Rocks: Hard, Soft, Smooth, and Rough Book

This book has terrific illustrations and a simple text that discusses the formation and features of rocks. With a nice Rocks Chart in the back, students can see how to classify rocks by kind, color, what it feels like, and its uses. Offered in a Spanish edition as well.Grades K-2.

Curriculum Connection: Science Standard 3.1: Earth's materials can be compared and classified based on their properties. Before reading the rock book to students, I would begin by modeling some essential questions I would like students to be able to answer during our study, such as "How do rocks form and what types are there? How are rocks used? and Who studies rocks and why?" An empty gathering grid would be ready to go on the computer and projected on the screen in front of us. As we read the information, we can record together, typing the source and the page numbers as we go. If students have access to science kits, there should be some rocks to sort, and students could work in teams to fill in a chart like this of their own. To check understanding, students can bring a rock in and place it on a display table, underneath the appropriate section labeled igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. (There should be additional rocks available for those that do not bring one in, so they can also demonstrate their knowledge.)It would be fun to let students save their milk cartons, fill with sand, and a ½ glue/ ½ water mixture and let dry several days to make a sandstone brick!

Citation: Rosinsky, N. (2004). Rocks: Hard, soft, smooth, and rough. Picture Window Books.

Reviews and Awards: Science and Children (NSTA) 03/01/05