Rock Out Here or Roll On Somewhere Else?

Overview:

The students will be researching and discussing the costs and benefits of being the only source of the mineral tin left in the world. In order to prepare for this inquiry, the teacher needs to lay the groundwork on topics like how rocks are formed, and the properties of minerals. This inquiry will create an awareness for the various uses of rocks in minerals and how they are extracted and refined for human use. This unit fits with the Social Studies: B. People and Environments strand.

Grade Level: 4

Strand and Topic: Understanding Earth and Space Systems: Rocks and Minerals

Inquiry Focus:

How do rocks and minerals affect our lives?

hardness / texture / lustre / metamorphic rocks / igneous rocks / sedimentary rocks

Note that the time required depends on students’ background knowledge, skills set, level of interest. Additional time may be required for completion of student work.

Big Ideas:

Rocks and minerals have unique characteristics and properties that are a result of how they were formed.

The properties of rocks and minerals determine society’s possible uses for them. Our use of rocks and minerals affects the environment.

Overall Expectations:

Science and Technology

1. assess the social and environmental impacts of human uses of rocks and minerals2. investigate, test, and compare the physical properties of rocks and minerals3. demonstrate an understanding of the physical properties of rocks and minerals

Social Studies: B. People and Environments: Political and Physical Regions of Canada

B1. Application: assess some key ways in which industrial development and the natural environment affect each other in two or more political and/or physical regions of Canada

B2. use the social studies inquiry process to investigate some issues and challenges associated with balancing human needs/wants and activities with environmental stewardship in one or more of the political and/or physical regions of Canada

B3. Understanding Context: identify Canada’s political and physical regions, and describe their main characteristics and some significant activities that take place in them

Language: Oral Communication

1. listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes

2. use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes

Language: Reading

1. read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning

Language: Writing

1. generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience

Language: Media Literacy

2. create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques

The Arts: Drama

B1. Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process (see pages 19–22) to dramatic play and process drama, using the elements and conventions of drama to communicate feelings, ideas, and stories

Specific Expectations:

Science and Technology

1.1 assess the social and environmental costs and benefits of using objects in the built environment that are made from rocks and minerals

1.2 analyse the impact on society and the environment of extracting and refining rocks and minerals for human use, taking different perspectives into account

2.1 follow established safety procedures for outdoor activities and for working with tools, materials, and equipment

2.2 use a variety of tests to identify the physical properties of minerals 2.3 use a variety of criteria (e.g., colour, texture, lustre) to classify common rocks and minerals

according to their characteristics 2.4 use scientific inquiry/research skills (see page 15) to investigate how rocks and minerals are

used, recycled, and disposed of in everyday life 2.5 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including hardness, colour, lustre, and

texture, in oral and written communication 3.1 describe the difference between rocks (composed of two or more minerals) and minerals

(composed of the same substance throughout), and explain how these differences determine how they are used

3.2 describe the properties (e.g., colour, lustre, streak, transparency, hardness) that are used to identify minerals

3.3 describe how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are formed 3.4 describe the characteristics of the three classes of rocks and explain how their characteristics

are related to their origin

Social Studies: B. People and Environments: Political and Physical Regions of Canada

B1.2 assess aspects of the environmental impact of different industries in two or more physical and/or political regions of Canada

B1.3 describe some key actions taken by both industries and citizens to address the need for more sustainable use of land and resources

B2.2 gather and organize information and data from various sources to investigate issues and challenges associated with balancing human needs/wants and activities with environmental stewardship in one or more of the political and/or physical regions of Canada

B2.5 evaluate evidence and draw conclusions about issues and challenges associated with balancing human needs/wants and activities with environmental stewardship in Canada

B3.1 identify various physical regions in Canada (e.g., landform, vegetation, and climatic regions), and describe their location and some of the major ways in which they are distinct from and similar to each other

B3.2 identify some of the main human activities, including industrial development and recreational activities, in various physical regions of Canada

B3.3 describe the four main economic sectors (i.e., the primary sector is resource based, the secondary sector is based on manufacturing and processing, the tertiary sector is service based, the quaternary sector is information based), and identify some industries that are commonly associated with each sector (e.g., primary: logging, fishing, mining; secondary: pulp and paper, car manufacturing; tertiary: banks, stores, transportation; quaternary: education, research and development)

Language: Oral Communication

1.2 demonstrate an understanding of appropriate listening behaviour by adapting active listening strategies to suit a variety of situations, including work in groups

1.6 extend understanding of oral texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights; to other texts, including print and visual texts; and to the world around them

2.2 demonstrate an understanding of appropriate speaking behaviour in a variety of situations, including paired sharing and small- and large-group discussions

2.3 communicate in a clear, coherent manner, presenting ideas, opinions, and information in a readily understandable form

2.6 identify some non-verbal cues, including facial expression, gestures, and eye contact, and use them in oral communications, appropriately and with sensitivity towards cultural differences, to help convey their meaning

2.7 use a variety of appropriate visual aids (e.g., CDs or DVDs, computer-generated graphic organizers, concrete materials, artefacts) to support or enhance oral presentations

