The Rock Cycle
Explain the rock cycle: how igneous rocks form from magma, sedimentary rocks from compressed sediment, and metamorphic rocks from heat and pressure, and how all rock types can transform into one another over geological time
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“The Rock Cycle means practising the idea at the table with a simple hands-on check. We will demo once, then your child tries.”
Bring to the table
- A battery, bulb, and wires OR a warm/cool cup comparison setup
- Paper for a simple energy-path note
Extra for the adult
Worked example. Battery → wires → bulb: chemical energy becomes light (and some heat).
Optional challenge. For The Rock Cycle, add one harder example after success.
What to notice. Keep one parent note: examples tried; results; support used. This session samples The Rock Cycle, not mastery.
Share and support
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
The Rock Cycle means practising the idea at the table with a simple hands-on check. We will demo once, then your child tries.
Materials: A battery, bulb, and wires OR a warm/cool cup comparison setup; Paper for a simple energy-path note. 1. Say the goal of The Rock Cycle in plain words once. 2. Adult shows one energy transfer (circuit lights, or heat moving to a cooler hand nearby) and names the path. 3. Child traces or describes three energy paths and says what changed. 4. Fresh check: one fresh energy-path description. Record and stop. Done: three energy-path notes with a before/after change. Proof: parent note of examples and results. Stop: End after the fresh check; keep optional challenge for another day.
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Practice this concept
Start practiceThe Rock Cycle practice
Practice key ideas from The Rock Cycle.
Free · no login · no ads · Practice answers and completion are not saved. Parent observation remains the lesson record.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
PhET Interactive Simulations · Practice link — not the full lesson
States of Matter: Basics
Before you open · source notes
States of Matter: Basics supports hands-on exploration for The Rock Cycle. Not every lab worksheet.
Free interactive page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner what they changed in the sim or page and what they observed.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public PhET Interactive Simulations page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
PhET Interactive Simulations. “States of Matter: Basics.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Describes how each rock type (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) is formed
- Gives an example of each rock type and its formation (e.g. granite, limestone, marble)
- Traces a rock sample through possible transitions in the rock cycle
- Explains what geological time means and why rock cycle changes are slow
“If your child picked up a piece of marble on a school trip, could they explain how it was originally limestone, what changed it into marble, and how long that process took?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Matter & Materials
- Age range
- Ages 12–14
Standards