Rocks and Minerals
Background Information & Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

What are rocks made out of? In this movie, children will explore rocks, and learn how to describe rocks by its properties, like color, luster, texture, and hardness. Children will also find out how geologists and other scientists study rocks to learn about Earth and what our planet was like long ago. The movie also reveals how we use rocks and minerals every day.

Rocks and minerals are all around us. Earth’s crust and part of its mantle are made of rock. Rocks are made of minerals and have different properties, meaning different characteristics or traits. The properties of rocks include color, texture, luster, and hardness. We use rocks and minerals in many different ways. The steel in our buildings are made with iron, which is a mineral. The clay and glass used in our pottery and dishes are made of a mixture of rocks and minerals. We even need minerals to stay healthy, and we get them from a variety of different foods. A geologist is a scientist who studies rocks and land to learn about Earth and its history. Your children can practice being geologists by observing and comparing different rocks.

Rock is a natural, nonliving aggregate of minerals. Earth’s outer sections, or lithosphere, include the crust and part of the mantle, which are made of rock. The crust of the Earth is made of two categories of rocks: basaltic and granitic. Basaltic rock is beneath the seafloor, and our continents consist of granitic rock. The mantle is beneath the crust, and is a thick layer of hot, solid rock made of magnesium, silicon, iron and oxygen. The mantle comprises about two-thirds of the Earth’s bulk. Geologists are scientists who study rocks and land to learn about Earth and its history. Rocks provide clues about what Earth looked like millions of years ago. Encourage your children to observe rocks in different ways.

Rocks are made of minerals. Some rocks, such as granite, are comprised of several minerals, including quartz, feldspar, and mica. Other rocks, such as gold or silver, are made of only one mineral. Geologists observe the properties, or traits, of rocks to help them understand, identify, and categorize them. For example, color is a property. Some rocks like shale or obsidian are dark gray or black. Other rocks, like quartz, come in a range of colors like white, pink, or yellow. Texture is a property that describes how an object feels. Some rocks are smooth, such as those found in rivers or at the beach, while other rocks are rough and bumpy, such as those found at the base of a mountain. Luster describes how an object looks under light. Some rocks are shiny and metallic, such as gold or pyrite. Other rocks are duller in tone, and not as reflective. Hardness is another property of rocks. The hardest mineral is diamond, and the only thing that can cut a diamond is another diamond. The softest mineral is talc, which can be scratched by a fingernail and ground into fine grains, as in talcum powder.

We use rocks and minerals in many different ways. Encourage your children to think about how they use rocks and where they find them. The steel used to construct buildings is made of iron, which is a mineral. The counters in their kitchens may be made of granite, which is a rock. Bricks are made by blending and compressing rocks and minerals, usually sand, clay, and limestone. Our sidewalks are made of concrete, which is a mixture of crushed rocks and limestone. Clay pottery, porcelain dishes, and glasses are all made from rocks and minerals, too. People and animals get minerals from the foods they eat. Calcium and phosphorus, minerals found in milk and dark greens, help us build strong and healthy bones. Many fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium, magnesium, and other minerals that our bodies need. Even salt is a combination of minerals.

Encourage children to see rocks in a whole new light. Remind them that the Stone Age earned its name because our ancestors used stones for tools, lived in caves, and utilized rocks for fire pits. Today, rocks provide us with sidewalks and buildings, and also give us sand, glass, and mirrors. In addition, minerals are essential for healthy bodies. Rocks are a natural resource, something from nature that people use and value. How do people use rocks everyday? How would the world change if we did not have rocks? Discuss the importance of this natural resource with your children.

See more lesson plans and resources: BrainPOP Educators.

Rocks and Minerals Teacher Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Rocking Out

Go on a rock hunt with your whole class. You can take a walk around the school grounds or go to a park together. Have each student bring back a rock to share with the whole class. Discuss the properties of the rocks and compare their size and shape. Have small groups take turns sorting the rocks by different properties, like size, texture, color, luster, and hardness. Let the students decide how best to display their collection. Students can do research at the library or online to find out what minerals might be in their rocks.

Rocks Around the Clock

After the class has viewed the movie and had some discussion about different things made of rocks and minerals, send your class out into the school building to find objects that are made of minerals or rocks. Let students research how minerals are used in your school, so they can learn that many door and cupboard hinges are made with steel, lights with glass, and mirrors with quartz. You might assign small groups to visit different rooms in the school such as the bathroom, the cafeteria kitchen, the gym, the music room, and the art room. When they return, ask the groups to share the things they found.

Rock or Not

Bring a collection of items from nature into the classroom, including a variety of rocks and minerals like sand; salt; pebbles; crystals; animal byproducts such as feathers, shells, fur, or bones; and plant matter such as tree bark, pinecones, leaves, flowers, and seeds. Put the collections into small bags and ask groups of children to sort them into groups by animal, plant, or mineral/rock. Then ask each group to explain to the class how they sorted their items.

Rocks and Minerals Family Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Trip to the Museum

Most natural history museums have a section about rocks and minerals. Walk through the exhibit with your child. Discuss how rocks and minerals are useful and valuable. You can extend this lesson to the exhibit on fossils. How do rocks provide clues about what life was like long ago on Earth? What does your child think people in the Stone Age used rocks for? Make sure your child brings a notebook to take notes and sketch.

Rock Rules

Accompany your child on a walk and collect rocks together. Be sure to check that it is acceptable to gather rocks, since it is sometimes forbidden in certain areas. Pick up rocks of different colors and sizes. Then bring the rocks home and have your child sort them in different ways. Ask him or her to discuss their sorting rule out loud. Then you take the rocks and sort them and have your child figure out the sorting rule. After you each take several turns, your child can use the rocks to make a rock garden or a rock sculpture in your yard or in a local park or community garden.