Total Duration: |
61 to 90 Minutes |
Materials and Resources: |
Per class: picture of the Grand Canyon with the Colorado River running through it Per group of 4 students: 2 small plastic rectangular containers 4 cups of soil/sand mixture (equal parts of soil and sand) 2 foam cups 24-inch string ruler paper clip graduated cylinder 2 small wooden blocks or 1 textbook (will be used for elevation) water Per student: Investigating Erosion Activity Sheet |
Technology Resources Needed: |
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Background/Preparation: |
Students should have some background knowledge of erosion. Erosion is the wearing away and movement of weathered materials from one place to another. Erosion can be caused by wind, water, or ice. |
Engage
Explore
*Use the string to follow the path of the stream. Measure the string to find accurate measurements.
Explain
Elaborate Add clay and gravel to the soil mixture and repeat the investigation. Have students compare the erosion effects with the two different types of soil mixtures.
Evaluate The student responses on the Investigating Erosion Student Activity Sheet can be used as a formative assessment. Teacher observation should be ongoing throughout the lesson. |
Assessment Strategies |
Watch the video below that of time-lapse photography, which captures on film the effects of erosion over time. Have the students answer the following questions in their science notebook:
The student responses on the Investigating Erosion Student Activity Sheet can be used as a formative assessment to determine if students can:
Teacher observation should be ongoing throughout the lesson. |
Acceleration: |
Have the students place a flat rock in the center of their soil mixture and ask them to rain on the rock with the cups with the small holes then the cups with the larger holes. How did the rock affect the results? Compare these results with the other investigations. |
Intervention: |
It may be helpful to preview the vocabulary that will come up in the lesson. Providing the terms on cards would help them to visualize the word as they hear you say it during the lesson (erosion, rainfall, runoff, stream). The students may also draw what they see instead of writing to answer the discussion questions. |
View the Special Education resources for
instructional guidance in providing modifications and adaptations
for students with significant cognitive disabilities who qualify for the Alabama Alternate Assessment.
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