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Become rock stars!

Science Year 3
This unit is part of Year 3 Science Rocks and Fossils

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Objectives

Begin your quest to become rock and fossil experts and start to build up exhibits for your Amazing Rock and Fossil Museum by observing, grouping, drawing, describing and naming rock samples.

Science Objectives
i) Compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of appearance and simple physical properties.

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask relevant questions and use different types of scientific enquiries to answer them.
  2. Make systematic and careful observations.
  3. Record findings using simple scientific language, drawings and labelled diagrams.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • S1 Task sheet
  • Task prompt sheet
  • Rock labels with descriptions sheet
  • Rock star template

Additional Resources

  • Small rock samples of: chalk, slate, sandstone, granite, limestone, marble (& flint, basalt & pumice if available)
  • Tambourine
  • Paper plates
  • Magnifying lenses
  • Pastel crayons (or wax crayons)
  • A strong cloth drawstring bag

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Observe rocks closely and discover that they have different qualities and features.
  • Group rocks in different ways according to their observable features.
  • Be able to name 6 common rocks.

Activities

  1. Collectively make a list of questions on rocks that can be answered through a range of scientific enquiries during the course of the topic.
  2. Undertake The Hard Rock Challenge – a game that requires them to begin to observe rocks carefully and group them in different ways according to their features.
  3. Make detailed labelled drawings of 6 common rocks and write descriptions of their observable features.
  4. Learn the names of 6 common rocks whilst playing an active game – Rock Stars!

Investigation - exploring, classifying and identifying
 Explore a variety of rocks and group them in different ways according to their observable features and attributes.

Vocabulary
 Rock, sandstone, limestone, chalk, granite, slate, marble, classification, observation

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