Curated OER
Change Agents
Third graders experiment with three erosive change agents. They do an observation log, which they present to the class through a song, poem or skit.
Curated OER
The Physical Environment
Fourth graders use damp sand, a baking pan, and water to simulate erosion. In this erosion lesson plan, 4th graders participate in a simulation to show what moving water does to land.
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Smoothing Out the Rough Spots
Fifth graders experiment to observe the changes created on a surface by mechanical action of water with varying amounts of mineral content and abrasive qualities. They write the predictions of their outcomes and describe all of their...
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Acid Attack
Learners explore the effect of chemical erosion on statues and monuments. They use chalk to see what happens when limestone is placed in liquids with different pH values. They also discover several things that engineers are doing to...
Curated OER
Virtual Field Trip
Fifth graders are introduced to the concepts of weathering and erosion. In groups, they rotate between different stations to discover how each process effects different landforms. To end the lesson plan, they discuss each change in the...
Curated OER
CREATE A CAVE
Students investigate the concept of caves by conducting an experiment. The lesson contains background information for the teacher. They collect data while making observations and write a review of the concept once the experiment is...
Curated OER
A Rocky Situation
Second graders conduct experiments with rocks to observe weathering. They read books, examine websites and watch a video to examine how rocks break down into soil.
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Sustainable Agriculture
Students perform an experiment to find out if plants grow best when grown in soil with no fertilizer, with chemical fertilizers, or with compost that they have made themselves. Students discover how agriculture practices can benefit the...
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Breaking it Down
Students discover how water expands when frozen during a glacier. In this matter instructional activity, students fill a glass jar with water, leaving no room for air in the jar and place it in the freezer. Students retrieve the jar and...
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Science:Effects of Weathering
Seventh graders take an outdoor observation walk around the campus and take soil samples. Working in groups , they conduct experiments with rocks and soil that demonstrate the effects of different types of erosion.
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Ocean Life
Students explore the topics of ocean water salinity, ocean life zones, marine life classification, and ocean food chains. They observe demonstrations, conduct experiments, complete quizzes and handouts, and analyze key vocabulary.
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Rock Cycles, Crayon Cycles
Students examine the rock cycle and the path that rocks go through to rearranged in different ways. They define key vocabulary terms, then in small groups conduct a variety of experiments using crayon shavings as simulated rocks and...
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Boston Harbor Cruise: A Shoreline Survey
The learners take a harbor cruise, photograph, and draw shore line features attending to evidence of human impact/consequences, and its cost on marine/land animal habitats vegetation, weather patterns, signs of erosion, and the water...
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The Magic School Bus Rocks and Rolls
Students participate in a science experiment to show them the power that water erosion has to sculpt stone. They explore how running water moves earth and creates new landforms.
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Go With the Flow
Students experiment with a simulated river bed and examine how erosion takes place faster with a young, fast-moving river than with a slow, older river.
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How Do Waves Change a Beach?
Students conduct an experiment on beach erosion. In this earth science lesson, students create a beach model and use tongue depressor to produce waves. They write a journal about their observations.
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Keeping Soil in Its Place - Slip Slidin' Away
Students experiment to show rain drop splash and splash erosion. For this erosion lesson, students complete 3 experiments showing splash erosion and methods for controlling soil erosion. They complete a number of worksheets, learn...
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The Captain And Lake Wilmar
Tenth graders examine the ecosystem of Lake Wilmar through three coordinated performance tasks. They first investigate the effects of pH on freshwater animals by comparing the zooplankton counts from three different areas. They then...
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Erosion in Different Soils [Erosion Races]
Fourth graders review how erosion can happen by wind, water, and gravity which they studied in previous lesson. They attempt to discover if all soils erode at the same rate. In small groups, 4th graders experiment with three different...
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Subsidence/ Erosion
Students utilize prior knowledge about the Pontchartrain Basin. In this subsidence/erosion lesson plan, students study the chart on land subsidence and must them identify and find solution for problems caused by erosion.
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Making Sandstone & Conglomerate - An Introduction to Sedimentary Rocks
Students review the three types of rocks and the rock cycle. They participate in an experiment in which they discover the lithification process of sedimentary rocks. They record and share their observations.
Discovery Education
School of Rock
Why do rocks break down over time? Learners explore this concept by simulating physical and chemical weathering of different types of rocks. They use an abrasive to demonstrate physical weathering and acid to demonstrate chemical...
American Museum of Natural History
Finding Fossils
How does one go about finding fossils? Find out with an informative webpage that looks at the digging process, showcases rocks and common fossils, helpful tips, and a list of archeological do's and don'ts.
Curated OER
Glaciers and Ice Wedging
Fourth graders observe buckling sidewalks and potholes before attempting to determine how these things are caused. They freeze water filled plastic cups that have been covered. As the water freezes, the students observe what happens to...