What are some different kinds of earth materials?

Introduce the science notebooks

Remind students that they will have a question to investigate in each session of the new science unit, and they will have a science notebook to record their observations and ideas. Hand out the science notebooks. Explain that all scientists have notebooks, where they record their observations, jot down their questions, make drawings, and record their ideas. The students will do the same thing; in fact, the first thing students will do in every science class is get out their notebooks.

Have the students write their name on their notebook, then find the first notebook page [Observations of earth materials], and record today's date. Take a few seconds to explain why it's important to date scientific observations.

Restate the investigation question

What are some different kinds of earth materials?

Explore

Provide each group with a tray of materials. Not all students will be able to identify all of the materials on the tray, so spend a few minutes helping them with that so everyone will be able to communicate effectively. The clay, in particular, is not in a form that students are likely to recognize.

Ask students to take small samples of the solid materials, place them on their individual paper plates, and examine them using the magnifiers. They should keep the liquid containers closed.

• What do you see?
• How do the materials compare?
• What words can you use to describe them?

As you circulate among the groups, ask students to record their observations in their notebooks [Observations of earth materials] using both words and drawings.

Emphasize the importance of careful observation and record keeping. Let students know that the correct term for the information they have recorded is data.

Data is the record of all observations. Data can be words, or drawings, or photographs, or measurements – or all of these. Data is the basis of all scientific understanding.