A mineral has characteristic properties, but colour alone often does not identify it. Lustre means how a surface reflects light. Scratch hardness compares resistance to a scratch, not toughness. Today we interpret supplied specimen observations. We do not scratch unknown stones or taste minerals. Safety: Use only supplied cards. Real mineral dust, sharp edges, tasting, and scratch tools are excluded. Stop: Stop after the paper comparison. Do not taste, grind, hammer, or scratch minerals or household surfaces.

Materials: Paper; Pencil; Ruler for table lines if wanted 1. Draw a table with Mineral, Colour, Lustre, and Scratch observation. Copy this illustrative specimen record: Quartz: clear, glassy, not scratched by a fingernail. Muscovite mica: pale, shiny sheet surfaces, scratched by a fingernail. Halite: clear or white, glassy, scratched by a fingernail. The fingernail is approximately hardness 2.5; a borderline result can vary. 2. Write one similarity and two differences. State whether the supplied scratch results alone separate mica from halite. Mark the table Supplied observations; no physical test performed. 3. Copy and connect these resource-use pairs: clay → bricks; silica-rich sand → glass; iron ore → iron for steel; soil → plant growth; salt → food seasoning. Draw one product beside each pair. 4. Choose Australian iron ore. Write a two-sentence explanation linking ore to steel and steel to a railway or bridge. Add one reason to use resources carefully, such as the land disturbed by mining. Done: The three-row comparison, three comparisons or distinctions, five resource-use links, and Australian-use explanation are present. Proof: Keep the comparison and product links. Note whether an adult read terms, supplied links, or wrote the explanation. Stop: Stop after the paper comparison. Do not taste, grind, hammer, or scratch minerals or household surfaces.