Rocks and Fossils Unit Rationale

This unit entitled Rocks and Fossils is designed for 4th grade.
The unit will integrate many academic disciplines while teaching
students about rocks and fossils with specifics such as the formation,
characteristics, types, and classification of rocks and fossils.
Students will complete a variety of activities to enhance
their learning. First, the students explore an introduction to rocks by
learning about minerals and rock characteristics. Next, students will
learn to identify the three types of rocks and demonstrate their
knowledge by classifying rocks based on their characteristics. Then,
students will learn about the rock cycle through completing stages in
an activity that mimics the cycle. Finally, students will explore how
fossils are formed and the information they provide about Earth long
ago. Students will experience learning about rocks and fossils through
hands on activities.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education
Standards, (3.3.4.A2- Identify basic properties and uses off Earths
materials including rocks, soils, water, and gases of the atmosphere;
3.3.7A1- define basic features of the rock cycle) the students will be
producing works of art, speaking and listening during discussions,
applying process knowledge that enables them to become independent
leaders though inquiry and design, and study the dynamics of earth
science, which includes the studies of rocks and fossils.
When the unit is complete, the students will be able to
describe the formation of rock by understanding minerals and
identifying the three different types of rocks, the characteristics and
how to classify them, the processes of the rock cycle, and the
formation of fossils and the information they provide about Earths
past. This content is key in a students ability to understand, explore,
and explain the natural world around them.