Minerals Inquiry Lab - MS 6-8 Science TEKS

Students will evaluate the properties of known minerals. They will sort the minerals based on color, streak, luster, and hardness. After verifying their results, they will test two unidentified samples and determine their identity.

This product contains three complete, TEKS-aligned labs that are differentiated for all of your students. All labs have comprehension questions, Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (C.E.R.) prompts, and a reflection section.

What's Included?

• Teacher resource pages, including prep time, standards/objectives, teacher directions, materials, and additional resources
• Answer keys - suggested answer keys for the labs
• CER conclusion and reflection questions - Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning statements along with 3 reflection questions per lab
• Fully editable files
• TEKS-aligned materials

3 Differentiated Labs:

• Dependent Student Lab - A complete lab. This level is written with a combination of procedural instructions and inquiry questions. They are moderately student-centered with guided inquiry questions throughout the lab. Suggested for on-level learners.
• Modified Student Lab - A complete lab. This level provides the most structured lab experience. The lessons may eliminate parts of the lab and change the questioning to include sentence stems or multiple choice questions. Suggested for learners who may benefit from modifications.
• Independent Student Lab - A complete lab. This level is the most student-centered experience. Suggestions are made for the students to get started, but most of the decisions will be student-generated. The students will be responsible for most aspects of the lab and will have the least guidance. Suggested for advanced learners.

Materials Needed per Group:

• Mineral Samples of the Following: Quartz, Fluorite, Mica-Biotite, Calcite, Graphite, Magnetite
• Mineral tray with the above minerals labeled (egg cartons or ice trays are perfect for this)
• Streak Plate
• Copper Penny (dated 1982 or later)
• Steel Nail
• Mineral Identification Chart (give after first half of lab is complete)

Materials Needed per Class:

• Samples of 2 - 6 “Mystery Minerals”, labeled only with numbers: options are hematite, pyrite, muscovite, gypsum, talc, halite. Each group will choose and test two of them. You should have enough samples that groups do not need to wait to get one.

Save Time and Buy Now!

Save precious prep time and get back to teaching. All of the hard work has been done for you. Go have some fun with those students!

This is a finished product; it will be updated with formatting or corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.