Digging Into the Past: Year 3 Become Palaeontologists!
11th October 2024
This week, the Year 3 pupils became palaeontologists!
As part of their Science topic on rocks, Year 3 have been investigating ‘what can be found in the soil beneath our feet.’ They explored fossils, using their newly acquired knowledge to identify various specimens and even created their own fossil impressions from dinosaurs and other creatures, applying what they have learned in a hands-on, creative way.
Throughout this half term the children have been learning about the differences between rocks and how they are formed. They’ve conducted exciting experiments to test the hardness, permeability, and density of rocks by seeing if they sink, float, or allow water to pass through. Alongside their fossil explorations, they’ve also been looking into how soil is made and discovering that it can take up to 1,000 years to form just an inch of soil!
Key Figures
They have also looked at two key figures in palaeontology, Dong Zhiming, a renowned Chinese palaeontologist, and Mary Anning, the famous English fossil hunter.
Did You Know?
It can take millions of years for layers of sediment to turn into rock under extreme pressure and heat? And fossils are the traces of plants and animals that lived long ago, preserved in rock for us to discover!
