Rocks, Fossils and Soils

#TheCompleteSeries7lessons

As part of their learning, your class will find out about different kinds of rocks and what they can be used for, explore a variety of soils and find out how they are formed, discover the fascinating world of fossils, as well as undertaking a variety of experiments to get their Science skills rock solid!

This fossils, soils and rocks Year 3 scheme of work contains seven detailed lesson plans, slideshows for each and every lesson, differentiated activity ideas and a wide range of printable worksheets and resources - all you need to do is download, teach and watch your class evolve into budding geologists!

#Lesson1NaturalRocks

The first lesson in this series looks at rocks that occur naturally as well as man-made 'rocks' such as cement and bricks and looks at some of the different ways that different rocks are used.

This downloadable lesson contains a lesson plan, slideshow presentation and printable teaching resources. Click the preview images to see the included resources in more detail.

#Lesson2GroupingRocks

This Rocks Year 3 lesson explores types of rocks with your KS2 class. They will group rocks and explore a variety of different rocks in more depth by looking at aspects such as colour and texture. Your children will then sort them into groups according to their characteristics in a variety of ways, such as Venn and Carroll diagrams.

This downloadable lesson contains a lesson plan, slideshow presentation and printable teaching resources.

#Lesson3ErosionandPermeability

This rock erosion and permeability lesson gives your class the opportunity to plan, carry out and evaluate an entire experiment to explore either how easily different rocks erode or how permeable different rocks are (or both if you are feeling enthusiastic!).

This downloadable lesson includes a lesson plan, slideshow presentation and printable teaching resources.

#Lesson4UsefulRocks

This science lesson exploring useful rocks will get your class thinking like researchers. They will find out about different rocks and some of the ways they are used. Your class will also think about why the different characteristics of rocks make them useful for different things.

This downloadable lesson contains a detailed lesson plan, engaging slideshow presentation and printable teaching resources.

#Lesson5ExploringSoils

This Year 3 soil KS2 lesson looks at soil as the cornerstone for all life on Earth. If you need a soil KS2 lesson that teaches your children why soil is so useful, how it is formed and gives them the chance to explore soil samples for themselves, you've come to the right place!

A detailed lesson plan, slideshow presentation, differentiated activity ideas and printable worksheets are all included so you can just download, teach and enjoy watching your class become pedologists!

#Lesson6FossilFormation

This downloadable lesson explores fossil formation for Year 3. After recapping how sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks are formed, your class will explore one of nature's most fascinating phenomena - fossils! Your class will learn how fossils are formed and what we can find out from the fossils that have been discovered. There is also the option to create their very own fossils!

This lesson pack comes complete with detailed lesson plans, printable teaching resources and engaging slideshow presentations.

#Lesson7IdentifyingFossils

This fossils KS2 Science lesson builds on what your class already know about fossils and goes on to explore some common fossils, such as trilobites, ammonites, crinoids and, of course, dinosaurs! They will think about what these fossils can tell us about prehistoric life and will consider what we would know about prehistoric organisms without fossils. They can also do a practical activity to see just how tough the work of a palaeontologist is!

This fossils Year 3 lessons contains everything you need to get your class enthusiastic about fossils including a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow presentation for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources.

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Curriculum Objectives covered

• setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
• making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers
• gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions
• reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions
• using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions
• using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings

• compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties
• describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock
• recognise that soils are made from rocks and organic matter