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.
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