Image by Scott Brande

Examples: Online Lab Activities

Overview

GeOnline Websites Provide Easy Copy Links to Resources - Use for Mix-and-Match

• link to an entire website - e.g., Online Minerals

• link to one particular web page - e.g., mineral cleavage

• link to one particular section on a web page - e.g., Examples: Numbers of Cleavages

Examples for Online Minerals Lab Activities

Before you can identify a mineral by name, you must be able to recognize and identify its properties.

Learn Mineral Properties

• Review common properties of minerals here and write a sentence describing each property.

  • luster

  • Mohs hardness

  • streak

  • magnetism

  • HCl test

  • cleavage

  • fracture

Learn Luster

• Review luster. Study visual examples for distinguishing metallic and non-metallic luster.

• Take the Luster Practice Quiz to assess how well you can correctly recognize luster.

Learn Electrical Conductance

• Almost all common metallic minerals conduct electricity

• Consult the Primer on Electricity and Minerals - answer the following questions.

  • select your favorite metallic element from the periodic table, write its name and chemical symbol

  • examine the pie chart of 'The Big Eight' - identify elements that are NOT metals

  • name the metallic elements that are used to identify 'archaeological ages' of civilization

  • name the common 'native' element metallic minerals

  • electricity is what happens when _________ are on the move

  • name the four components of an electrical circuit

  • a flashlight represents an electrical circuit - study the 'open' circuit and 'closed' circuit illustrations

• Review the Flashlight Test and watch the short videos.

  • watch the 'flashlight test' of mineral A08. Is mineral A08 metallic or non-metallic?

Learn to 'Test' Minerals Online

• each unknown sample has its own page - here's A09

• students 'test' minerals online by observing a short video and/or image(s) of the actual testing of the unknown sample

• students record observational results in a data form

  • online test of A09 for its luster ; record your determination of luster - metallic or non-metallic

  • online test of A09 for Mohs hardness ; record your determination of hardness - harder or softer than glass

  • online test of A09 for streak ; record your determination of streak

  • online test of A09 for reaction to a magnet ; record your determination of magnetism

  • online test of A09 reaction to cold, dilute HCl ; record your determination of the sample's reaction to acid

  • online test of A09 for electrical conductance ; record your determination of the sample's electrical conduction

  • online observation of A09 cleavage fragments ; record your determination of cleavage in the sample

• students compare properties of A09 with reference minerals in the visual bank - closest match wins!

Learn to Identify An Unknown Mineral

• traditional identification activity

  • student observes (tests) physical samples to determine properties

  • student records properties on a data form

  • student consults an expansive chart or table with known minerals and their properties

  • student identifies an unknown mineral by name when unknown sample properties most closely match those in the reference table

• online identification activity

  • student observes online media (images, video) of tests of physical samples to determine properties

  • student records properties on a data form (online, notebook, paper, etc.)

  • student consults online reference table (see below - Digital Bank) of known minerals and their properties

  • student identifies an unknown mineral by name when unknown sample properties most closely match those in the Digital Bank

Learn to Use Digital Reference Table for Mineral Identification Match

• Digital Bank - an online digital spreadsheet populated with common reference minerals and their properties

• pop-out access from website

• multiple tabs pre-sorted for properties

• links to image archives on mindat.org

• links to technical data on webmineral.com

A Model for Mineral Identification Online

• an example model for observations of unknown samples

  • instructions for learning to observe and test properties needed for identification

  • unknown samples, each of which includes videos and images that show the physical test or results of a test on each sample

  • data form for recording results of observations on unknown samples

• pathways to identification of unknown by comparison to reference (named) minerals

  • compare recorded properties of unknown sample to media of reference minerals

  • compare recorded properties of unknown sample to pre-sorted properties of reference minerals in the Digital Bank

  • consult both the visual and the digital reference mineral banks

• identification result

  • name unknown sample by closest match to a reference mineral in the visual or digital banks