Physical properties of rocks: permeability | Science | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

Scientists carry out an ______ to find out answers to their questions.
- 'investigation' ✓
Rocks come from the Earth's crust. We often dig them out of the ground from ...
- a shop
- an aquarium
- a cafe
- a forest
- a quarry ✓
Which of these describes what a rock is?
- Rock is a human-made material from concrete.
- Rock is a natural material that is made in a factory.
- Rock is a natural material that is made from different minerals. ✓
- Rock is a human-made material that is made from different minerals.
Which of these objects could you use to investigate the physical property of hardness of different rocks?
- a piece of cotton wool
- the edge of a coin ✓
- a nail ✓
- a feather
- a steel nail file ✓
Which of these questions about physical properties would you need to use water to investigate?
- How waterproof is teddy's coat? ✓
- How strong is the magnet?
- Which is the best kitchen towel to wipe up the spill? ✓
- Which trees are deciduous?
- Which nappy absorbs the most liquid? ✓
Friedrich ______ was a famous scientist from the past who developed a scratch test to help us to learn more about rocks and their physical property of hardness.
- 'Mohs' ✓

Exit quiz

A______ is a type of scientist who investigates and tests different rocks.
- 'geologist' ✓
Jun has four different rocks that he drops water onto to see if it can pass through. What is he testing for?
- the flexibility of the rocks
- the strength of the rocks
- the permeability of the rocks ✓
- the hardness of the rocks
Which of these words describes the physical property of a rock that does let liquids such as water passes through?
- opaque
- translucent
- impermeable
- permeable ✓
- flexible
Which of these words describes the physical property of a rock that does not let liquids such as water passes through?
- rough
- permeable
- hard
- impermeable ✓
- sharp
Slate, granite and marble do not let water pass through them. Chalk and sandstone do let water pass through them. Which rocks are permeable?
- chalk ✓
- sandstone ✓
- slate
- granite
- marble
Which of these rocks would be suitable to mend a leaking roof?
- chalk
- limestone
- sandstone
- slate ✓

Worksheet

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

Geologists test different rocks for permeability. This tells them which rocks allow liquid, e.g. water, to pass through.
Permeable rocks, such as sandstone, let water pass through them.
Impermeable rocks, such as marble, do not let water pass through them.
Rocks can be compared and grouped by their permeability.

Common misconception

Children can become confused with the word permanent and permeable.

Be clear on your definition of permeable, perhaps use some actions to help them remember. Clear up at the start that although permeable sounds rather like permanent it is completely different and explain the difference using examples.

Keywords

Permeability - Permeability is the ability of a substance to allow liquids like water to pass through it.
Rock - Rock is a solid material that occurs naturally in Earth.
Permeable - If a substance is permeable, it will allow water to pass through it.
Impermeable - If a substance is impermeable, it will not allow water to pass through it.