Rocks & Minerals: An Exploratory Guide

Overview

Welcome to the wondrous world of rocks and minerals! In this guide, we’ll learn that rocks and minerals are formed and changed through some really fascinating processes on Earth. We’ll also figure out how to differentiate between igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks – three major groups of rocks – by referring to their properties and methods of formation, also known as the rock cycle! By the time you get to the end of this guide, you’ll also know how to identify some common rocks and minerals. Pretty cool, huh?

Materials

• Drawing or writing utensil
• Specific materials for follow-up activity on pg. 13
• Rocks & Minerals activity booklet (download above)

Standards

CCSS: 5.3 EARTH SCIENCE