This Government of Manitoba article describes how glaciers helped to form bison rubbing stones. So how did these great big rocks end up in the middle of the prairie? Bison rubbine stones are what geologists call "erratics". Erratic stones are defined as rocks that are differenet compositionally from the rocks that form the surface on which they are found. Erratics were moved from their original homes by the formation of the glaciers thousands of years ago. As the ice formed it ripped chunks of stone and gravel from the earth and carried them across the landscape. Several thousand years later, the glaciers started melting. When the glacier was no longer able to carry the weight of the boulder, it was simply dropped. They were left scattered over the landscape, some the size of fieldstones, some car-sized and others as big as a house.

Sign up for a free account, allowing you access to all of Canada's National ballet School's courses and dance programs for kids.

Once you have signed up for an account, you can access the many cross-curricular dance units created by the National Ballet School. Note: If you are looking to access these units in French, please navigate to the "All course offerings" on the home page and you will find the French version of this course listed.

Great options to consider:
Grade 4: Rocks
Grade 5: Christine Friday Artist Study (Indigenous world-view)
Grade 6: Angela Gladue Artist Study (pow-wow and hip hop) (available in Cree as well)

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the basic elements of our Earth's crust: rocks, soils and minerals. They learn how we categorize rocks, soils and minerals and how they are literally the foundation for our civilization. Students also explore how engineers use rocks, soils and minerals to create the buildings, roads, vehicles, electronics, chemicals, and other objects we use to enhance our lives.

Classroom Resources for Teachers

Resources created for teachers by our Sask Parks’ team, designed to inspire learning by bringing the joy of nature exploration to their classroom, showing students the outdoor experience our parks have to offer!

(content for older students coming soon!)

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate the importance of rocks, soils and minerals in engineering and how using the right material for the right job is important. The students build three different sand castles and test them for strength and resistance to weathering. Then, they discuss how the buildings are different and what engineers need to think about when using rocks, soils and minerals for construction.

I have decided to use the Inquiry process in my unit on rocks and
minerals. Since my students are familiar with the inquiry process and I
have already had some success with this style of teaching and learning, I
have decided to use a blended inquiry. It was be a blend of open and
guided inquiry where I was able to assist students as needed although
they had the freedom of posing their own questions and also had the
freedom to choose their own form of formal assessment such as a
written paper, a poster with an oral presentation, or a Power Point
presentation. I allowed the students to pose their own question in the
hope of sparking their curiosity and sense of wonder.

Check out these great video/curricular resources for Grade 4. The ROVER videos all indicate the curriculum outcomes that they address.

ROVER (Recommended Online Video Education Resources) is a video streaming service for Saskatchewan teachers and students in the PreK-12 education system. It is managed and maintained by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. ROVER is a video-on-demand service that provides teachers and students with the convenience of immediate access to streamed, educational videos that support curricula.

This site also offers all of the curriculum documents for all grade levels.

If you are unable to access the site, it may be because a Saskatchewan Ministry of Education Blackboard login is required. All students have an Edonline account, so contact your child's school or the Ministry of Education’s Support Desk at 1-866-933-8333 or email at stans@gov.sk.ca for login information. Your child's student number will be required.

As a child, the authors father was fascinated by rocks.This interest consumed the young boy as he collected them in all of his spare time. People told him that he had rocks in his pockets and in his head. But he never allowed their criticism to detour him. Finally, a museum offers him a great job because a man with "rocks in his head" was just what they needed.

To work collaboratively in small groups and as a whole class, to compose a list of leveled questions to ask Austin.
Students will use Bloom’s Taxonomy Flip Chart for Critical Thinking to assist in leveling questions.
-Come up with 3 questions that you could ask, based on what we have studied in our rocks and minerals unit.
-Write down the level of question you believe it is.
-In groups of 3, use your flip charts to discuss each of your questions from Step 1.
-You must agree on what level you are going classify each question as.
-After leveling questions, take your sheets to the charts posted at the front of the room. Put a checkmark under the level of question that you designated each as. (9 checkmarks/group)

Open Educational Resources (OER) for K-12 Science including - lessons, videos, simulations, professional learning and on-demand teacher support.

*more is being developed so keep checking for new materials*
*CHECK GRADES OTHER THAN WHAT YOU TEACH TO FIND ADDITIONAL SK LESSON TOPICS*

"We’ve made our curriculum free for all educators because high quality instructional materials and professional learning can bridge the opportunity gap for all students. The units underwent a rigorous 18-month development process with teacher and student voices across the country informing the selection of the phenomena and each unit’s storyline. Using our curriculum, teachers have seen their students strengthen their ability to solve problems, become more curious about the world around them, and be excited to discover the wonders of science in their classrooms."

Welcome to Secondary Science Implementation Support. This site from the Ministry of Education in SK has a huge collection of excellent supports for High School Science.

There are currently over 500 supports available.

Select "Support Materials" from the menu on the left.

This site houses materials developed to support teachers' implementation of secondary science courses. The Support Materials section contains materials that have been developed and refined by each of the course-specific Secondary Implementation Support teams. Teachers are free to use these materials as they wish.
Any teacher may post questions in the Discussion Board and/or share their materials. Note that copyright must be respected in all cases.

Support materials for Science 10, Health Science 20, Environmental Science 20, Physical Science 20, Chemistry 30, Physics 30, Biology 30, Earth Science 30, Computer Science 20 and Computer Science 30 have been posted.

You must be logged into Blackboard to see the supports.

This resource can help you access Blackboard as a SK Teacher if you are having difficulty: https://s3.amazonaws.com/sws.oercommons.org/media/editor/30/Accessing_Blackboard.pdf (Copy and paste this url into a browser).

Please note: You will need to click "Open this in a new window" to view the resource when the message appears.

The Museum of Natural Sciences at the U of S in Saskatoon showcases the history of Earth and the evolution of life on it through exhibits and displays that include dinosaur skeleton replicas, fossils, live animals and plants, rocks, and minerals.

Free field trips are offered over seven weeks in partnership with the USask science departments, museums and galleries, Science Outreach, and community groups. Join us for hands-on activities and tours at the Museum of Natural Sciences, in teaching laboratories, and at other campus cultural facilities.

Geared towards students in grade 6-8, this virtual field trip from the American Museum of Natural History explores how plate tectonics explains specific Earth formations.

This field trip includes a teachers guide, student worksheets and extension activities.