Language: Reading

1.2 identify a variety of purposes for reading and choose reading materials appropriate for those purposes

1.4 demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts by summarizing important ideas and citing supporting details

1.6 extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them

Language: Writing

1.2 generate ideas about a potential topic using a variety of strategies and resources 1.3 gather information to support ideas for writing using a variety of strategies and oral, print,

and electronic sources

Language: Media Literacy

3.1 describe in detail the topic, purpose, and audience for media texts they plan to create 3.4 produce media texts for specific purposes and audiences, using a few simple media forms

and appropriate conventions and techniques

The Arts: Drama

B1.1 engage actively in drama exploration and role play, with a focus on exploring drama structures, key ideas, and pivotal moments in their own stories and stories from diverse communities, times, and places

B1.4 communicate thoughts, feelings, and ideas to a specific audience, using audio, visual, and/or technological aids to enhance their drama work

Key Concepts:

The unique characteristics and properties of rocks and minerals are a result of how they were formed, and determines its possible uses.

Igneous rocks form when hot, liquid rock from deep below the earth’s surface rises towards the surface, cools, and solidifies, for instance, after a volcanic eruption. Sedimentary rocks form when small pieces of the earth that have been worn away by wind and water accumulate at the bottom of rivers, lakes, and oceans and are eventually compacted and consolidated into rock; they can also be formed when sea water evaporates and the dissolved minerals are deposited on the sea floor. Metamorphic rocks form when pre-existing rocks are changed by heat and pressure.

Prior Skill Sets:

Students should be aware of safety practices when going on community walks. The students should also be familiar with the skills for investigating and researching from the previous grades and/or units. Similarly, the students should be familiar with the safety procedures for handling tools and materials, as well as have some knowledge of designing, building and testing devices.

Prior Knowledge:

Grade 2: Air and Water in the Environment

2.3 investigate, through experimentation, the characteristics of water 2.5 investigate water in the natural environment 3.4 identify sources of water in the natural and built environment

Grade 3: Soils in the Environment

1.2 assess the impact of human action on soils, and suggest ways in which humans can affect soils positively and/or lessen or prevent harmful effects on soils

Grade 3: Social Studies

B1.1 describe some major connections between features of the natural environment of a region and the type of land use and/or the type of community that is established in that region

B1.2 describe some major connections between features of the natural environment and the type of employment that is available in a region, with reference to two or more municipal regions

Materials and Equipment:

Computer projector/SMARTboard internet access bottle of coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter, loonie, toonie) gift for the elder (usually tobacco) as thanks blocks of dark and white chocolate aluminum foil hot water cold water container to hold hot water chart paper minerals flashlight penny scissors glass; sample products and minerals that are easy to handle and to access tooth filling, pencil,

cement, tiles, pencil, aluminum, clay, salt, copper (students may propose other materials and products)

Safety:

A hands-on approach is important in the teaching and learning of science. Therefore, possible risks may not be entirely eliminated, but procedures and techniques may be modified to create a safe learning environment. The teacher must ensure that students understand potential dangers (tell them each safety consideration and ask them why it is important to observe them).

Safety Considerations:- Students must wear appropriate clothing and footwear- Be aware of possible allergens, and students with allergies- Always wash hands after exploring- Refer to STAO Elementary Safety Resource (http://stao.ca/res2/unifElemSafety/) for Safety Considerations in Nature Study, and Investigating Rocks and Minerals (pg. 96-98)- Refer to STAO Resource Connecting with the Natural World for additional ideas about walks (http://stao.ca/cms/gr-4-5-6-environmental-ed/1062-general-overview)

Instructional Planning and Delivery:

The instructional delivery of this inquiry moves from the teacher-directed Guided inquiry to Coupled inquiry. If there is more time, then an Open inquiry is possible as an Extension/Application.

Ongoing assessment is important. If each day is not feasible, at least have students write a journal entry after each activity as part of Assessment as learning.

The inquiry process is: Engage -> Explore -> Explain -> Extend -> Evaluate

Type Structured or Directed

Guided Coupled Open or Full

Participant Teacher Initiated and Performed

Teacher Initiated, Students Performed

Teacher Initiated Student Initiated

Path to Inquiry

Teacher Directed Student Directed

Engage (I SEE): Activate students’ prior knowledge and interest in the subject

The students’ background knowledge and prior experience with Soil, and stimulating their interest in rocks/minerals will play a large role in their comfort level with the topic. The activity in Engage is used as an introduction to the inquiry. To stimulate the thinking of students (I WONDER), there should be a Questioning/Brainstorming stage for each activity. Have a Q-Chart (Who-What-Where-When-Why-How vs is/are-did/can/will/should/might/would) somewhere visible to the students as a reference when they are trying to formulate their own questions.

Be aware that the students will have questions during discussions, as well as questions that will come up when students are doing an activity.

NOTE: If links do not work, copy and paste the link in a new tab/window.

