Science Rocks in Year 3

Date: 24th Sep 2025 @ 2:57pm

Science in Year 3

How are rocks made?

This half term we are studying rocks.  This ties in very nicely with our History topic about The Stone Age. 

We discovered that rocks are made underground in the Earth’s core and mantle and come to the surface through volcanoes.

Vocabulary Alert: Molten rock is hot liquid before it cools and solidifies.  Year 3 has also been learning about the terms ‘metamorphic’, ‘sedimentary’ and ‘igneous’.

The children thought:

“Igneous means fire and are made with heat.”

“Granite and obsidian are igneous rocks.”

“Some rocks are made from magma and lava.”

“Magma is molten rock underground and lava is molten rock on the surface.”

“We know the names of some rocks like sandstone, limestone, slate and mudstone.”

“Some rocks can have crystals and fossils inside.”

“Some rocks can change with heat and pressure like mudstone to slate.” 

We have compared the different rocks as well as learning some of their names and properties.

Here are some observations and knowledge that the class have already shared with their friends.

We concluded the rocks are different in many ways.

• texture (rough and smooth)
• colour e.g. brown, red, white, grey
• weight (heavy and light)
• appearance (pattern, plain, crystals)
• size and shape

Next, we are asking ourselves ‘Can rocks change?’ and ‘How can I identify limestone?’

Well done super scientists!