Jan. 22-29: Rocks!

The students were given their report cards this week, so you should be seeing that at home. Also, they were given new weekly check-in logs for this quarter (this is Week 2, Week 1 should be crossed out, I was too slow).

We finished learning about minerals this week. Students took their rise and stretch quiz, and they did remarkably well. They also did a lab where they were given a bag of unknown minerals and rocks. First they had to separate the rocks from the minerals, then they had to determine which mineral was which using the tests that they've learned about. They used a magnet to find magnetite, they classified minerals by luster (metalic or non-metallic), and they found the hardness of the minerals by trying to scratch a glass slide. They must have been successful at the lab, because they aced the quiz.

For the rest of the week we will be discussing rock types (igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary) and the rock cycle (weathering, erosion, etc.). They will be expert geologists before long.

Jan. 18-22: Minerals!

We're jumping into geology this quarter. This week students learned about the differences between rocks, minerals, and crystals. They also learned about the various tests used to determine which mineral is which (color/streak, crystal shape, how they break - this is unfortunately called cleavage and fracture... you can imagine how fun that was to teach 8th graders, texture, hardness, luster, etc.). Students were able to see some rocks with the special property of fluorescence also - there are some very cool rocks that glow under a blacklight! Students practiced performing the streak test and hardness test in preparation for next week's "Discover a Mineral Lab" where they will have to identify several unknown minerals using only the tests that we have been learning about.

The students will also be doing a little research about a particular mineral and then they will create a superhero persona based on the minerals properties. Expect to hear about "Pyrite the Pirate," "Galena the Glittery," and other such hero names as your child creates. I'm excited to see what mineral superpowers they come up with, and what their arch enemy will be.