Activity 1: Introduction

- Tools: computer, projector/SMART board, internet access, bottle of coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter, loonie, toonie), gift for the elder (usually tobacco) as thanks

- Before this activity, it is suggested that the teacher should visit the site first in order to identify paths to go on and paths to avoid. Also, review the Safety Considerations in the Safety section before proceeding on the nature walk.

Invite an elder from a First Nations community (Contact your local FNMI community or ask the administration if they have contact to a FNMI community leader), and go on a nature walk looking at cliff/hill/mountain sides for different patterns on the rocks (with an elder’s guidance, there should be an acknowledgement of the land you are visiting, and where the school stands if it is standing on FNMI territory). Tell the students about the approximate ages of the rocks in the area. Aboriginal cultures consider rocks wise of everything they have seen and experienced. During the walk, the students can record with a camera or tape recorder any comments or questions that they have.

After the walk, with the whole class, the teacher starts a discussion on where rocks are used in their life (in school, on the way home, in the community, at home). The teacher then says/writes a quote on the board, “We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we are borrowing it from our children.” What does this mean to the student? What would life be like without rocks? What items would we be without? (house, kitchen, technology, medicine, health, etc.)Bring out a bottle of coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter, loonie and toonie). Where can you find the materials to make these coins? How are these coins made? What are they made of?

Put the class into groups and explain that the students will be learning about Rocks and Minerals. Tell the students that they will collect the knowledge through the creation of a wiki page.

- A Wikia website will be used as a tool for students to visualize and keep track of their learning (http://www.wikia.com/Special:CreateNewWiki). One idea would be to have each group have their own wiki page on the wikia , with the main page containing a) links to each groups’ page and b) the I WONDER section in the main page for questions. Each question should have space for links to different pages, created along with what the students learned during inquiry. An example of a classroom wikia could be found here: http://classroom.wikia.com/wiki/Wikia_in_the_Classroom

In their groups, have students think about the nature walk, and the recent discussion about the quote and the coins. Have them create their group page on the wikia site, and create links on the main page

- Variation: Instead of the nature walk, read the book, The Yesterday Stone by Peter Eyvindson. (Anna’s grandmother has a yesterday stone in which they view the worlds of the past. Now Anna has her own yesterday stone, and she wants to show it to her friend Molly. Will Molly believe in the yesterday stone?) Afterward, ask the students what they think they would see with their own yesterday stone. Then do the same process as after the nature walk (discussion, quote, coins, etc)- If the book is unavailable, the teacher can tell the students about Inukshuks. Inukshuks were built in the North to signify that people were there. There were different types, depending on the reason they were there. They may have been a marker to tell you which way the people went, a cache where you may find food buried, a marker to warn you of dangers, a place where there were good fishing grounds. Ask the students to create their own Inukshuks (draw, or go out in the schoolyard and build an Inukshuk). What do their Inukshuks signify to them? What will it mark? Then do the same process as after the nature walk (Discussion, quote, coins, etc)

Questioning (I WONDER)

Students should be familiar with rocks from their Grade 3 unit, although minerals (properties, formation, etc) would be a relatively new concept. Therefore, misconceptions can also become a learning experience and should be noted for possible exploration later. Questioning can be done collectively with the whole class so that the teacher can keep track of the questions, answer questions that should be answered immediately for safety, and help the students classify which questions can be safely carried out as an inquiry. Knowledge from personal and cultural experiences may also come up.

There are users in the wikia community that operate under anonymity and might become temptation for vandalism from outside the class. The teacher can prevent this by changing editing permissions to be restricted to the teacher as the main administrator. However, this would mean the teacher needs to create the accounts for each group since the students are under 13 years of age. The group accounts will have editing permission, and anonymous editors are not allowed to edit.

Teacher Tip: Make sure to send a note home to parents explaining the purpose and benefits of the activity, and the steps the teacher has taken to ensure a safe online learning community. This letter is also a consent form if the school or the board does not have existing policies on the usage of online platforms. A link to a sample consent form can be found in the Evaluate section.

Below are possible questions that the inquiry activities will be answering. Have the questions in mind, and try to steer student comments/questions in that direction. This is similar to co-creating Success Criteria and Rubrics with the students. Of course, this will not always happen in reality and other questions will come up that cannot be placed under these inquiry questions. Any remaining questions should be collated and investigated as an Extension (see related section)

Teacher-led Student-led

How do rocks and minerals affect our lives?How can we lessen the impact of extraction of rocks and minerals?What happens if a type of rock/mineral is no longer available?

How does the formation of rocks affect its property? (Where do rocks come from? Why are there different kinds of rocks? How are rocks formed?)How does the property of minerals affect its use? (How are minerals formed? What happens if we substitute minerals in products?)

Explore / Inquiry activity: (I DO) Inquiry process

The idea is to gradually release responsibility to an Open inquiry where the teacher presents a scenario/topic (not the inquiry questions) as well as the materials and students will design their own experience. In order to build student skills and confidence, the teacher can demonstrate the process through scaffolding and Guided and Coupled inquiry. Examples will be provided by the teacher, then the students will have hands-on experiences so that they can gain knowledge from inquiry. The Knowledge Building that the students will do as a community throughout the unit should prepare them for the final task (http://learnteachlead.ca/projects/knowledge-building/).

