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Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Appreciate that volcanic eruptions are powerful events that can change the landscape

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Recognise that volcanoes and earthquakes tend to happen in certain places — especially around the edges of the Pacific Ocean (Ring of Fire) — not randomly…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Know that Earth has layers — a thin outer crust, a thick hot mantle, and a core at the centre — and that the inside of the Earth is extremely hot

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Understand that earthquakes happen when rocks underground suddenly move or break, releasing energy that shakes the ground

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Know the three main types of rock — igneous (formed when lava or magma cools), sedimentary (formed from layers pressed together), and metamorphic — and that…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Understand the inside of a volcano: magma is hot melted rock underground, lava is the same material after it reaches the surface, and volcanoes have a magma…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Classify volcanoes as active (could erupt any time), dormant (sleeping but could wake up), or extinct (will not erupt again)

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Know the story of Pompeii: a Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, preserved under volcanic ash, and rediscovered by archaeologists…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Know what a tsunami is: a very large, fast ocean wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption under the sea, which can cause great damage when it reaches…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Explain how plate boundaries cause earthquakes and volcanoes: plates pushing together, pulling apart, or sliding past each other create the forces that trigger…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Understand that Earth's crust is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates that float on hotter, softer rock beneath and move very slowly — a few…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Know about famous eruptions and their global effects: Mount St Helens (1980), Eyjafjallajökull (2010), and how large eruptions can affect weather and climate…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Understand that not all volcanic eruptions are the same: some flow gently (effusive) and some explode violently (explosive), depending on the properties of the…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Know that scientists measure earthquakes using seismometers, that earthquakes release energy that travels as waves through the ground, and that a magnitude…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Understand the rock cycle: rocks slowly change from one type to another over millions of years — igneous rock weathers into sediment, sediment becomes…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Understand that convection currents in the molten mantle drive the movement of rigid tectonic plates; distinguish between convergent (collision/subduction)…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Distinguish between P-waves (compression, travel through solids and liquids) and S-waves (shear, cannot pass through liquids); explain why a seismic shadow zone…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Describe calderas such as Yellowstone and Toba as supervolcanoes capable of erupting thousands of cubic kilometres of ash; explain how sulphur dioxide aerosols…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Explain probabilistic hazard assessment using eruption recurrence intervals and fault slip rates; describe how volcano observatories monitor ground deformation…

Science // Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Explain how large igneous provinces (LIPs) — massive outpourings of lava over millions of years — caused global warming and ocean acidification that drove mass…

Science // Waves, Light & Sound

Observe that objects in darkness can be seen only when illuminated by a light source

Science // Waves, Light & Sound

Understand that vibrating materials can make sound, and that sound can make materials vibrate

Science // Waves, Light & Sound

Recognise that shadows are formed when light from a source is blocked by an opaque object, and find patterns in how shadow size changes

Science // Waves, Light & Sound

Notice that light is reflected from surfaces, and that shiny smooth surfaces reflect light best