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Rock Cycle Worksheets

11 free PDFsUS Letter PDFsAnswer key includedNo login

A labeled rock cycle diagram, label and cut and paste versions, the processes that change rocks, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, and mineral hardness.

Download the rock cycle and types of rocks worksheets

The rock cycle diagram

Labeled, to label, cut and paste, and the processes on the arrows.

Types of rocks

A poster, a rock sort with its no-cut twin and a clue sort.

  • Preview of the printable “Types of rocks Poster: Igneous, Sedimentary, metamorphic” worksheet: describing how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks formView larger

    Types of rocks Poster: Igneous, Sedimentary, metamorphic

    Describing how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    1 page437 KB

  • Preview of the printable “Types of rocks worksheet (No Cutting)” worksheet: sorting example rocks into igneous, sedimentary and metamorphicView all 2 pages

    Types of rocks worksheet (No Cutting)

    Sorting example rocks into igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic

    Answer key on page 2

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    2 pages711 KB

  • Preview of the printable “Igneous, sedimentary or Metamorphic? rock clues worksheet” worksheet: using clues about how a rock formed to classify itView all 2 pages

    Igneous, sedimentary or Metamorphic? rock clues worksheet

    Using clues about how a rock formed to classify it

    Answer key on page 2

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    2 pages48 KB

Minerals, words and review

The scratch test, vocabulary and a quiz.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these rock cycle and types of rocks worksheets

Rocks change from one kind into another, very slowly, in the rock cycle. Melted rock cools into igneous rock. Weathering breaks rock into sediment, which is pressed and cemented into sedimentary rock. Heat and pressure change rock into metamorphic rock, and melting turns it back into magma.

These rock cycle worksheets have a labeled diagram, a page to label with a word bank, a cut and paste twin and a page to name the processes on the arrows. Types of rocks pages include a poster, a sort of nine example rocks (cut and paste or write the numbers) and a clue sort. A scratch test page uses the mineral hardness scale.

Every page is black and white, prints on US Letter or A4, and every page with right answers has an answer key on page 2.

Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.4Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

How to use them

  1. Start with the diagram. Trace one path with a finger: magma to igneous rock to sediment to sedimentary rock.
  2. Then use the label page, or the cut and paste page for hands-on practice.
  3. Bring in real rocks or a rock kit for the types of rocks sort.
  4. Try a scratch test with a fingernail, a copper coin and a steel nail.

Teaching tips

  • Any rock can become any other kind. The cycle has no single start or end.
  • Sedimentary rocks often form in layers and are the most likely to hold fossils.
  • Magma is melted rock underground; when it reaches the surface it is called lava.
  • The rock cycle usually takes thousands to millions of years.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What are the three types of rocks?

Igneous rocks form when melted rock cools. Sedimentary rocks form when layers of sediment are pressed and cemented together. Metamorphic rocks form when heat and pressure change a rock without melting it.

How does the rock cycle work?

Magma cools into igneous rock. Weathering and erosion break rocks into sediment, which becomes sedimentary rock. Heat and pressure make metamorphic rock, and melting turns rock back into magma.

What is the difference between rocks and minerals?

Minerals are natural solids with their own makeup, like quartz. Rocks are made of one or more minerals. Granite is a mix of quartz, feldspar and mica.

Is there a blank rock cycle diagram?

Yes. The label page has empty boxes and a word bank, and the cut and paste page has the words to cut out. Both have answer keys.