Activity 2: Rocks

- Tools: blocks of dark and white chocolate, aluminum foil, hot water, cold water, container to hold hot water

2a. Characteristics of Rocks

Take the students out to the school yard/community to choose rocks that they like (have the students note where it came from, since it will be returned, and that they can only take a maximum of one per student)- Disturbing nature is discouraged, so students might use a website instead (http://www.brookeweston.org/Learning/Science/Rocks/Default.aspx) Have each student choose the picture of the rock that they like, and compare with another student’s

Have the students compare their rocks in the groups. Students can fill out a Venn Diagram, or record their notes using camera/recorder- Why did they choose that rock? Where did they find the rock? Are they very similar or completely different? What is different about each of them? What patterns/texture can you observe/feel?

2b. Experimental

As a class, have students brainstorm about why there are differences between each rock (4S Brainstorm: Person with silly ideas, Person with speedy responses, Person who is the secretary, Person who is the synergy: build on others’ ideas/encourages everyone). After sufficient time has passed, invite the students to share, or write their questions themselves on the I WONDER section in the main page of the wiki.

- Inquiry questions: How does the formation of rocks affect its property? (Where do rocks come from? Why are there different kinds of rocks? How are rocks formed?)

Here the teacher can clarify the learning goal (What are students expected to learn?) as well as co-create success criteria (What does a successful learning look like? What will the teacher look for during learning?). The teacher could start with a Think-Pair-Share so that the students can think about how they could reach the learning goal.- Sample Learning Goal: We are learning to investigate and explain rocks and the rock cycle- Sample Success Criteria:

- uses a model/diagram to explain how different rocks are formed- uses appropriate science and technology vocabulary to explain how different rocks

are formed- describes characteristics of the different types of rocks and how the characteristics

are related to how they are formed

- Aside from questions, students need materials and the experimental process (Guided inquiry: teacher provides advises the student on how to proceed, Open: students write their own procedure).

Review the Safety Considerations in the Safety section before proceeding

Have the students explore the following website where they can view animation on the Rock Cycle (http://www.learner.org/interactives/rockcycle/index.html) Then, the teacher will present the materials to the students, who will try to recreate the rock cycle. (Guided: Teacher will advise the students on how to use materials; Coupled: Students come up with their own procedure based on the materials and their knowledge)

- Example: Question: Why are there different kinds of rocks? Procedure (without information on what type of rocks will be produced): http://www.earthsciweek.org/classroom-activities/chocolate-rock-cycle

- Option: Open Inquiry: Students might be inspired with the materials presented and would like to try different materials to experiment with that will imitate the rock cycle. Students write the materials and show it to the teacher who, safety, cost and availability permitting, will get it for them. Students create their own procedure, and test several times.

Students collect data from a number of trials, then discuss within their groups the results of their experiment. The chocolate rock cycle mirrors the rock cycle in nature. Which part of the chocolate rock cycle belongs to which part of the natural rock cycle? Did your group have the same results and rock designations as another group?

Students communicate what they learned by updating the information in their wiki pages, with links to the corresponding Inquiry questions in the main page. The students will also reflect on their journals on the process (writing, drawing, pasting pictures of what they did, what they learned about the rock that they picked up)

It is a good idea to provide direct instruction at the end. Gather the class around the smartboard/projector and point out the important concepts about the rock cycle and the process that allowed the students to learn about it. This solidifies the knowledge gained from the inquiry experience, ensuring that all students can benefit from the constructed knowledge that the wikia contains.

- Variation: Drama/Language connection: Students research and become experts on one of the types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic). The level of support provided could be varied (teacher provides specific articles, provides websites to search, or leaves the research open to the students). They will then create a dramatization of the process in which their type of rock is formed. After watching everyone’s presentation, the students will then look at the rocks they found in the schoolyard/community, and write/illustrate in their journals the type of rock it is, along with the formation process- The students can provide feedback for the other groups’ presentation (Two Stars and a Wish)

Activity 3: Minerals

- Tools: chart paper, minerals, flashlight, penny, scissors, glass; sample products and minerals that are easy to handle and to access tooth filling, pencil, cement, tiles, pencil, aluminum, clay, salt, copper (students may propose other materials and products)

3a. Experimental: Mineral properties

Have students order themselves based on birth months (this could be the last of a series of short games of order, where no one is allowed to speak, and can only use gestures in order to organize themselves; other ideas would be organize by last name and organize by height with eyes closed). Reveal their birthstones for each month.

