Identifying Minerals

In the past few days in science, your view of minerals has likely changed. You've discovered that there are many different classes/types of minerals -- each with a unique set of properties that allows us to identify one mineral from another.
In your comment, completely answer the following questions. If you don't want your comment to be published, that is fine! Just let me know in the comment you leave.

1. Minerals are identified by their properties. What are some of the properties you used to distinguish one mineral from another? Why is it best to use more than just one or two of these properties?
   
2. Did some of the properties "work" better than others? Which ones were the most effective? Which were the least effective? Explain.
   
3. What was the most difficult part of identifying minerals?
4. How many minerals (of the 17) did you identify correctly?
   

What are Minerals?

After watching the vodcast on minerals, answer the following questions in a comment.
What are the 4 Things a Mineral Must Be?
What are the 2 main classes of minerals?
What is 1 tough concept having to do with minerals?

Life Story of a Grain of Sand

Respond to the following writing prompt, and write your story in the comment section of this post.

Purpose: To review the rock cycle process.
Directions: Pretend a grain of sand or rock could come to life and tell its story of changing from one type of rock to another during the rock cycle. Write a creative story or poem describing what "Rocky" would experience as he/she goes through the Rock Cycle. Make sure that you describe how this piece of sediment could become part of 3 different types of rock, and how it could become magma.
Resources: The Rock Cycle Prezi (in the blog post below); Pages 92-93 and Chapter 4-1 in the Red Book; Those Rock Cycle Interactives; Prior Knowledge/Creativity

Rock Cycle Prezi

Rocks.... on Prezi