Science Worksheet · Grades 3–5
Rocks and Minerals Worksheet
A printable science worksheet for grades 3-5 that introduces minerals, rocks, and the three rock types. Students complete 14 independent items: Section A classifies eight rocks as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic from a short formation clue, and Section B answers six short questions about mineral properties, weathering, fossils, and the rock cycle. A complete answer key is included.
Subject
Science
Grades
Grades 3–5
Skill Focus
Rocks and Minerals, earth science
Lesson Length
25 minutes
Lesson Overview
About this worksheet
Earth science gets concrete the moment students can sort a real rock into one of three types. This worksheet gives students that practice without needing a rock kit on the desk. Eight short formation clues describe how a rock formed — cooled lava on the side of a volcano, layers of sand and shells pressed together, an older rock buried and squeezed — and students decide whether it is igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic.
Section B raises the difficulty by moving from rocks to minerals and to bigger earth-science vocabulary. Students answer the difference between a rock and a mineral, name the 1-10 hardness scale, name the process that breaks rocks down into smaller pieces, name what a preserved leaf print in a rock is called, name the slow loop that turns one rock type into another, and name a common rock-forming mineral.
The reference box at the top of page 1 defines mineral, rock, and the three rock types at the concept level — it explains HOW each type forms, not WHICH specific rocks fit each type. The Mohs hardness scale, weathering, fossils, and the term rock cycle are not named in the reference, so Section B measures independent recall. Page 3 is a compact one-column answer key.
How to Use This Lesson
Read the reference box aloud and pass around three rocks if available — one igneous, one sedimentary, one metamorphic — and have students point out the differences.
Have students complete Section A independently as a sort-by-formation warm-up.
Read item 6 together and discuss what a fossil tells scientists about the age of a sedimentary rock.
Have students finish Section B and check answers against the page 3 key.
Pair with the Weather Worksheet (weathering connection) or the Solar System Worksheet to keep earth-and-space science going.
Printable Resource
A classroom-ready PDF with everything in one printable resource.
Full Member Resource · Printable PDF · 3 pages · Answer Key
Rocks and Minerals Worksheet
A printable science worksheet for grades 3-5 that introduces minerals, rocks, and the three rock types. Students complete 14 independent items: Section A classifies eight rocks as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic from a short formation clue, and Section B answers six short questions about mineral properties, weathering, fossils, and the rock cycle. A complete answer key is included.
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