Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Aleyna Chipperfield Date: 2/12/24

Group Size: 19 Allotted Time: 30 Minutes Grade Level: 2nd

Subject or Topic: Rock properties and what happens when they are rubbed together? Part 1

Common Core/PA Standard(s)

- 1.E.2.1 Summarize the physical properties of Earth materials including rocks, minerals,
soils and water that make them useful in different ways.

Learning Targets/Objectives

- Students will be able to understand how to gather information about the properties of
rocks by practicing describing and drawing them.
- Students will communicate their understanding of important vocabulary for the unit by
seeing, hearing, saying, clapping, and spelling/writing each vocab word as well as
discussing them as a class.

Formative Assessment Approaches Evidence observation or method of collection

1. Whole group questioning 1. Using whiteboards to describe

2. Pre test properties of rocks
2. Thumbs up/Thumbs down

Prerequisites
- Solids vs. Liquids
- solid - a state of matter that maintains its own shape instead of conforming to
the shape of its container
- liquid - a state of matter that takes on the shape of the vessel it’s in.

New Key Vocabulary

- Geologist - a scientist who studies rocks
- Weathering - the process of rocks breaking into smaller and smaller pieces
- Sand - what appears when certain types of rocks are rubbed together
- Earth Material - naturally occurring materials found on Earth
- Minerals - the building blocks that make up rocks
- Properties - characteristics/features of an object/thing
- Sediments - pieces of land that break down and are carried around by wind or bodies
of water until it finally settles
Content/Facts
- Rocks can be described by their properties
- Process to describe by properties:
- identify the object
- observe and describe the color, shape, texture, size, etc.
- compare to other objects
- Different types of rocks al have their own different types of properties
- Smaller rocks (sand) results from the breaking (weathering) of larger rocks.

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies (5-10 minutes)

- Explain that for the next two weeks we will be exploring and learning about the
different properties of different types of sediments/rocks.
- Tell students that they are going to fill out a quick worksheet to show me what they
know and how much they know before we get started with our exploring.
- Hand each student the test and emphasize it is not graded, just to see what they know.

Development/Teaching Approaches

- Collect the tests.

- Tell students that we are now going to introduce some of the important vocabulary that
we’ll come across throughout our experiments by creating a “word chart” together!
- Before calling students over to the front of the room, set the rules for behavior
expectations while sitting there.
- Explain to them that the same rules that apply when they are in their seats apply
on the ground.
- They are to raise their hand if they have any comments or questions,
they are to respect each other's opinions and personal space, no one is
talking while the teacher is talking, etc.
- Call students over to the front board row by row and ensure that students have enough
room.
- Show students the pocket chart in which all of their words are going to be placed in.
Then show the colored index cards that the words are written on.
- Pick the first word card and say the word for students, show them the card (so they can
see the word), ask students to repeat the word with you (clapping out the syllables), and
have them write the word on their palms with their finger while spelling it aloud.
- Ask students what they know about the word. (pick from the popsicle cup)
- Call on a student or two to share.
- Ask students when they hear the word what does it make them think of? (pick from the
popsicle cup)
- Call on a few students to answer
 - Read students the definition on the back of the card and then ask them “Have your
thoughts about this word changed after hearing what it actually means? Why do you
think that is?”
- Repeat the last 5 bullets (actions) for all 7 vocab words. (Properties is going to be the
last word gone over)
- Explain to students that as we go through our experiments and discussions we will be
adding to our vocab cards and our word chart; and that this chart is available for them
to use.
- Set the word chart aside and transition into the next topic.
- Hold up a pencil or marker and ask students “what are some of the properties of this
pencil/marker?”
- Call on several students to answer (pick from the popsicle cup)
- Talk with students about the process of describing an object or things
properties.
- Tell students we are going to practice describing the properties of rocks.
- Read the first page of the Foss resource/story book titled “Exploring Rocks”
- Ask students to respond to the question on the page that says “What does the rock look
like?” by grabbing their whiteboards from underneath them and drawing a picture of
what they know or think a rock looks like.
- Ask students to show you their boards and tell them to look around at some of their
neighbors drawings.
- Ask students what they notice about everyone’s drawings and discuss
- Call on a few students to answer. (pick from the popsicle cup if needed)
- Tell students that on the next page the book is going to show us some pictures of rocks
and “I want you to think about what you or your neighbor drew on your boards versus
what is read and shown in the pictures.
- Read the next two pages where they talk about the different sizes and show the
different shapes and colors of rocks.
- Ask students what they thought about when they saw the pictures in the book versus
the ones they all drew.
- Call on a few students to answer (pick from the popsicle cup if needed)

Closure/Summarizing Strategies

- Ask students if they have a better understanding of how to collect/observe the

properties of an object.
- Ask them to show you a thumbs up or thumbs down if they feel like they could
do this with a group or individually.
- Tell students that tomorrow we will be doing a similar process of searching for
properties while using real rocks!
 - Instruct students that as they are dismissed back to their seats they are to put their
whiteboards and markers away and wait quietly with their hands on their head to move
onto reading.

Materials and Resources:

- Pre test (20 copies)

- Vocab word index cards w/ definitions on the back
- Pocket chart
- Students white boards (students each have one)
- Dry Erase Markers (students each have one)
- Teacher resource/story book