In the introduction, the students thought of how life would be like without rocks. Now have the students think about minerals (house, kitchen, technology, medicine, health, etc). What would life be like without minerals? What items would we be without? (Remind them of the jar of coins)

- Setup booths around the room to show off minerals (ex: talc, calcite, fluorite, feldspar, etc.) and materials to test them with (flashlight, penny, scissors, glass). On chart paper, the properties for hardness and lustre will be written.Testing Hardness: http://www.rocksandminerals.com/hardness/mohs.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r7C5SD14Hw Luster Test: http://www.minerals.net/resource/property/luster.aspx, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh9gEEhMIik

In groups, the students will test the minerals they have, and write down the different properties they found on chart paper, then organize the minerals in order (luster or hardness) and write their reasoning on the chart paper. After five minutes, they leave their booth, and move to a different booth where they will look at what the first group has done, and retest the minerals to see if the observations were correct.

- Option: Open Inquiry: Students might be inspired to test the minerals for another property. The students write down the materials, what they are hoping to test the minerals for and how they will test it, show it to the teacher who, safety, cost and availability permitting, will get the materials for the students. Students will test the minerals, and could have other groups also test to see if their observations are correct.The following websites have the properties that the students can test: http://www.mineralogy4kids.org/mineral-properties, http://jersey.uoregon.edu/~mstrick/MinRockID/MinTests.html

Students communicate what they did on the newsletter (description, drawings, pictures), as well as reflect on their journals what they observed and any problems they encountered.

3b. Design

Invitation to Inquiry: Replace a rock/mineral currently used in a product (ex: tooth filling, cement, pencil, matches, tiles, etc) with a different mineral (ex: aluminum, clay, salt, copper) and see if the product is still working

- Example product: A matchbox filled with matchsticks that instead of having flint/sulfur heads, would have salt or graphite (test one salt match stick, then test the graphite match stick; Which worked/didn’t work? What properties did they have/not have similar to flint/sulfur?)

Here the teacher can clarify the learning goal (What are students expected to learn?) as well as co-create success criteria (What does a successful learning look like? What will the teacher look for during learning?). The teacher could start with a Think-Pair-Share so that the students can think about how they could reach the learning goal. - Sample Learning Goal: To test minerals to understand their properties and to see what can replace an existing mineral in an existing product- Sample Success Criteria:

- explains the properties of minerals using appropriate science and technology vocabulary

- uses research and note-taking skills to investigate how minerals are used and recycled- uses the technological design (research, design, build, test, evaluate) to construct

their product

As a class, go back have the students go back to their work space and have the students Think-Pair-Share about their product and about the properties of minerals, and any comments or questions they have. After sufficient time has passed, invite the students to share, or even write their questions themselves on the I WONDER page of the wiki site. Students then write a proposal on the mineral they plan to use, and the product they are planning on modifying. They need to show their proposal to the teacher who can then prepare the necessary materials that the students need (What changes did the teacher make? Why?) - Inquiry question: How does the property of minerals affect its use? (How are minerals formed? What happens if we substitute minerals in products?) - NOTE: Products should be those that are easy to handle for Grade 4 students (electronics are not suggested), and depending on available resources, minerals should be those that are easily accessible- The following website could help the student with their research on materials and products they could mix and match. It has information on what minerals are used for certain products: http://www.rocksandminerals.com/uses.htm

Review the Safety Considerations in the Safety section before proceeding

Students build and test their product (is it able to perform the same task in the same manner? Is it better/worse than before?). Then, the students have to research the mineral they are replacing. What are the properties of this mineral? How similar/different are the minerals you substituted? If you found a similar mineral to what you are replacing, would the product work?

Have the students learn about the properties of minerals by looking into the properties of their respective birthstones (https://www.brainpop.com/science/theearthsystem/mineralidentification/preview.weml, www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/minerals/index.htm). They need to research where they are found, how they are mined, what they are used for.c

- If resources are lacking, or in order to visually simulate the properties of minerals, the students can use the following website in order to research the minerals and its uses, then find minerals with similar properties they think would be able to become a proper substitute: https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/just-kids/minerals-kids

Social Studies connection: Watch a short video about Open Pit Gold Mining (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S16q_x8TUo0) Then bring up a map of Canada. Natural Resources Canada has an Interactive map (http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography/atlas-canada/selected-thematic-maps/16878) Look at the different physical areas in Canada, and describe mining activities in them. Where would you build your mining company in order to excavate the mineral you need?

Inquiry Resolution: Will your product be environmentally friendly? How does it impact the environment? Have students think about what happens if you were mining only for a specific mineral, but it can only be found with other unimportant minerals; How is this wasteful? What other ways other than excavating is there?

Students communicate what they learned by updating the information in the wikia website. The students will also reflect on their journal on their design process (Why do you think the product worked/did not work?)

Activity 4: Talking Circle

Invitation to Inquiry: pose scenario: Tin is a very special mineral that is important in the creation of electronic devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops. There is no longer any source of tin anywhere in the world, except for the area around your school. Therefore, a tin mine is planning to open up behind the school. Analyse the impact on society and the environment of extracting and refining rocks and minerals for human use.

