Best for
Years 5-8 earth science, landform inquiry, and geology explanations linked to local landscapes.
Science • Years 5-8 • Earth systems
The Rock Cycle
Use this handout to help ākonga explain how rocks form, how they change over time, and how Aotearoa landscapes show those long geological processes.
Free geology scaffold, premium local-landform path
This page already includes the cycle explanation, comparison table, and response space. Te Wānanga can adapt it for your local maunga, river stones, coast, or volcanic context while keeping the science progression intact.
- Swap in local rock examples or place names.
- Create a junior visual version or an extension version with deeper geological timescales.
- Save the adapted version in My Kete and reopen it later in Creation Studio.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 35-50 minutes.
- Grouping: Whole-class model, then pairs for cycle tracing and explanation.
- Prep: Optional rock samples, photos, or local landscape images.
- Teaching move: Keep saying what process causes each change: cooling, pressure, heat, weathering, erosion, and compaction.
Resources already provided
- Rock-type summary
- Process-and-change table
- Cycle-tracing prompt
- Response lines
- Teacher-only curriculum companion
The page already contains the explanation materials students need for a full lesson or follow-up activity.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning the difference between igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
- We are learning what processes change rocks over time.
- We are learning to explain the rock cycle as an ongoing system.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can identify the three main rock types.
- I can match a rock change to a process such as heat or weathering.
- I can explain one full pathway through the rock cycle.
Curriculum integration / Te Mātaiaho alignment
Use the companion page to connect this handout to earth systems, landscape change, and explanation writing rooted in visible geological evidence.
Rocks in Aotearoa landscapes
Rocks shape beaches, cliffs, riverbeds, mountains, and volcanic places across Aotearoa. The rock cycle helps students understand that these landscapes are changing over very long timescales.
A mātauranga Māori lens can support this through close reading of whenua, place histories, and attention to how landforms and people remain connected.
Three rock types
Igneous
Forms when melted rock cools and hardens.
Sedimentary
Forms when layers of sediment build up, compact, and cement together.
Metamorphic
Forms when existing rock changes under heat and pressure.
Process-and-change table
| Process | What does it do? | Which rock type could result? |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling | ||
| Weathering and erosion | ||
| Heat and pressure |
Trace one pathway
Start with one rock type
Choose one rock type and explain how it could change into another over time.
Support, core, stretch
Support
Use the sentence frame: “This rock changes when...”
Core
Complete the table and trace one rock-cycle pathway clearly.
Stretch
Explain why one Aotearoa landscape shows evidence of geological change over time.
Students can respond through labelled diagrams, arrows, oral explanation, or written science paragraphs.
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Curriculum alignment for this handout has not yet been verified against the live curriculum statements. A generated placeholder that stood here was removed on 2026-08-29 because it matched no real statement.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. This handout stands on its own; it is not part of a linked unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.