Science · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Classifying Rocks

Active learning works for this topic because students need to see how slow geological processes create fossils over time. By simulating fossilisation and handling real rock samples, students connect abstract timelines to tangible evidence in ways quiet reading cannot.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: Science - Rocks

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 30 min · Individual

Simulation Game: The Fossilisation Timeline

Students use layers of different coloured playdough to represent sediment burying a 'dinosaur' (a plastic toy). They 'squash' the layers and then carefully peel them back to see the impression left behind.

Differentiate between various rock samples based on their appearance and texture.

Facilitation Tip

During The Fossilisation Timeline, circulate and gently correct students who use the term 'old bones' by asking them to describe what actually remains in the rock layers.

What to look for

Provide students with three unlabeled rock samples. Ask them to write down one observable characteristic for each rock and then classify each rock as 'hard' or 'soft' based on their observations.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Mary Anning's Gallery

Display images of fossils found by Mary Anning on the Jurassic Coast. Students move around to identify what kind of creature each fossil might have been and what it tells us about the past.

Analyze how the characteristics of a rock determine how humans use it.

Facilitation Tip

For Mary Anning's Gallery, position yourself near the 'trace fossil' image so you can prompt students who mislabel it as a body fossil.

What to look for

Present students with images of different buildings or structures (e.g., a castle wall, a modern skyscraper, a garden path). Ask: 'Which types of rocks would be best for each of these structures and why? Consider their hardness and texture.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Missing Pieces

Show a picture of a fossil skeleton. Students discuss in pairs why we usually only find bones and teeth as fossils, and what happened to the 'soft parts' like skin and muscles.

Predict which rocks would be best for building based on their observable characteristics.

Facilitation Tip

During The Missing Pieces, listen for students who call gaps in fossil records 'mistakes' and redirect them to the idea of incomplete preservation.

What to look for

Show students a collection of rock samples. Ask them to hold and feel each one, then sort them into two groups: 'smooth texture' and 'rough texture'. Circulate to check their sorting and ask why they placed each rock in its group.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by having students physically model processes before labeling them. Start with the simulation to build intuition, then use the gallery to confront misconceptions with counterexamples. Avoid rushing to definitions—let students discover patterns in the rock samples first.

Successful learning looks like students accurately describing how fossils form and distinguishing sedimentary from other rock types. They should confidently explain why fossils are rare and what rock features reveal about their origins.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During The Fossilisation Timeline, watch for students describing fossils as 'old bones that didn't rot'.

  Use the timeline’s mineral replacement station to have students trace their finger along the painted 'mineral layer' and say, 'The bone is gone, but this rock holds its shape.'

• During Mary Anning's Gallery, watch for students labeling igneous rocks as possible fossil sites.

  Point to the labeled 'no fossils here' sign next to the volcanic rock image and ask students to read the reason aloud before moving on.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share