1. First you will pick a rock or mineral (either from the class collection or one you found in a book).

2. Once you have your rock or mineral you will investigate to learn more about it.

    Questions to guide your investigation:

• What is the name of your rock or mineral?

• What are the characteristics of your rock or mineral? (Be specific in what you found from your observations and      looking at the pictures)

• Where can your rock or mineral be found? 

• What is your rock or mineral used for?

• Find at least one interesting fact about your rock or mineral.            

3. Research to investigate about your rock or mineral using these websites:

   Rock Hounds - Discover how rocks are formed! Find out about the three different types of rocks. http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/create/index.html

   Look at pictures and find interesting facts about rocks and minerals. http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/rocks/

   RockDoctors - Find basic information needed to identify common rocks and minerals. http://www.cobweb.net/~bug2/rock1.htm

   Look at this mineral gallery - http://mineral.galleries.com/default.htm

  Learn about the different uses of rocks and minerals -  http://www.rocksandminerals.com/uses.htm

   Find out what things in your home are made from minerals. Click on a part of the picture it will give you a list of the minerals the object is made out from. http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/mms/scho-ecol/tour/home_e.htm

   Go here to find State Mineral and Rock/Stone - http://www.stategeologists.org/gems.html

   Look at the different slide shows of rocks and minerals - http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Slideshow/Slideindex.html

   Go here to look at the Gallery of Mineral Photographs - http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/bestgall.htm

   Go to RocksForKids to find interesting facts about rocks and minerals - http://www.rocksforkids.com/RFK/TableofContents.html

   Go to TIMEROCK to find more facts about rocks and minerals - http://www.timerock.com/timerock/library/Library.htm

4. You will be keeping organized notes of what you find. Use the questions to guide your investigation from up above to help you organize your notes. You can use a checklist, a flowchart, concept maps or another form that we have talked about in class.

5. Go through your notes and pick specific things you want to talk about in your Rock Talk. MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS FROM ABOVE.

6. Write the outline of your presentation on a 5 x 8 index card. The outline helps you with the topics you are going to talk about and in the order you are going to talk about them. You may write some notes of to help you remember important points in your outline. You are only allowed one index card and you can only use the front. Use the index card as a reminder of what you want to say and in what order you are going to say things. DO NOT WRITE YOUR INFORMATION IN SENTENCES. THIS IS ONLY A GUIDE TO HELP YOU. YOU ARE EXPECTED TO KNOW YOUR TOPIC.

7. Prepare for your practice Rock Talk by having all your materials you plan to use ready to show. You need to have either the rock (if it is available) and at least 2 pictures of your rock (try to have them be from different directions or sides. You can either find pictures in books, online, or if you have the rock available you can take pictures of it yourself). Have your pictures ready. Have the pages marked if the picture is in the book and have your pictures in the order you are going to show them. If possible try to bring in something that is made from your rock or that your rock is used for (this is optional). You need to give an explanation of why you are showing us a particular item or picture.

8. Practice your Rock Talk. The Rock Talk should be similar to a Book Talk. Practice using your materials such as the rock, pictures, and any other props you plan to use during your Rock Talk. Time at least one of your practices to make sure it is within the time of 3-4 minutes.

9. Present your Rock Talk to the class. After your presentation, you will turn in your organized notes and your 5x8 index card presentation outline.

10. Fill in the given Evaluation sheet. I will being filling one out myself, but I want to know how you think you did. Did you keep organized notes of your research? Did you follow the outline you wrote up on the index card? Did the presentation go well?

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