Hardened Criminals

This page supports our fourth grade "Hardened Criminals" Research Project.
Scenario: As "Rockville's" top investigator, you must construct a wanted poster for a specific, rock, mineral, or gem. You will need to find properties like hardness, luster, color, etc. to use for your Hardened Criminal's description. Create a "Wanted" poster with a large, colorful "mugshot" and all the data you have collected.

Student Resources

A-D
E-L
M-Q
R-Z

aluminum/bauxite
amber
amethyst
calcite
cat's eye/chatoyant
copper
corundum
diamond

emerald
feldspar
flint
**flintknapping
fluorite/fluorspar
gold
granite
gypsum
limestone

magnetite
malachite
marble
nickel
opal
platinum
pyrite
quartz/silica

ruby
sandstone
sapphire
silver
sulfur
titanium
turquoise
uranium
zinc

Encyclopedias

World Book Encyclopedia  MCPS only
New Book of Knowledge  MCPS only
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia  MCPS only

Rocks and Minerals
Additional resources

Mineral Gallery an Internet rock shop
Mineralogy 4 Kids MineralogicalSociety of America
Rocks for Kids
Junior Rockhound Magazine
Collecting Rocks
Fast Facts About Minerals National Mining Association
40 Common Minerals and Their Uses NMA
Rock Identification Key  Bob's Rock Shop
Mineral Identification Key  Bob's Rock Shop
Gallery of Mineral Photographs
Rock Hounds Franklin Institute - Loogootee Community Schools
Rock Hound Collection Safety
Rockology 101
Rock Cycle
Plate Tectonics NASA Classroom of the Future
Rocks Online lesson from Volcano World
Mica Neighborhood Rocks

Smithsonian Institution
Department of Mineral Sciences

Photo Galleries
Division of Meteorites
The Evolving Earth
Minerals, Crystals, and Gems: Stepping Stones To Inquiry 
Lesson Plan

Teacher Feature

Rocks and Minerals KidsKonnect - Links to many resources

The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom Includes Minerals A-Z, Gemstones, and Image Gallery

Minerals By Name The Mineral Gallery

Common Minerals and Their Uses Mineral Information Institute


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Created on October 1, 2003,
Maintained by <MaryBeth_Castonguay@fc.mcps.k12.md.us>, School Library Media Specialist