Year 3Science Rocks – Block 3R – Rocks and Fossils

Session 6:Make Ready for the Amazing Rock and Fossil Museum!
Science curriculum area: Rocks / i. compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties
ii. describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock
iii. recognise that soils are made from rocks and organic matter
Working Scientifically (LKS2) / i. reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions
Teaching Objectives /
  • To recap on all our previous learning and vocabulary by playing a Rock, Fossil and Soil Quiz
  • To work as a team to share learning with visitors by creating exhibits and activities

Key VocabularyAll vocabulary previously learnt on this block
Resources
10 labelled cardboard folders (see below and Teachers’ Notes for clarification), all the chn’s work produced over previous sessions, e.g. observational drawings, completed task sheets, survey results - place these in a cardboard folders marked with the session name when they were done, e.g. the Rock testing task sheets would be in a folder marked – Rock Detectives, a 2nd labelled folder of useful supporting resources from each session, e.g. rock labels, game resources, rock descriptions, printed photographs (taken by the chn) of the buildings seen on the rock survey as well as close ups of the stone or man-made construction materials they are made of – these should be in a folder marked Rock Quest photographs, access to computers and printers, pens, pencils, coloured crayons, felt pens, marker pens, rulers, rubbers, scissors, glue sticks, Mary and Joseph Anning costume props, a wide selection of paper and card in white and different colours, corrugated card (for display), a paper trimmer (if your chn do not usually mount their own work you may need to give a brief workshop session on this), portable display boards (if you have them) and some table display space (see Teachers’ Notes), rock samples, fossils, magnifiers, soil samples, plastic gloves, spoons, containers, shake up jars,
Pipettes, plastic beakers, vinegar, plastic funnels, balls of cotton wool, a selection of items to test hardness, e.g. wooden lolly sticks, plastic spoons, iron nails, cardboard, sandpaper.
Whole Class: Before the session read the Teachers’ Notes to determine how you want the chn to do the Quiz on Rocks, Fossils and Soil (either an individual assessment on their knowledge and understanding of the 3R content or a revision quiz in pairs).
Over the last few sessions we have become experts on Rocks, Fossils and Soil. Let’s begin with a quiz to discover just how much we know! Give out the quiz sheets (either to pairs or individuals – see Teachers’ Notes). Show the Quiz PowerPoint. Either collect the sheets in after the quiz or show the Answers PowerPoint so that the chn can mark their sheets. Congratulate everyone on their expertise! Very soon we shall be staging our Rock and Fossil Museum and inviting people to view our fascinating exhibits. We will want to teach them more about the amazing world of rocks and fossils and give them some exciting rock and fossil experiences. Let’s begin by recapping on what we have learnt each session:
Session 1 – Rock Stars: we learnt to name 6 different rocks and made detailed, labelled drawings of them
Session 2 – Rock Detectives:we learnt there are 3 different types of rock and we tested our 6 rocks for clues on which they are
Session 3 – Rock Quest:we did a rock survey of our local area and found what type of rock was used for different buildings
Session 4 – Fantastic Fossils:we learnt all about Mary Anning and discovered how fossils are made
Session 5 – Soil Detectives:we learnt about the amazing world of soil
Let’s divide into working groups to prepare our exhibits and activities ready for the museum.
All chn in mixed ability groups
Divide the chn into 5 roughly equal groups, as far as possible using their interest in the various topics. Each group will take on the theme of one of the sessions and work together on ways they can share learning, display work and create some exciting activities to interest the visitors. Show each group the amount of display space they will have. If you have portable display boards allocate these to groups, if not, provide them with large coloured sheets of card or corrugated card to stick exhibits onto as well as table top space. Give each group 2 or 3 copies of theirMuseum Ideas Sheet and the folders for their session (these will contain completed work, e.g. task sheets and any session resources that might prove helpful, e.g. labels, games, notes).
Plenary / Encourage each group to show their exhibits and activities to the class. Ask the class for encouraging and helpful commentsfor each group (e.g. 2 stars and a wish) to help them make any final adjustments ready for the museum opening. Praise the chn for the quality of their work and their team effort to produce such a fantastic display.
Outcomes / Children will
  • Recap on or assess all the learning in this block by doing a Rock, Fossil and Soil Quiz (see Teachers’ Notes)
  • Work in a team to plan and prepare a display of exhibits and activities for visitors to the Amazing Rock and Fossil Museum
  • Share learning through written and oral presentations to a real audience

© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.

We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the block overview, about links to other websites.