Testing Minerals

Testing Minerals Worksheet: Mineral properties (Grade 4 Florida Science)

Students learn that rocks are made of minerals and meet five mineral properties: color, luster, streak, hardness, and cleavage. They match three simple tests to the property each one shows, then read a mineral chart for quartz (in Florida beach sand), calcite (in Florida limestone), and pyrite. The page teaches the idea first, so no prior lesson is needed, and every answer can be found on the page.

What's Inside

• A short teach box that names each mineral property in kid words
• Part A: three test pictures (streak tile, nail scratch, shine); circle the property
• Part B: a real mineral chart; three circle questions
• A raccoon guide with a question to get students thinking
• An answer key with answers marked in red, plus a short teacher note with what to watch for and a quick real-world activity

How Teachers Use It

Read the short teach box together, then let students work through Part A and Part B on their own or with a partner. It takes 8 to 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. The focus skill is identifying physical properties of minerals and their role in forming rocks. Florida benchmark: SC.4.E.6.2: Identify the physical properties of common earth-forming minerals, including hardness, color, luster, cleavage, and streak color, and recognize the role of minerals in the formation of rocks.

Why It Works

Reading a small chart of real minerals builds data skills, and pyrite’s surprise streak shows why color alone is not enough. Questions are short circle answers with clear choices, and the reasoning is on the teacher key.