identify the physical properties Time: 10:00 am 60 minutes
of common Earth-forming materials, including hardness,
color, luster, cleavage, and streak color, and recognize HOT Questions:
the role of minerals in the formation of rocks. 1. How can you use physical
Objective: Students will be able to: properties to identify
minerals?
Identify color as a physical property of minerals.
Identify streak color as a physical property of
minerals.
Identify luster as a physical property of minerals
Collect data and compare results with other
scientists.
Vocabulary:

Minerals
Properties
Assessment:
Streak
Streak plate Type of assessment:
Luster
Experimental assessment
Materials: using minerals. Students will
need to know the vocabulary
Technology: computer, projector, speakers, Rocks&
words for this lesson. I will
Minerals Song Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
evaluate the foldable to
v=FqFazOFtCVk
determine if students can
Materials: minerals from kits, crayons or color pencils, describe how physical
streak plates, hand lenses, class mineral data collection properties can be used to
chart identify minerals.

Student LDC Activity Guides Booklet: Properties of

Minerals Tests chart, Properties of Minerals Foldable.
How will this assessment
Opening (Engage) show you that students
have mastered the
Time Task objective?
5 mins Engage: Students will be able to test
Watch rocks and minerals song to their minerals on a streak
engage students in the mineral plate and be able to identify
35 mins the physical properties of
observation activity.
minerals.

Review the mineral characteristics

(properties) that the students observed
yesterday.
Tell the students that the
 characteristics that they observed are Exit Question:
physical properties of the minerals. Tell
Can you tell me what are
them that as they discovered yesterday
some physical properties of
a physical property is a property that is
minerals?
used to characterize matter.
Ask the students how scientists could
use physical properties to identify
minerals?

Scientists could use the physical properties

of minerals to identify minerals by matching
the observed properties to the known
properties of the mineral.

Tell the students that there are some

tests of physical properties that
scientist commonly used to help them
identify minerals.
Explain that they will be performing
three of these tests on our mineral
samples today.
Have students turn to the Properties of
Minerals Test chart in their Student LDC
Activity Guides Booklet. Point out the
headings of the columns.
Describe the three tests that the
students will be performing:
Color-record the color of the
sample as a word and a circle of
the color as closely matched as
possible in color pencil or crayon
Streak Color- drag the sample
across the streak plate (tile) and
record the color of the streak that
the sample leaves on the streak
plate as a word and as a line in a
color as closely matched as
possible in color pencil or crayon.
Luster-record whether the sample
is observed to be glassy like
glass, shiny like metal, or dull.
Students will be in groups no larger
than four
Pass out minerals to groups
Tell students to record these physical
properties in the three-column chart.
Walk around each group giving the
students at least three minutes with
each mineral.
Share with each other our findings of
 some of our minerals.
Ask, How could these physical properties
help identify mystery minerals? Many of
these minerals have a unique color and
streak color.
Ask, Which of these physical properties is
the best for identifying samples? Streak
color is the most unique of the properties so
this one would help us identify a mystery
mineral the best.
Ask, Are there any patterns in the data? All
of the minerals with the glassy luster have
no streak color.
Building Understanding (Whole Group Exploration /
Core):
Time Task
15 Create a foldable
minutes Have students fold and cut the foldable
Have Students label the first 3 Flaps-
Color, Streak color, and luster
Explain that in the foldable, they
should record information they have
learned about each property including
what it is, how to test it, and how it is
used. You can draw a picture to help
you explain
Give students 10 minutes to work on
this.
Lesson Closure
Time Task
5 minutes Have Students turn to their OWL Chart
in their LDC Booklet and review their
wonderings. Have the students write in
information they have learned about
the properties of minerals in the
Learned column and cross out any
wonderings that they can address in
the Learned column.
Differentiation:
The teacher will differentiate and provide support in the
following ways:
Reteach (Greatest Support)
I will be providing support throughout the mineral scratch test in
each group. I will answer any questions the students may have
during this time.
Enrich (Least Support)
I am providing least support on the vocabulary foldable because
I am using this as their assessment of the mineral experiment.
Accommodations:
(What students need specific accommodation? List individual
students (initials), and then explain the accommodations you
will implement for these unique learners.)
IM- I will be making sure this student is on task and participating
with his group.
Connections:
How does this lesson connect to the real world? How does this lesson connect to the interests
and/or cultural backgrounds of your students?
This lesson connects to the real world by explaining all rocks are naturals solids made up of
materials from Earths crust. There are minerals all around us. I think this lesson will connect to
the students interest and/or cultural backgrounds of my students by showing them that there
are minerals around us in our everyday life. A majority of the students are migrant workers or
have parents that are migrant workers. They may come across these minerals out on the fields.

Notes for Teaching: