Year 3 - Science
Everyday uses of rocks
Rocks and soils
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit covers comparing and grouping rocks based on appearance and physical properties, understanding fossil formation, and recognising that soils are made from rocks and organic matter. It involves setting up practical enquiries, making observations, and using evidence to answer questions.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to list some everyday uses of rocks and explain how the physical properties of rocks make them suitable for different jobs.
Key Notes
- The appearance and physical properties of rocks make them suitable for different jobs.
- People have used rocks for millions of years to build things that are useful to our lives.
Vocabulary To Learn
- rock: Rock is a solid material that occurs naturally in Earth.
- suitability: Suitability is the fact of being acceptable or right for something or someone.
- appearance: The way someone or something looks is called its appearance.
- physical properties: Physical properties are features which can be observed from the way something looks, feels or can be measured.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- May think that rocks are all the same and can be used interchangeably for any object made from rock. Often don't know that many everyday objects are partly made from rock in its broken down form.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
The appearance and physical properties of rocks make them suitable for different jobs. People have used rocks for millions of years to build things that are useful to our lives.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'rock'
Rock is a solid material that occurs naturally in Earth. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: May think that rocks are all the same and can be used interchangeably for any object made from rock. Often don't know that many everyday objects are partly made from rock in its broken down form. Correction: Encourage the children to research the many ways that rock is used even in objects which don't appear on first look to contain any rock material.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Different types of soils (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Healthy soil (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- How fossils are formed Study Guide
- How geologists work Study Guide
- Introduction to rocks Study Guide
- Mary Anning (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Mohs' scale of hardness (non-statutory) Study Guide
- More about fossil formation Study Guide
- Physical properties of rocks: hardness Study Guide
- Physical properties of rocks: permeability Study Guide
- Soil permeability: do and review (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Soil permeability: plan (non-statutory) Study Guide
- The appearance of rocks Study Guide
- Weathering and erosion of rocks Study Guide
- What soils are made from Study Guide
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