Year 8 Science · Unit 3 · Lesson 24

The Rock Cycle

Foundation Worksheet

Name

Date

Class

Learning Goals

Classify common rocks and descriptions as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic.
Explain how each of the three rock types forms.
Match key rock cycle terms to their correct definitions.

Warm Up

Sort it!

Write each item from the pool into the correct category box below.

Granite Fossils found here Marble Forms from compaction of sediment Uluru rock type (arkose sandstone) Forms when lava cools quickly Quartzite Has visible layers (strata) Basalt Forms under heat and pressure

Igneous

Sedimentary

Metamorphic

Your Turn

Match each term to its definition

Draw a line connecting each term on the left to its correct definition on the right. Or write the matching letter next to each term.

Term	Your answer	Definition
Igneous		A. Rock changed by heat and/or pressure without melting, often banded or foliated.
Sedimentary		B. The process by which minerals form crystal structures as magma or lava cools.
Metamorphic		C. Rock formed from compacted and cemented layers of sediment; may contain fossils.
Intrusive		D. Igneous rock that cooled slowly underground, giving large crystals time to form.
Extrusive		E. Rock formed when magma or lava cools and solidifies.
Strata		F. Distinct layers in sedimentary rock, each representing a period of deposition.

Show What You Know

1. Granite has large visible crystals but basalt has very small ones. Both are igneous rocks. Explain the difference using the concept of cooling rate.

Recall 2 marks

2. Why are fossils only found in sedimentary rocks and not in igneous or metamorphic rocks?

Recall 2 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?