Students investigate observable properties of rocks, minerals and soils; compare and classify Earth materials; explore why rocks and minerals are important resources; investigate relationships between soil properties and conditions that support plant growth; and use evidence from several sources to recommend solutions to soil problems. Learning culminates in an Earth Science Solutions Expo.

Use the Year 3 Earth Science Teacher Booklet to guide each lesson, with curriculum links, learning intentions, success criteria, vocabulary, explicit teaching, investigations, teacher questioning and student activities provided throughout the unit.

Use the accompanying Journal PowerPoint as a visual aid to display, model and explain each journal activity before students begin. The slides mirror the journal tasks across the unit, helping teachers demonstrate what students need to do, how to record their observations and evidence, and what is expected in each activity and assessment task.

The Year 3 Earth Science Student Journal provides a structured place for students to record their learning throughout the unit. Students observe and compare rocks and minerals, classify materials, explore their uses, investigate soils, make evidence-based predictions, identify patterns and relationships, and develop scientific solutions.

Learning builds across the lessons towards the Earth Science Solutions Expo, where students bring together evidence from across the unit to demonstrate their understanding of rocks, minerals, soils and scientific investigations.

Use the Classroom Posters as an ongoing learning wall to reinforce key concepts and vocabulary throughout the Year 3 Earth Science unit. The posters provide clear visual references for rocks and minerals, observable properties, scientific tools, natural resources, soils and healthy soil.

Use the Poster PowerPoint as a visual aid during lessons, displaying the relevant poster for explicit teaching, class discussion and student reference. Keep the printed posters displayed so students can revisit the learning independently as they complete investigations and journal activities.

Use the Year 3 Earth Science Sorting Resources for hands-on learning across Lessons 2, 3, 4 and 6, supporting students to sort and compare rocks and minerals, connect properties to uses, classify soils, and solve soil problems.

The Food Chain & Organism Cards provide an optional Biological Sciences connection, allowing students to explore producers, consumers, decomposers and food chains.