Middle school students are naturally curious about the world around them, and geology offers a perfect opportunity to tap into that curiosity. Teaching about minerals, rocks, and the rock cycle doesn’t have to be a snooze! With the right resources, you can create engaging, hands-on, and interactive experiences that will help bring Earth Science to life in your middle school science classroom!
1. Dopey Spilled the Minerals – Mineral Testing Lab
This fun and interactive lab gets students involved in real-world mineral testing. Using a creative scenario where Dopey (from Snow White) has spilled a collection of minerals, students must use properties like color, luster, hardness, and streak to identify them.
To turn up the fun even more, turn down the lights and decorate your classroom like a mine with flameless LED candles, a display with a Dopey figurine, and wear a beard, hat, and t-shirt, and provide construction hats for your students!
This hands-on approach not only reinforces key concepts but also builds critical thinking and observation skills. Plus, it’s a great way to introduce the scientific process without a heavy prep load.
I have created a notes foldable and corresponding presentation for students to use to take notes on the mineral properties. That’s Day 1. The following day, students will enter the Seven Dwarfs mine, where they will discover that Dopey has spilled all the minerals that Doc spent hours sorting! Students will use the mineral properties to test the mystery minerals and record on a data table. Then, they will use a flowchart to try to identify the minerals!
You can download this activity for free here. This download includes the notes foldable, the presentation, a pre-lab Bellwork activity, the data table, flowcharts, and detailed teacher notes!
2. Rocks and Minerals Blended Learning Unit
If you’re looking for a comprehensive, ready-to-use curriculum, the Rocks and Minerals Blended Learning Unit is a fantastic option. This unit includes 9 lessons covering everything from mineral identification to the rock cycle. It’s perfect for classrooms with a mix of digital and traditional learning formats, providing videos, online interactives, hands-on activities, readings, graphic organizers, and assessments that ensure student engagement while minimizing teacher prep!
3. Types of Rocks and the Rock Cycle Doodle Notes
These Types of Rocks Doodle Notes offer an engaging way for students to take notes while learning about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. These doodle-style notes combine visual learning with key vocabulary and concepts, making it easier for students to understand and retain information. Best of all, they require little prep and they are already scaffolding for multiple levels -just print and go!
These Rock Cycle Doodle Notes provide another visually engaging way to help students understand how rocks change over time. These notes break down complex processes like weathering, erosion, and heat/pressure transformation into manageable chunks. Students can color and annotate while learning, keeping them actively engaged in the lesson.
4. Set Up a Rock Gallery Activity
After your students have a sense of the characteristics to look for to identify the three types of rocks — igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, set up a rock gallery activity for them to try! I inherited a big collection of rocks from the former teacher who was in my classroom. A lot of the boxes are mixed up without a key… but luckily I can identify whether they are igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic in order to create an answer key!
Hopefully you have access to a good mix of rocks. And if not, order a set!
Getting hands-on with rocks is SO important!
Simply label a counter or large table with numbers (I use 12 rocks and I use colored duct tape to label) and have students write #1-12 on an index card. They will observe the rocks and write if each is igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic. If necessary, you could project a slide on the classroom screen with an outline of features to look for in each type of rock.
If you’d like to Make a Copy of the Rock Features slide that I made and an editable copy of the Rock Gallery Answer Key slides, please click here!
5. Rocks and the Rock Cycle Pixel Art Digital Review
Want a fun, self-checking way for students to review key vocabulary about rocks and the rock cycle? The Rock Cycle Pixel Art Digital Review is an interactive activity where students answer questions about rock types and processes, unlocking pieces of a pixel art picture as they go. This digital format is perfect for independent practice and homework.
With these resources, teaching about minerals, rocks, and the rock cycle becomes both engaging and easy to implement. Help your students explore geology in an interactive and meaningful way-all while keeping your prep time to a minimum.
You can grab ALL of these resources together (and save money!) in this bundle!
Which of these resources do you think your students will enjoy the most? Share your experiences and favorite geology activities in the comments!
To follow your rocks and minerals unit, you may also be interested in this blog post with lots of ideas for teaching the Geologic History of the Earth!
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase from Amazon after going through these links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