Here the teacher can clarify the learning goal (What are students expected to learn?) as well as co-create success criteria (What does a successful learning look like? What will the teacher look for during learning?). The teacher could start with a Think-Pair-Share so that the students can think about how they could reach the learning goal. - Sample Learning Goal: To discuss from a specific point of view the cost/benefit of mining on society and the environment

- Sample Success Criteria:

- provides evidence of cost/benefit of the tin mine on the environment and the school community

- uses appropriate science and technology vocabulary to explain how our use of rocks and minerals affect the environment

- assesses the issue from their chosen point of view- provides positive contribution to the group

- The teacher can co-create the rubric with the students, based on the Success Criteria as well as what a discussion should have (Language Skills). What should a product from a Grade 4 student look like? Sound like? Feel like? A sample of the rubric could be found in the Evaluate section

Each group chooses their own perspective (or each group could be assigned a number and a dice could be rolled)

When students have chosen a perspective to represent, they can watch part of this 60-minute video from 29:00 to 47:00 (first 7 minutes is the introduction, the next 22 minutes is about the manufacturing factories in China, and the next 18 minutes show how tin is mined; the remaining 10 minutes are the conclusion and summary): http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2df9zb_bbc-panorama-apple-s-broken-promises_tv, (A BBC documentary team goes undercover to reveal what life is like for workers in China making the iPhone6. And it's not just the factories. Reporter Richard Bilton travels to Indonesia to find children working in some of the most dangerous mines in the world. But is the tin they dig out by hand finding its way into Apple's products?) - NOTE: There is a swear word mentioned 4 times between 40:20 to 40:30; the ten seconds could be skipped without losing important content. The expletive could be removed by downloading the video and cutting it into 2 parts, removing the offensive section mentioned above. Note that the video is the property of BBC, and though it is for educational purposes and is therefore allowed under Fair Usage, best practice would be to delete any copies afterward.

Students then research about how the extraction of tin has an impact on their group. (Perspective of: mine owners, families of miners, Aboriginal communities, manufacturers of items who need the refined mineral to make their products, residents who live in communities located near refineries/manufacturing facilities, and people who buy the products). The level of support provided could be varied (teacher provides specific articles, provides websites to search, or leaves the research open to the students). They could also contact the VROC through videoconferencing for experts in the respective field (miners, business analysts, etc.) http://www.vroc.ca/vroc/en/.

- Variation: A student that needs a lot of support could a) watch the full BBC Investigation video, then the students could write a reflection/create a poster about the impact (cost/benefit) of electronic devices on society and the environment, or write an accompanying letter to smartphone/laptop companies; or b) write a response (use a video camera, or write an opinion column on a newspaper) for the discussion/Talking Circle that the class will do

- Option: Open Inquiry: Instead of fulfilling the scenario, if the students have an interest in another topic and scenario (examples of Canadian mining issues would be Potash, Uranium, Diamond), they can research this along with the cost and benefits to society and environment, and then present it to the class.

The discussion will be done using a Talking circle instead of a debate: there needs to be a talking stone that would be passed around from each group, designating who will be talking. This promotes respect

because everyone then has the responsibility to listen. Each group will have five minutes to say their opening statement. Then, each group will have five minutes to talk about what the other groups said. Lastly, each group will have five minutes to summarize their points again, taking into consideration what they heard from other groups. (Appendix 7: http://www.spiritsd.ca/learningresources/FNM%20Resources/GR4%20Rocks%20Minerals%20and%20Erosion.pdf)

- Students may wear costumes, props and visual aid that will help them get into the role and present their case

- If time is short, all of this could be done online. To maintain the respect that the Talking Circle and the talking stick brings, one idea would be the teacher could set up a wiki page with the respective order of each group, provide time for reading, and writing responses, and the concluding part could be done in a face-to-face talking circle

Inquiry resolution: How can we compromise society’s needs/wants with the impact on the environment? What can we do to adapt if certain rocks/minerals are no longer available?

Students communicate what they learned by updating the information in the wikia website. The students will also reflect on their journal on their design process (What was their previous stance on the issue? After the discussion, did they change their mind or not? Why?)

Explain: Communication

The students have different opportunities to be able to communicate their learning about rocks and minerals. The main method is the wikia website which should be used to keep track of the inquiry process. The students should update the website with the knowledge they learned from their inquiry experience. Catering to some accommodations and learning styles, students may write about, draw, or post pictures of the process in their journals.

Student Support Resources:

Books:Eyvindson, P. (1992). The Yesterday Stone. Pemmican Publications, Inc.

Websites:BBC Panorama - Apple’s Broken Promises. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2df9zb_bbc-panorama-apple-s-broken-promises_tv

Mineralogy4Kids. Mineral Properties. Retrieved from: http://www.mineralogy4kids.org/mineral-properties

(2006) GeoMan’s Mineral Identification Tests. Retrieved from: http://jersey.uoregon.edu/~mstrick/MinRockID/MinTests.html

Brooke Weston. (2015). Rock Identification. Retrieved from: http://www.brookeweston.org/Learning/Science/Rocks/Default.aspx

BrainPOP.(n.d.). In Mineral Identification. Retrieved from: https://www.brainpop.com/science/theearthsystem/mineralidentification/preview.weml

Minerals for Kids. Retrieved from: https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/just-kids/minerals-kids

