RosieCotton Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Does anyone know of a good rock unit study, either free online or a simple program like MP or VP that would have a student workbook, vocab? My son has gotten really interested, and I'd love to let him go deeper. We did a basic rock kit study back in 3rd grade, but looking for more depth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 You may already know of this one, but when he was middle school age, my son and I enjoyed TOPS Rocks and Minerals: https://topscience.org/collections/earth-space/products/23-rocks-and-minerals-grades-6-12 We bought their supply kit too, and thought it was all well-done and worth the cost. He's still a "rock hound" to this day. : ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Ellen McHenry just put out a new one on rocks. http://ellenjmchenry.com/product-category/rocks-and-dirt/ If you poke around, she usually has great samples from her books to give you a solid feel for what the curriculum is like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 (edited) Although they are not online, workbooks, or free, I'm seconding the suggestions of above posters of: - Ellen McHenry Rocks & Dirt digital download ($15) or same material in a paperback book ($33) - TOPS Rocks & Minerals unit ($18) + supply kit ($35) Also agreeing with Taryn B's review of TOPS Rocks & Minerals -- one of the best of the TOPS units we used (and we used almost a dozen of them over the years); definitely need to buy the supply kit to go with it; and it's geared for grades 6-9. And while it covers all Earth Science topics (not just rocks), the 100+ series: Earth Science workbook ($9.50) is work pages and information and can be done completely solo by the student. It is for grades 5-8. Of the free resources below, probably the closest to what you're looking for is the first one. Free resources: - Teachers Pay Teachers: Middle School Earth Science Notes: Rocks & Minerals - 33-page FREE download - Teach Engineering: 5-lesson unit on rocks; focus on engineering aspect of drilling, core samples, etc - Starts at Eight blog: free description of how this homeschool family put together their own unit EHO Eclectic Homeschool Online: Rocks & Minerals Unit Study Resources Great list of links to free lesson plans, websites, and suggested books/kits; you would have to put it together yourself, but the free lesson plans would do most of the "heavy lifting" of the day to day learning once you put together a schedule of what to cover and when. Websites to Explore: - Mineralogy4Kids - Rock Hound Kids - Scholastic Study Jams -- 12 short educational segments on Earth Science topics (4 are rock-related) - Kids Discover magazine online -- 3 units on Rocks & Minerals - Interactive Sites for Education -- links to Rocks & Minerals interactive websites Edited February 3, 2018 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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