Rocks, fossils and formations: Discoveries through time by Thomas R. H. Woolrych. Illus. by Anna Madeleine Raupach
It is clearly stated in one section of the Science component
of the Australian Curriculum version 9.0, that by the end of Year 8, students
will be able to ‘compare processes of rock formation, including the timescales
involved’. Rocks, Fossils and Formations: Discoveries Through Time published
in 2023 and written by science communicator and exploration geoscientist Thomas
R. H. Woolrych is an informative and important book to support students from
Year 4-8. Readers in the lower years of this range will benefit from key facts and
new concepts being shared and discussed with an adult but older students will
be able to successfully use this book as a resource for research and further
learning.
The book begins with a forward from Dr Steve Hill, Chief
Scientist of Geoscience Australia, who introduces the concept of a time machine
to learn about the formation of Earth, and Australia. This is followed by acknowledgements
and finally the introduction where geoscience is explained clearly. The
contents pages highlight each Eon or Era of time beginning with Chapter One,
the Hadean Eon (4600-400 million years ago), and ending with Chapter Six, the
Cenozoic Era (66 Million years ago-present day).
Each chapter begins with a light-hearted personal message
from the time machine as it moves into a new eon or era. The chapters contain
different coloured pages with detailed information, clearly segmented and
labelled, diagrams, images, cross sections, maps or timelines, all
strategically placed to support the text. There are well written stories or
short passages throughout to explain a more complex concept and add to the
understanding of the readers.
In the final pages there is an Epilogue, discussing Geoscience
of the future, plus a very useful glossary where bold words from the text are
explained, and comprehensive index. For
those older children, and indeed adults who are interested in fossils, rocks,
minerals and earth’s formation, this is a well-researched and easily accessible
publication that provides an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of
this fascinating topic.
Detailed teacher resources for Rocks, Fossils and Formations: Discoveries Through Time are available.
Themes: Geoscience, Australia, Formations, Rocks, Fossils, Landscapes, Geoscientists.
Kathryn Beilby
