Earth’s Building Blocks - Year 3

Explore how the properties of rocks, minerals and soil help people explain and use Earth materials. This Year 3 Science unit combines close observation, a teacher-prepared closed-jar comparison, labelled records and evidence-based material choices.

Students distinguish rocks, minerals and soil; compare visible properties; record observations with units; and explain the limits of a small sample. Original models and clearly labelled fictional path and planter cases help students separate observations from inferences and use evidence responsibly.

Teach the full sequence in ten approximately 60-minute lessons, or follow the supplied eight-session route. The compact route retains practical work and individual assessment. Students can show their reasoning through speech, drawing, writing, pointing, dictation or a communication device.

What's included

• Ten separate editable PowerPoint lesson presentations (10 slides each):

01. Earth material questions

02. Rock properties

03. Minerals within rocks

04. What is in soil

05. Compare soils

06. Represent observations

07. Resources people use

08. Responsible choices

09. Earth-material report

10. What else would we test

• Editable Earth’s Building Blocks quiz: nine questions with separate answer slides, instructions and reflection (22 slides).
• Unit Plan PDF: 49 pages, including teaching overview, safe preparation, ten lesson plans, a mapped eight-session route and assessment guidance.
• Two colour displays: Earth’s Building Blocks: Key Ideas; How We Explain Our Evidence.
• Eight Case and Source Cards on two pages, covering rock/mineral models, soil and fictional material-use cases.
• Cooperative Evidence Trail game: rules, six-stop board and eight challenge cards.
• Ten student worksheets, with the individual titles listed above, and ten matching red-answer companions.
• Assessment: Evidence and Plan; Explanation and Conference.
• Rubric: Earth’s Building Blocks, with four criteria and three achievement descriptions.
• Complete 171-page Preview PDF: the unit plan, all ten lesson presentations in order and the full quiz.
• Separate Table of Contents JPEG.

Learning focus

Rock, mineral and soil distinctions; visible properties; soil mixtures; safe consistent comparisons; measurement and representation; evidence-based explanations; useful material choices; sample limits and responsible reuse.

Classroom use

Prepare teacher-approved large rocks, hand lenses, rulers and timers. Soil activities use commercially safe damp samples in closed plastic trays or teacher-prepared screw-lid jars. The teacher handles soil, water and lids. Image-based alternatives and flexible response modes are included.

Teacher benefits

Separate editable lesson files support flexible sequencing. The mapped eight-session route preserves the practical work and assessment. Matching answer companions and quiz responses support discussion, while the conference record and rubric keep assessment focused on scientific reasoning.

Formats and page counts

10 lesson PPTX files: 100 slides in total.

1 quiz PPTX file: 22 slides.

Unit Plan PDF: 49 pages (19 contents/teaching pages and 30 resource/answer/assessment pages).

Preview PDF: 171 pages; it repeats the included teaching content for viewing and is not an additional set of activities.

Table of Contents: JPEG.

Answer key: included as red worksheet companions, quiz answer slides and teacher guidance.

Teaching duration: ten approximately 60-minute lessons, with a mapped eight-session option.