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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exothermic Rehydration of Gypsum

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students observe exothermic reactions in the lab using plaster. In this chemistry lesson, students collect data from their experimental set up every five minutes. They explain the different stages in the hardening of plaster.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Add & Subtract with Hudson River Shipping

For Students 6th - 8th
In this shipping on the Hudson River worksheet, middle schoolers record information about types of vessels seen on the Hudson River and respond to the questions that follow about each. Then they identify the Alice Oldendorff which...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Doing Math with Hudson River Shipping

For Students 6th - 8th
In this Hudson River shipping worksheet, students record information about various vessels seen on the Hudson River and respond to the questions that follow. They determine how many miles the Gypsum Baron traveled from one place to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossil Impressions of Ancient Life

For Teachers K - 6th
Students make a mold using Plaster of Paris and then make a cast using that same mold. They pick a fossil and describe how it looks. They write a fictionalized story about its life, or burial. (
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hot Rocks

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students demonstrate that setting of plaster and cement is a change, which involves a release of heat energy, use data collected experimentally to construct comparison graphs and analyze the graphs to make predictions about future...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Crystals & Fossils

For Students 5th - 10th
For this earth science worksheet, students identify and locate vocabulary terms related to crystals and fossils. There are 32 words located in the puzzle.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cavern Geology: Speleothem Construction

For Teachers K - 12th
Young scholars discover how underground rock formations grow. They perform various activities based on grade level.
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Handout
University of Oregon

Museum of Natural and Cultural History: Rocks and Minerals: Everyday Uses

For Students 3rd - 8th
Click on the shelves in this virtual exhibition to learn about the many rocks and minerals that we use in our everyday lives.
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Handout
Other

Scienceviews.com: Minerals and Their Uses

For Students 9th - 10th
Every segment of society uses minerals and mineral resources everyday. The roads we ride or drive on and the buildings we live learn and work in all contain minerals. Below is a selected list of commonly used metallic and nonmetallic...
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Website
Other

Minerals Education Coalition: Minerals Database

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides photographs of and information about various minerals.
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Website
Other

Speleology: Gypsum Caves

For Students 9th - 10th
An explanation of how Gypsum Caves form and where they are located. A picture of the Bararossahohle cave in Germany.
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Handout
Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education: Identifying and Classifying Minerals

For Students 9th - 10th
This thorough Utah State Office of Education site explains the criteria for identifying minerals and provides pictures of various minerals.
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Handout
Other

The Happy Scientist: Minerals

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview of minerals with definitions, how to identify them, what they are used for, and crystals.
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Paris, Ontario

For Students 9th - 10th
Paris Ontario is located on the Grand River in Ontario and was first settled in 1829. It was named for local gypsum deposits that were used to make plaster of Paris. Home to many famous Canadians it has also been featured in numerous...
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Activity
The Franklin Institute

Franklin Institute: How Sedimentary Rock Is Formed

For Students 3rd - 8th
The Franklin Institute describes the way sedimentary rock is formed, with links to descriptions of several types of sedimentary rocks.