This worksheet guides students as they work in teams to investigate the different properties of rocks. Each team is given a rock and worksheet. You will need th following materials to conduct the tests magnifiers digital scales tape measure water and pipette scissors torch vinegar and eye dropper

For this investigation you will need to collect a very small amount of beach sand from your closest beach. Place some beach sand in very shallow trays. The students will be making a ‘sticky tape’ slide and then observe their slide under a microscope or magnifiers. There are ten slides in this resource which will guide the students into understand the components of beach sand and how it contains carbonate and no carbonate materials. The highlight is using drops of vinegar into a sample of beach sand and making observations to see if there is a reaction.

This is a rare sight - Uluru or Ayers Rock in the rain. The students viewed this powerpoint as part of a unit on desert biomes and how rain in the desert is a very rare event.