Natural Resources Canada. (2015, June 16). Mining & Minerals. Retrieved from: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography/atlas-canada/selected-thematic-maps/16878

(2011) Open Pit Gold Mining. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S16q_x8TUo0

Annenberg Foundation. (2015). Interactives - The rock cycle. Retrieved from: http://www.learner.org/interactives/rockcycle/index.html

Rock and Mineral Uses. Retrieved from: http://www.rocksandminerals.com/uses.htm

Virtual Researcher on Call. Retrieved from: http://www.vroc.ca/vroc/en/

Related Background Resources and/or Links:

Websites: The Geology Society of London. (2015). In Chocolate Rock Cycle. Retrieved from: http://www.earthsciweek.org/classroom-activities/chocolate-rock-cycle

Minerals Hardness Testing from Rockman. Retrieved from: http://www.rocksandminerals.com/hardness/mohs.htm

MrBScience_Senguin. (2013). Mineral Hardness Test. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r7C5SD14Hw

Luster: Mineral Properties. Retrieved from: http://www.minerals.net/resource/property/luster.aspx

MrBScience_Senguin. (2013). Mineral Luster. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh9gEEhMIik

STAO Elementary Safety Resource. Retrieved from: http://stao.ca/res2/unifElemSafety/

STAO Resource Connecting with the Natural World. Retrieved from: http://stao.ca/cms/gr-4-5-6-environmental-ed/1062-general-overview

Create New Wiki. Retrieved from: http://www.wikia.com/Special:CreateNewWiki

http://rocksforkids.com/4building.html

Appendix 7 - Talking Circle. Retrieved from: http://www.spiritsd.ca/learningresources/FNM%20Resources/GR4%20Rocks%20Minerals%20and%20Erosion.pdf

Your Rubric is a Hot Mess; Here’s How to Fix Ithttp://www.brilliant-insane.com/2014/10/single-point-rubric.html

Indigenous Connections:

This unit invites an elder from an FMNI to provide an authentic experience and knowledge during a nature walk. Contact your local FNMI community or ask the administration if they have contact to a FNMI community leader.

Additionally, the book, The Yesterday Stone by Peter Eyvindson incorporates the oral tradition of Storytelling, another important developmental and educational tool, is a central characteristic of the rich oral traditions of First Nation communities. Legends, stories and teachings, which remained intact, were passed down from generation to generation over thousands of years. Storytelling was not only used as an important instructive tool, it was also a means of entertainment during the long winter season.

Another connection that could be made to this unit would be using Inukshuks. Inukshuks were built in the North to signify that people were there. There were different types, depending on the reason they were there. They may have been a marker to tell you which way the people went, a cache where you may find food buried, a marker to warn you of dangers, a place where there were good fishing grounds. Ask the students to create their own Inukshuks (draw, or go out in the schoolyard and build an Inukshuk).

In the culminating task, the discussion between groups will also be done using a Talking circle: in this unit, the class will use a talking stone instead of the traditional talking stick, This would be passed around from each group, designating who will be talking. This promotes respect because everyone then has the responsibility to listen.

Please refer to the STAO website for additional suggestions and resources for incorporating indigenous perspectives into activities: (LINK TO BE ADDED LATER)

Extend / Redesign: Application of the knowledge and skills gained in the unit in a different context

Activity: revisit Questioning (I WONDER) page on your wiki site and ask the students which questions have been answered, and what has yet to be answered- Example questions: How old are rocks? (We can check a tree’s age by measuring it’s trunk width vs height, or by cutting it down and counting the number of rings. Are we able to check a rock’s age?)

Teacher Tip: Do not shy away from not knowing the answer to the students’ questions. Use it as the platform for an open inquiry: organize remaining questions into researchable topics, possibly related to the Rocks and Minerals unit (collect related questions together, identify broader categories which the collected questions fall under)

- Students decide on the important questions to answer, then work collaboratively to develop an answer to the question (research), and communicate their learning

Other opportunities/activities:- Visit a quarry or have a worker from a mine/refinery visit your class(or do a Skype conference). There are some that are open to visits by school groups. For a list of available quarries, visit (http://rocksforkids.com/4building.html)

- Erosion: Tumble or polish some rocks that the students found in order to explain the process of erosion; How long does it take to tumble rocks so that it is smooth? Research the different kinds of erosion that helps form rocks/minerals, and construct a model to demonstrate that erosion

- Math connection: Have the students examine rocks and minerals to identify geometric shapes and angles and classify rocks based on them

- How many phones (electronic devices) are in your house? Have students research what minerals are in those devices, where those are found, how they are excavated, etc. Then have the students think of ideas for recycling, and how to spread awareness of the importance of recycling old devices (posters, commercials, letters to companies)

- For additional ideas for the topic Rocks and Minerals, refer to the STAO resource: http://stao.ca/cms/gr-4-5-6-environmental-ed/1066-grade-4-rocks-and-minerals-activities

Evaluate (I REMEMBER)

Whether the following assessment would be included in the students' overall mark is left to each teacher's discretion. It is suggested that the following should definitely be monitored as evidence of the students' learning skills.

