Learning Map

The Rock Cycle

Understand the rock cycle: rocks slowly change from one type to another over millions of years — igneous rock weathers into sediment, sediment becomes sedimentary rock, heat and pressure create metamorphic rock, and melting starts the cycle again

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

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Try this together

If your child saw igneous rock, sandstone, and marble side by side, could they explain how each type forms and how rocks slowly transform from one type to another in a never-ending cycle?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on
Types of Rockages 7–9The rock cycle connects the three rock types already learned
Earth's Layersages 7–9Rock cycle benefits from knowing Earth's internal heat drives melting
Erosion and weatheringages 9–10Rock cycle concept benefits from prior understanding of weathering and erosion
The Rock Cyclethis skill · ages 9–11
Unlocks
Volcanoes & Mass Extinctionsages 13–14Large igneous provinces and geological time depends on rock cycle context

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 2 ACARA · 1 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9S5U02low confidenceYear 5 · Science understanding

describe how weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition cause slow or rapid change to Earth’s surface

AC9S4U02low confidenceYear 4 · Science understanding

identify sources of water and describe key processes in the water cycle, including movement of water through the sky, landscape and ocean; precipitation; evaporation; and condensation

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2S6U05low confidenceScience · Levels 5 and 6 · Science Understanding strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

All Volcanoes & Earthquakes skills →