Science

Our next unit of study is on Minerals, Rocks, and Fossils. We will begin our lessons after Thanksgiving Break. You may be interested in trying to find these books at your local library, for background reading.

Fossils Tell of Long Ago by Aliki explains how fossils are formed and what they tell us about the past.

If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian explores a variety of rocks that can be found including chalk rocks, splashing rocks, and skipping rocks.

Let’s Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans discusses the formation, hardness, types, and uses of rocks.

The Magic School Bus: Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole describes a class field trip where students learn about different kinds of rocks.

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CHAPTER C1

MINERALS, ROCKS, AND FOSSILS

Rocks are made of minerals.

Mineral: a solid natural material that has never been alive. Minerals have properties, or characteristics, used to identify them. The three main properties are hardness, color, and shape.

Iron comes from the mineral hematite, and is used to make steel. Graphite is a mineral that is used in pencils, to take the place of lead.

The Earth is a ball of rock with three layers.

crust: the solid outside layer of the Earth

mantle: the hot middle layer of the Earth. Some of the rocks in the mantle are almost melted, because of the extreme heat.

core: the center layer of the Earth. It’s even hotter than the mantle. The rocks in the outer part of the core are liquid, called magma. The inner part stays solid because the weight of the whole planet presses in on it.

There are three types of rocks.

Igneous rocks: formed from melted rock that has cooled and hardened.

Sedimentary rocks: formed from layers of sediment.

Metamorphic rocks: rocks that have been changed by heat and pressure.

Rock cycle: shows how one type of rock can be changed into another type of rock.

Fossil: something that has lasted from a living thing that died long ago. Some fossils may be of body parts, such as bone or teeth, that have turned into stone. Other fossils are only marks, such as animal tracks or leaf prints.

Mold: the SHAPE of a plant or animal left in sediments when the rock formed. The object itself dissolves.

Cast: when mud or minerals FILL a mold. The cast has the exact shape of whatever made the mold.

Imprints: molds of leaves or other thin objects (wings or feathers).

Fossils are often found in sedimentary rocks. After a prehistoric animal died, its hard parts could have been buried under layers of sediment. Over a long time, the sediment turns into rock (following the rock cycle). If the Earth’s crust moves, the rock and fossils are closer to the surface. Wind and water may wear away the rock, and scientists study the fossils.

Fossils help us learn about dinosaurs. Scientists put together fossil bones to make skeletons. This teaches us the size and shape of the dinosaur, and whether it walked on two or four legs. Dinosaur teeth fossils also show us what type of food the dinosaur ate. Flat teeth mean plant eaters. Sharp, pointed teeth mean meat eaters.

http://www.hbschool.com
This site is maintained by the publishers of our Science books. It offers reinforcement activities and games related to our text. First, click on 'Learning Site.' Next, select Science, then enter the last name of one of the authors (Jones, Krockover, McLeod, Frank, Lang, Valenta, or Van Deman).

http://www.kids.gov/k_science.htm
Learn about rockets, weather, the human body, outer space, science fair project ideas and much more through these great links.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
National Geographic for Kids -- learn as much as you wish about nature, science, and more! This site offers a great variety of games, articles, activities, and experiments.

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/students/index/html
Smithsonian Education for Kids -- This website offers fun facts about nature, presidents, art, culture, and much much more. It is also listed in the Social Studies section of our web-site. YOU MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY ACCESSING THIS LINK - GOOD LUCK!

http://www.weather.com
The Weather Channel's website. Useful for personal use, as well as Science lesson reinforcement.

http://www.mypyramid.gov
This website has useful information on food and activity choices for a healthy lifestyle. It is helpful to reinforce what we do for Count Your Steps.

http://www.mbgnet.net
This is a website extremely helpful for our curriculum project. It has information on all of the ecosystems.

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