Materials: Rocks and soil
Exploring the physical properties of rocks and soils and investigating how fossil are formed.
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Materials: Rocks and soil
Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Define the term rock.
- Describe the appearance of different rocks, identifying both crystals and grains.
- Group rocks by their absorbency, hardness and reaction to acid rain (vinegar).
- List the different factors that break down rocks.
- Describe fossil formation and identify fossils in rocks.
- Describe the work of a palaeontologist.
- Name, describe and compare some different categories of soil.
- List some of the benefits of earthworms to the soil.
- Identify and describe the comparative size and weight of the layers in a sedimentation jar.
When working scientifically, pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Use a magnifying glass correctly to observe the appearance of a rock in detail.
- Use results to choose the appropriate rock type for a specific use, suggest a better choice of rock for a specific use and predict how a rock will be affected by the weather.
- Research and present information on fossil formation using a single source.
- Use a model of the fossil record to determine the relative age of a fossil, to suggest how a living thing has changed over time and to suggest what living things were around in a certain era.
- Draw and label the bars on a bar chart.
- Accurately draw and label the layers of sediment in a sedimentation jar.
Please note that Kapow Primary Science lessons are designed to be 1 hour and 30 minutes long to reflect the requirements of a core subject.
Suggested prior learning
Materials: Uses of everyday materials
Get startedLessons
Lesson 1: Rocks: Appearance
Lesson 2: Rocks: Physical properties
Lesson 3: Fossil formation
Lesson 4: Fossils and palaeontology
Lesson 5: Soil formation
Lesson 6: Soil layers and earthworms
Key skills
Key knowledge
Equipment list
Equipment needed across all lessons in this unit.
This list does not include equipment which is usually readily available in the classroom (e.g pencils, A4 paper etc)
Full equipment list for the subject
Quantities marked × will update. Items without quantities are unaffected
-
A class set of rock samples
×1 - Magnifying glasses ×10
-
1 sample of pumice and chalk
×1 - Hammer ×1
-
Transparent bowl
×1 - Nails ×10
-
Droppers
×15 -
White vinegar
×1 - Video recording devices ×10
- Fossil modelling equipment (e.g. bread, modelling clay, plastic dinosaurs, dinosaur sweets, small plastic bones, craft glue and sand) ×1
-
Books (a small pile)
×10 -
Different cereals
3 -
Animal-shaped gummy sweets
×1 - Pestle and mortar 1
-
Class soil samples of clay, sandy, peaty and loam
×1 - Coffee filters ×30
- Plastic cups ×30
-
Plastic trays
×8 -
Large glass jars with lids
×15
The equipment below is optional
-
Rock samples with fossils
×1
Equipment list
Quantities marked × will update. Items without quantities are unaffected
-
A class set of rock samples
×1 - Magnifying glasses ×10
-
1 sample of pumice and chalk
×1 - Hammer ×1
-
Transparent bowl
×1 - Nails ×10
-
Droppers
×15 -
White vinegar
×1 - Video recording devices ×10
- Fossil modelling equipment (e.g. bread, modelling clay, plastic dinosaurs, dinosaur sweets, small plastic bones, craft glue and sand) ×1
-
Books (a small pile)
×10 -
Different cereals
3 -
Animal-shaped gummy sweets
×1 - Pestle and mortar 1
-
Class soil samples of clay, sandy, peaty and loam
×1 - Coffee filters ×30
- Plastic cups ×30
-
Plastic trays
×8 -
Large glass jars with lids
×15
The equipment below is optional
-
Rock samples with fossils
×1
Related content
Unit resources
Knowledge organiser – Science Y3: Materials: Rocks and soil
Aimed at pupils, three pages providing key facts and definitions from the unit ‘Rocks and soil’.
Vocabulary display – Science Y3: Materials: Rocks and soil
A display version of the vocabulary from the unit 'Rocks and soil'.
Cross-curricular opportunities
Mathematics: Statistics.
British values: Mutual respect; Democracy.