Lesson Plan

Subject: How to identify a mineral Date: March 5, 2017

Teacher: Ms. Corina Ramirez School: CSUDH

1. Objective (What is the topic of discussion and reason for learning?)

This should be the topic and discussion points

2. Learning Target(s):
 Students will learn how to identify minerals by using physical properties like:
o Streak: The color of a mineral in a powder form (the color the mineral leaves
behind when scraped across a hard surface). Streak can help distinguish between
minerals with metallic luster and those with nonmetallic luster.
o Color: Color is not a good property to be used in the identification of minerals. It
is usually the first property to confuse people into making an incorrect
identification. Many minerals have different colors and some minerals' colors are
identical to other minerals' colors.
o Luster: Luster refers to how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral. The
two main types of luster are metallic and nonmetallic. Minerals exhibiting metallic
luster look like metal, such as a silvery appearance or that of a flat piece of steel.
Nonmetallic luster is called translucent luster, where you can see into the mineral,
but not completely through it. A mineral that displays a transparent luster transmits
light completely through it, resembling glass.
o Crystal Shape: All minerals are crystals, and when they form in unrestricted
environments they develop crystals that exhibit geometric shapes. Some crystals
tend to grow and form characteristic shapes or patterns called crystal shape, or
habit. Commonly used terms to describe various crystal habits are:
 Bladed (flat, elongated strips)
 Fibrous (hair like)
 Tabular (tablet shaped)
 Granular (aggregates of small crystals)
 Blocky (square)
 Banded (layered)
o Hardness: A measure of the resistance of a mineral to abrasion or scratching.
This property is determined by rubbing a mineral of unknown hardness against one
of known hardness or vice versa. A numerical value hardness can be obtained by
using the Mohs scale of hardness, which consists of 10 minerals arranged in order
from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).
o Cleavage: Cleavage is the ability of a mineral to break along preferred planes.
Cleavage is described by first identifying the number of directions of cleavage, which
is the number of different sets of cleavage planes that form on the surfaces of a
mineral when it cleaves. Each cleavage surface of a mineral that has a different
orientation is counted as a different direction of cleavage. However, when cleavage
planes are parallel, they are counted only once, as one direction of cleavage.
 Types of Cleavages

o Fracture: Minerals that do not display cleavage when broken, are said to
fracture instead. Fractures can be described using terms like irregular, splintery, and
conchoidal (smooth, curved surfaces resembling broken glass).
**some minerals may cleave in one or two directions but fracture in another.

o Magnetism: Magnetism is a characteristic of minerals, such as magnetite, that

have a high iron content and are attracted by a magnet.
 Students will learn to sort minerals, based on the physical attributes of the minerals,
groups and explain why they placed them there (reiterating the vocabulary they
learned above)
3. Relevance/Rationale: (Why are the outcomes of this lesson important in the real world?
How will it benefit students to know this topic?)

4. Formative Assessment Criteria for success:

o Teacher will assess students understanding by quizzing them on the on the
 following:
o How can the physical properties of a mineral be determined and used to identify
it?
The following physical properties of minerals can be used to identify a mineral:
Answers along the lines of…
Color: the color or combination of colors in the mineral
Streak: what color the mineral leaves in powder form
Hardness: Measure of the mineral’s resistance to scratching, scale 1-10 (1 being the
softest and 10 being the hardest).
Cleavage: The ability of a mineral to break along preferred planes.
Fracture: The tendency of a mineral to break along curved surfaces without a
definite shape. These minerals do not have planes of weakness and break
irregularly.
Crystal Shape: what shape does it have?
o Bladed (flat, elongated strips)
o Fibrous (hair like)
o Tabular (tablet shaped)
o Granular (aggregates of small crystals)
o Blocky (square)
o Banded (layered)
Magnetism: If the mineral is attracted by a magnet then it has a high content of
iron.
Luster: how does the light reflect from the surface of the mineral? Metallic or
nonmetallic luster

o How can you determine the hardness of a mineral?

Hardness is measured by the resistance which a smooth surface offers to abrasion.

The level of hardness is determined by observing the ease or difficulty in which one
mineral is scratched by another.

o How do colors compare across mineral samples?

Answers may vary according the group of minerals being used for the lesson

o How can you determine the actual color of a mineral, especially if it is tarnished or
oxidized?

You can determine the actual color of a mineral when tarnished or oxidized by
breaking it, or scratching it against a hard surface (like when finding the hardness of
the mineral).

o How can you classify minerals as metallic or non-metallic using physical

properties?

Minerals displaying metallic luster look like metal, such as a silvery appearance or
that of a flat piece of steel. Nonmetallic luster is called translucent luster, where
 you can see into the mineral, but not completely through it.

o Do all minerals break the same way?

All minerals do not break the same way. Minerals can break and result into a
fracture and or cleavage. If the mineral breaks into a fracture, it breaks roughly and
uneven. If a mineral break into a cleavage, it breaks along a smooth, definite line. A
mineral can have multiple cleavages.
5. Activities/Tasks:
 Teacher will place students into small groups
 Each group will rotate through five centers
Center 1: Hardness
o Students retrieve the penny, nail, and Mohs hardness scale from the lab kit.
o Guide students to choose the first mineral sample.
o Each student will test for hardness.
o Students will first use their fingernail to scratch the surface of the mineral.
Determine if the fingernail leaves a mark or not. If the fingernail does not leave
a scratch, try the penny. If the penny does not scratch the mineral, try the iron
nail. If the iron nail does not scratch the mineral sample, the hardness is above
6. Stop testing once a tool leaves a scratch on the mineral. Some minerals may
be too hard to scratch with the tools provided for this lab.
o Students record their findings on their lab sheet.
o Students draw a conclusion from their findings. Which mineral was hardest?
Which mineral was softest? Place them in order from hardness level 1 to the
hardest mineral.
Center 2: Color
o Students will describe each mineral's color. Student use the hand lens to
observe the mineral sample and describe the colors they see. Record the data
on the lab sheet. Ask students to draw a conclusion: Can you identify the
mineral based only on its color?
Center 3: Streak
o Students will describe each mineral's streak color. Students to carefully and
gently draw the mineral once across the streak plate, then observe the
powdered streak left on the plate. Determine the color of the powdered streak
on the plate. Record this color on their lab data sheet. Ask students to draw a
conclusion: How does the streak color compare to the color of the mineral?
Center 4: Luster
o Students will describe each mineral's luster as metallic or nonmetallic.
Students will use a flashlight to shine on the mineral to determine if it reflects
light like a metal or is nonmetallic. Record on the data sheet. Ask students to
draw a conclusion: What do you think luster tells you about a mineral?
Center 5: Cleavage
o Students will determine if the mineral sample has cleavage. Students will
observe each mineral and determine if the mineral has been broken in flat
edges or planes. Add the data for each sample to the data sheet. Ask students
to draw a conclusion: Do all minerals break the same way?
6. Resources/Materials: (What texts, digital resources, & Materials will be used in this
lesson?)
 Sample of minerals
 Iron nail
 Penny
 Streak plate
 Flashlight