The appearance of rocks | Science | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

A ______ is what we use to make things. It is a substance from which something is made.

'material' ✓
A rock is a type of ...

plant.

animal.

material. ✓

fabric.
Which of these materials are natural?

wool ✓

wood ✓

plastic

rock ✓
Which of these statements explain what a natural material is?

A natural material is made in a factory.

A natural material is something we find in nature. ✓

A natural material is made by humans.

A natural material has not been made by humans. ✓
Rocks are found in the crust of the ______.

'Earth' ✓
Which of these objects could be made from rock?

skate ramp ✓

slippers

football

chopping board ✓

Exit quiz

Scientists observe the appearance of rocks more closely using a __________ or a microscope.

hand lens ✓

telescope

binoculars
If we want to compare and group things by their appearance, what would we do?

decide which ones we like and we don't like

divide them into equal groups

compare their similarities and differences ✓
Which property could help you to identify and name this rock just by its appearance?

the colour of the rock ✓

how many pieces of rock there are

how waterproof the rock is
Different rocks have different names. Which of these are types of rock?

chalk ✓

rubber

granite ✓

sponge

pumice ✓
Which of these are secondary sources of information that you could use to help identify a rock you didn't know the name of?

a website about animals

a visit to a rock museum ✓

a book about rocks ✓

a geologist ✓
How could we compare and group rocks based on their appearance?

We could research the price of the rock.

We could observe the amount of grains in the rock. ✓

We could find out where the rock came from.

We could count the number of holes in the rock. ✓

Worksheet

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

The appearance of rocks can be observed more closely using a hand lens or microscope.
Rocks can be compared and grouped by appearance, by looking for similarities and differences.
Different rocks have different names.
Rocks can be identified and named using simple secondary sources of information.

Common misconception

Children may think that rocks are all just called 'rock' and they don't have different appearances and different names.

Make sure the rock samples you give them are not actual objects, e.g. an ornament, so they are not able to use usage as a way to classify. Use a wide range of rocks that are very different so the children can identify them correctly.

Keywords

Rock - Rock is a solid material that occurs naturally in Earth.
Appearance - The appearance of an object is the way something looks.
Compare - To compare is to look for similarities and differences.
Identify - To identify is to name something correctly.
Secondary sources - Information gathered using secondary sources is information that has been collected by someone else.