Science Curriculum Preview Committee Clarification of Learning Results

Curriculum Organizing Questions	What is a rock? What is a mineral? What is soil? How are these all different?
Elaboration	Students should be given many opportunities to observe minerals, rocks and soil. By carefully observing and describing properties of rocks, students will begin to see that some rocks are made of a single substance, but that most are made of several substances. Through careful observations of soil, students should become aware that soil varies from place to place in its color, texture and composition and may contain organic material.NSES p. 130.
Specific Ideas	Rock is composed of different combinations of minerals. Smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of bedrock and larger rocks. Soil is made partly from weathered rock, partly from plant remains -- and also contains many living organisms. Benchmarks 4C2.
Developmental & Instructional Implications	Understanding rocks and minerals should not be extended to the study of the source of the rocks, such as sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic, because the origin of rocks and minerals has little meaning to young children. NSES p. 130.
Examples	Provide many different types of rocks, minerals and soil for students to study.