Starter quiz
- Which of the following best describes soil?
- a type of rock
- tiny pieces of rock and organic matter (such as rotting leaves) ✓
- completely liquid
- only decomposed organic matter
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- What are the solid parts of planet Earth primarily composed of?
- water
- rock ✓
- plants and animals
- gases
-
- What indicates a rock might be very hard?
- it has a smooth texture
- it can scratch other rocks ✓
- it contains many crystals
- it is lightweight
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- What is a fossil?
- a type of mineral
- remains or traces of ancient life ✓
- a crystal structure in rocks
- a kind of soil
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- True or false? All rocks are equally as hard as each other
- True
- False ✓
- Which factor does not directly affect the formation of soil from rocks?
- the type of rock
- the presence of animals
- weather conditions
- the age of the rock ✓
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Exit quiz
- Match the following rock features to their descriptions:
- grain⇔individual pieces that make up a rock ✓
- minerals⇔elements or compounds with a crystal-like structure ✓
- textures⇔size, shape, and arrangement of particles in a rock ✓
- crystals⇔highly ordered, solid particles with a regular shape ✓
- When examining a rock, which feature is most useful for identifying its type?
- colour
- shape
- size
- texture ✓
- weight
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- When describing a rock that has grains fitting tightly together with no gaps, use the term...
- 'interlocking' ✓
- Which of the following is NOT a useful characteristic for classifying rock types?
- the size of the grains
- the arrangement of the grains
- the shape of the rock ✓
- whether the grains are interlocking or not
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- Order the following steps to describe how to analyse a rock's features starting with the most general observation (colour/shape):
- 1⇔observe the rock's colour and shape
- 2⇔determine the rock's texture
- 3⇔examine the arrangement of grains
- 4⇔identify the minerals present
- Analysing minerals gives a more accurate geological time, an epoch. This method is particularly useful for rocks that do not contain fossils or those composed of ...
- 'crystals' ✓
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Components of rocks, such as sand, fossils, shells, crystals, help to indicate how those rocks formed and their age.
- Rocks contain grains which can be round or interlocking.
- Some rocks contain crystals that point in many directions while others are aligned.
- Rock types and textures provide insights into geological processes and Earth's history.
Common misconception
Pupils tend to classify rocks by colour, shape or size - not useful for distinguishing rock types.
Encourage pupils to focus on the texture of a rock (the grains and how they are arranged) to classify them and consider uses of those rocks.
Keywords
Grain - Grains are the individual pieces that make up a rock.
Minerals - A mineral is an element or compound with a crystal-like structure. They are the 'building blocks' of rocks.
Textures - The texture of a rock describes the size and shape of its grains. It also describes how the grains are arranged in the rock.
Crystals - A crystal is a solid whose particles have a highly ordered arrangement. They often have a regular shape.
Interlocking - Interlocking describes grains which lock together like a "mosaic". Interlocking grains don't have gaps between them.