NHMU: Rock and Mineral Uses

Summary

Students will learn about the various uses of rocks and minerals to better understand the important role they play in our everyday lives.

Materials

• Sample Rocks and Minerals
• Copies of Mineral Uses worksheet (pdf)
• Scissors

Background for Teachers

Rocks and Minerals are an important part of our daily lives. We use them for agriculture, art, construction, communication, medicine, and so much more. In the United States, each person uses more than one million pounds of rocks and minerals in a lifetime. Investigate how rocks and minerals are used to maintain and improve our way of life.

Instructional Procedures

• Divide students into groups of 3 or 4.
• Cut out the words on the Mineral Uses worksheet.
• Examine various rocks and minerals that can be found in Utah.
• Discuss what you think each rock or mineral could be used for and place the usage word next to the rock or mineral.
• Check your answer on the chart (next page). Some minerals may be used for the same thing.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Choose a rock or mineral to study. Go to the library or Internet to learn how it is used.

Bibliography

This lesson plan was developed by the Utah Museum of Natural History.