Year 3 - Science
Soil permeability: plan (non-statutory)
Rocks and soils
Study Hub
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 plan an investigation to compare how water moves through different soils.
Key Notes
- Soil scientists ask questions about which type of soil is best for different purposes.
- Water moves very easily through permeable soils and very slowly through soils with low permeability.
- In a comparative test investigation, variables must be controlled so that only one thing is changed.
- Scientists make plans that include what they will do and what equipment they will need.
Vocabulary To Learn
- permeable: If a material is permeable it will allow liquids and gases to go through it.
- plan: A plan is a method that maps out the steps that will be taken during an investigation.
- comparative test: In a comparative test, the thing that is being changed has labels, such as the types of materials.
- variable: A variable is something that can be changed, measured or kept the same in an investigation.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All soils are the same when it comes to permeability, how wet/dry a soil is depends how much it rains.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Soil scientists ask questions about which type of soil is best for different purposes. Water moves very easily through permeable soils and very slowly through soils with low permeability.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'permeable'
If a material is permeable it will allow liquids and gases to go through it. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: All soils are the same when it comes to permeability, how wet/dry a soil is depends how much it rains. Correction: By planning a practical activity, pupils will be able to measure and observe how permeable different types of soils are.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Different types of soils (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Everyday uses of rocks 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
- The appearance of rocks Study Guide
- Weathering and erosion of rocks Study Guide
- What soils are made from Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 3 Science guide library.