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Wearing the Rock Away is a free printable Grade 4 science worksheet on measuring the effects of weathering and the rate of erosion, aligned to Common Core standard 4-ESS2-1. It prints 4 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions, 23 of them with different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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One paper per pupil

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23 of these 25 sets ask different questions — this skill does not have 25 questions to give. The rest reorder them, so no two pupils have the same paper in front of them.

Wearing the Rock Away

4-ESS2-1

NameDate

Look at the measurements, then answer.

1.
Point APoint BPoint CPoint D
Cliff retreat in centimetres per year at four points. Which retreated fastest?
2.
Shaken in waterFrozen and thawedBlown with sandPacked with roots
Chalk lost in a week under four treatments. Which wore away the most?
3.
Groyne 1Groyne 2Groyne 3
Sand moved along a beach in a week, in kilograms. How much moved at groyne 2?
4.
ChalkSandstoneGraniteSlate
Rock lost from four samples in a shaking jar, in grams. Which was hardest?

LessonPrint · 4-ESS2-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Wearing the Rock Away

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Point B, at 45 cm a year.
  2. 2.Frozen and thawed, at 68 tenths of a gram.
  3. 3.65 kilograms.
  4. 4.Granite, which lost only 3 g and so wore away least.

Questions about Wearing the Rock Away

What does the Wearing the Rock Away worksheet cover?

It practises measuring the effects of weathering and the rate of erosion — 4 questions for Grade 4, all on Common Core 4-ESS2-1: Measure what water, ice, wind or plants do to rock and soil. The instruction to pupils is “Look at the measurements, then answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Wearing the Rock Away practise?

4-ESS2-1 — 4-ESS2-1, in the Earth and Space Science domain for Grade 4. The published standard reads: “Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Wearing the Rock Away is written for Grade 4, typically ages 9-10. It is one of the sheets on 4-ESS2-1, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Wearing the Rock Away come with an answer key?

Yes. All 4 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.

How many different versions of Wearing the Rock Away can I print?

25 versions, of which 23 ask genuinely different questions — this skill does not have 25 distinct questions to give, so the rest reorder them and no two pupils still share a paper. Set 1 downloads all 25 as one PDF.

Is Wearing the Rock Away free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Wearing the Rock Away, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.

Is there a lesson plan to teach 4-ESS2-1?

Yes — “Wearing the Rock Away” is a 55-minute Grade 4 plan for 4-ESS2-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Wearing the Rock Away is the practice that follows it.

More practice for 4-ESS2-1

Measure what water, ice, wind or plants do to rock and soil.

Teaching this next? Wearing the Rock Away is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 4 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 4-ESS2-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.