Rocks & Minerals from the Eyewitness series and written by Chris Pellant and R. Symes is a very informative and detail oriented guide book covering all aspects of rocks, crystals, gems, stones, and minerals. The book is filled with excellent graphics, photographs, and diagrams. This book starts out with a great page on the Earth in general and how Earth was formed. The later chapters are broken down into the definition of rocks & minerals, how they are formed, and different types of rocks & minerals. The format of the book allows the reader to read as little or as much as they would like about rocks as the reader does not have to read the book cover to cover to gather an adequate knowledge of Earth Science topics. This book would be an excellent read for the inquisitive mind and would be a great addition to a reading corner or shelf.
Curriculum Connections
Rocks & Minerals is a great book to use to discuss Earth and its composition of different types of rocks. This book bares correlations to several Virginia SOLs including: VA Science SOL 4.8 which requires that the student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural resources, including minerals, rocks, ores, and energy sources. VA science SOL 5.7 which requires that the student will investigate and understand how the Earth's surface is constantly changing. Key concepts include of this strand include the rock cycle including identification of rock types, Earth history and fossil evidence, the basic structure of the Earth's interior, plate tectonics (earthquakes and volcanoes), and weathering and erosion.
Additional Resources
- Fun and yummy activity to do in correlation to a lesson on rocks!
- Additional kid friendly website with extra informative information.
- Earth’s dramatic creation lesson plan! Great resource for teaching on rocks & minerals and the creation of Earth!
Book: Eyewitness Books: Rocks & Minerals
Author: Chris Pellant & R. Symes
Illustrator: Photographs
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley
Publication Date: 2000
Pages: 64 pages
Grade Range: 3-5
ISBN-10: 0 394-89621-1