folding, faulting & geological structures
4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.
Lesson Overview
Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Learning Objectives
- Explain the key ideas of folding, faulting & geological structures
- Apply folding, faulting & geological structures to exam-style questions
- Develop independent study skills
- Build cross-topic connections
Prerequisites
- Read the revision notes for folding, faulting & geological structures first (GCSE Revise summary)
- Key vocab to pre-teach: key terms from folding, faulting & geological structures
- Basic skills: reading the summary notes and answering the practice questions there
Materials & Equipment
- Exercise book, coloured pens
- Ruler
- Printed revision notes (link below)
- Internet for videos (see Resources)
Lesson 1: Introduction: folding, faulting & geological structures
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Write down everything you already know about folding, faulting & geological structures. Then check against the key terms: key terms from folding, faulting & geological structures. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: key terms from folding, faulting & geological structures.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: key terms from folding, faulting & geological structures.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: folding, faulting & geological structures. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Geology because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: folding, faulting & geological structures. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Geology because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look
Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: explain the key ideas of folding, faulting & geological structures
Plenary (5 minutes)
Check Out
Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about folding, faulting & geological structures.
Lesson 2: Core Concepts: folding, faulting & geological structures
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Review Previous Lesson
Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on folding, faulting & geological structures. Check them against the notes below.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Key Fact: Folds: anticlines (upfolds), synclines (downfolds), overfolds and recumbent folds, formed by compression
Key Fact: Faults: normal (tension), reverse/thrust (compression), strike-slip (shear), identified by displacement of rock layers
Key Fact: Joints: fractures with no movement, formed by cooling (igneous) or tectonic stress; columnar jointing in basalt
Key Fact: Unconformities: angular (tilted older rocks overlain by younger horizontal beds), disconformity (parallel beds with erosion gap), nonconformity (igneous/metamorphic overlain by sedimentary)
Key Fact: Hutton's unconformity at Siccar Point was key evidence for deep time and the principle of uniformitarianism
Key Fact: In the field, structures are identified by bedding plane orientation, displacement, and map patterns
Practice (10 minutes)
Q: explain the key ideas of folding, faulting & geological structures
Answer:
Plenary (5 minutes)
Explain Back
Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.
Lesson 3: Application: folding, faulting & geological structures
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Recall the key terms: key terms from folding, faulting & geological structures. Define each in one sentence.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.
Work through the practice questions on the revision notes page for this topic.
Plenary (5 minutes)
Error Review
Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.
Lesson 4: Exam Practice: folding, faulting & geological structures
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Command Words
Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).
Main Content (35 minutes)
Exam-Style Question
Attempt a past-paper style question on folding, faulting & geological structures from the exam board past paper finder (see Resources), then mark it against the scheme.
Exam Tips: Three unconformity types: angular, disconformity, nonconformity | Hutton's unconformity = deep time evidence, know the story | Field identification: look for displaced marker beds across faults | Map patterns: symmetrical repetition of beds = fold; offset of beds = fault
Common Errors: ✗ An unconformity means all the rocks from that time period were destroyed ✓ An unconformity means there is no rock RECORD from that period; either no sediment was deposited during that time, or it was deposited and later eroded before younger rocks were laid down ✗ All unconformities are angular unconformities ✓ There are three main types: angular (tilted below, flat above), disconformity (parallel but with gap), and nonconformity (sedimentary on igneous/metamorphic basement) ✗ Columnar jointing is caused by tectonic stress ✓ Columnar jointing is caused by cooling and contraction of lava; it is a cooling structure, not a tectonic one
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
- Synoptic links: explain how folding, faulting & geological structures connects to another Geology topic you have studied
- Real-world: research one real-world use or example of folding, faulting & geological structures
- Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in folding, faulting & geological structures?"
Plenary (5 minutes)
Assessment Criteria
- Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
- Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
- Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2
Homework & Consolidation
- Consolidation: Re-answer any Lesson 3 practice questions answered incorrectly (20 mins)
- Retrieval: Write flashcards for the key terms: key terms from folding, faulting & geological structures (10 mins)
- Exam practice: One past-paper question on folding, faulting & geological structures from the board websites (15 mins)
- Extension: Explain folding, faulting & geological structures to someone else in your own words (10 mins)