Rocks - Assessment

The Year Three Rocks Assessment is a comprehensive test designed to evaluate students' understanding of different rock types and geological processes. The assessment begins with a matching exercise where students must connect words to the correct rock type, followed by a task to classify rock examples such as Sandstone, Granite, Pumice, Gneiss, and Conglomerate into their respective rock categories. Students are then asked to describe the formation of igneous rocks and deduce the cooling rate of an igneous rock based on crystal size, using an example from Mount Vesuvius.

Further questions challenge students to identify true or false statements about rocks, such as the presence of fossils in igneous rocks and the porosity of different rock types. A practical investigation into rock porosity requires students to interpret data from an experiment involving the soaking of rocks like Sandstone, Granite, Marble, and Slate. Students must determine which rock is most porous and explain why two rocks may have the same weight but different porosity levels. The assessment also covers the identification of rocks where fossils are commonly found, the sequence of fossil formation, and the profession associated with excavating fossils. Additionally, students are tested on their knowledge of soil composition, the nutrients it provides to plants, and soil layers, including the ability to label a diagram with terms like Subsoil, Topsoil, and Bedrock. Finally, they must name types of soil and determine which drains water the quickest.