Year 3 Science worksheet on rock types and their properties.

Explanation:
We need to match each stone (Slate, Sandstone, Marble, Granite) with the correct properties from the list provided for each. Then tick the boxes in the table accordingly.

Let’s go stone by stone and extract the key words:

1. Slate
- Has lots of layers
- Hardwearing
- Good for roof tiles
→ “Hardwearing” means it’s hard, not soft.
→ No mention of shiny or dull — but slate is typically dull (not shiny), especially compared to polished marble.
→ “Good for roof tiles” suggests it’s non-permeable (otherwise water would leak through).
→ Not described as permeable, so likely non-permeable.
So: hard, non-permeable, dull.

2. Sandstone
- Crumbles easily
- Lets water through
- Decorative
→ “Crumbles easily” = soft (not hard)
→ “Lets water through” = permeable
→ No shine mentioned; sandstone is usually dull (not shiny)
So: soft, permeable, dull.

3. Marble
- Can be polished
- Shiny
- Very strong
- Waterproof
→ “Can be polished” + “Shiny” → shiny
→ “Very strong” → hard
→ “Waterproof” → non-permeable
So: hard, non-permeable, can be shiny.

4. Granite
- Strong
- Difficult to scratch
- Waterproof
→ “Strong” + “Difficult to scratch” = hard
→ “Waterproof” = non-permeable
→ Granite is usually shiny when polished (and often used polished), and the description doesn’t say dull — plus it’s a crystalline rock that reflects light. So: hard, non-permeable, can be shiny.

Now let’s fill the table row by row:

Rows:
- soft → only Sandstone fits
- hard → Slate, Marble, Granite
- permeable → only Sandstone
- non permeable → Slate, Marble, Granite
- can be shiny → Marble, Granite (Slate is dull; Sandstone is dull)
- dull → Slate, Sandstone

Double-check:
- Is Slate really non-permeable? Yes — used for roofing, must resist water.
- Is Granite dull? Usually not — when cut/polished, it’s shiny. The description doesn’t say dull, and “waterproof” + “strong” aligns with non-permeable and shiny potential.
- Marble: explicitly says “shiny” and “can be polished”, so definitely “can be shiny”.
- Sandstone: “crumbles easily” = soft; “lets water through” = permeable; not shiny → dull.

So final ticks:

| | Slate | Sandstone | Marble | Granite |
|----------------|-------|-----------|--------|---------|
| soft | | ✔ | | |
| hard | ✔ | | ✔ | ✔ |
| permeable | | ✔ | | |
| non permeable | ✔ | | ✔ | ✔ |
| can be shiny | | | ✔ | ✔ |
| dull | ✔ | ✔ | | |

Yes — this matches all clues.

Final Answer:
Slate: hard, non permeable, dull
Sandstone: soft, permeable, dull
Marble: hard, non permeable, can be shiny
Granite: hard, non permeable, can be shiny