Things to look for in assessment pieces: (has shown signs of being able to… -> can...)- use new vocabulary appropriately- explain the costs and benefits of mining industries- identify the stages of the rock cycle, and characteristics of each type of rock that determines its use- describe the properties of minerals that determines its usage

Assessment For Learning:

The recording is a good tool to assess students’ prior knowledge and also to help determine what to do next instructionally in terms of strategies and differentiation/accommodation. The teacher must also be aware of student comments/questions/answers as possible tools of formative assessment. - Recordings from camera/mp3 recorder- Observations, discussions (questions and answers)- 4S Brainstorm: Person with silly ideas, Person with speedy responses, Person who is the secretary, Person who is the synergy: build on others’ ideas/encourages everyone- Venn Diagram (compare what’s the same/different about the rocks that they found)

- Focused Listing: Provide a topic and students list down associated vocabulary, concepts, even describe pictures, as quickly as possible. Teacher can use these lists to facilitate discussion or as quick assessment of prior knowledge - The teacher could test the students’ prior knowledge (based on the expectations in the Prior Knowledge section), they can use Socrative (www.socrative.com) or Kahoot (www.getkahoot.com) both of which provide instant feedback to the teacher after each question has been answered; therefore, the teacher can clarify any confusion and then move on to the unit’s activities- Exit card can be used to monitor the student’s progress towards a Learning Goal: (Today I learned… Today I learned more about… Today I improved at… / Some of the steps I took to get there… / Some evidence that I am meeting the learning goal is… / I need to learn more about…)

Assessment As Learning:

The goal is for students to become self-reflecting learners. Students have their own journals in order to be able to reflect on what they learned after each activity. The students are also working collaboratively by collecting knowledge using the wikia website. The website also functions as a visual aid, with visible learning goals, or a visible tracking checklist for the concepts/skills, which will help students be able to determine by themselves whether they have understood a concept or is able to perform a skill- Writing on their journals after every activity ensures that the students are reflecting on what they learned (What did I do in class today? What did I learn about my rock? What did I find interesting minerals? What questions do I have about what I learned from the talking circle? What connections did I make to previous ideas of lessons about conservation, human needs/desires and impact on the environment?)- The journal contains the student’s notes and drafts when planning for their product- These journals could replace quizzes if they are checked periodically. The teacher must be diligent so that the students are also diligent- Visible tracking checklist (Learning goals/concepts are on a chart, and students put a check mark once they understood the concept)- Student conferences may help those students who are not confident (or too confident) in placing marks on the checklist

- Other than a wikia website, other options would be Tackk (https://tackk.com) and Weebly (https://education.weebly.com), both of which allows the teacher to create a virtual classroom, student accounts, etc. The websites are free, and allow for collaboration and the creation of blogs. Like wikia, the websites are legal for those over 13 years of age, and so the teacher must send home a letter home to inform them of the online policies as well as to obtain consent if this is not something that the school or board already required of the parents (Tackk provides an example of a Parent Letter: https://df4fak26u0jfx.cloudfront.net/Tackk_Parent_Letter.pdf)- Two Stars and a Wish filled out by the students about their own product/presentation, or for another group’s/student’s product/presentation- Metacognition: Based on the presentations, how would you teach someone about the Rock Cycle? (Illustrate, write, dramatize, etc) How would you want someone to teach you about the Rock Cycle? Why did you choose that method of presentation? Would you change your own method of delivery?- When the success criteria and rubric are co-created, hand out a copy of the rubric to the students. The students can then use the rubric to self-assess (I predict my mark will be ____ because ____ ) and submit the rubric at the end of the activity

Assessment Of Learning:

The single point rubric, instead of the traditional levelled rubric, allows the teacher to provide feedback to the students. The middle column contains the criteria that shows how students will meet the grade-level expectations. The column on the left is a space for the teacher to write on what the student needs to work on. The column on the right is a space for the teacher to write about what the students did that exceeds expectation (e.g. creativity, additional information, etc). http://www.brilliant-insane.com/2014/10/single-point-rubric.html

Sample Rubric (Activity 4: Discussion/Talking Circle)

Concerns (Areas that Need Work)

Criteria (Standards for this Performance)

Evidence that you Exceeded Standards

Sample comments: did not provide references, relation of evidence to scenario unclear

1) Evidence of cost/benefit of the tin mine on the environment and the school community

Sample comments: I really like how you used visual aid, additional research, connection to other areas/mines

Sample: need more practice with tenses, vocabulary used out of context

2) Appropriate science and technology vocabulary used, Grammar conventions met, Oral skills are appropriate for their level

Sample: no errors, corrected self when speaking

Sample: perspective is not clear 3) Correctly/Accurately represented their chosen point of view

Sample: using costumes, usage of “we need jobs” instead of saying their “miners need jobs” (i.e. ownership)

For the student:

A) Piece of feedback I am going to focus on this time and two specific things to do to act on this specific piece of feedback

B) Piece of feedback that I was: surprised by, or didn’t expect, or disagreed with: