K5 Science Endorsement GPS Lesson Plan

Title
Teacher(s)
E-mail
School
Lesson
Title
Grade
Level

Erosion and Weathering; not the same- 5th Grade

Lesson
Amy Dillon
adillon@marietta-city.k12.ga.us
MCAA
Erosion or Weathering
5th

Concept
s(s)
Targeted
Lesson Essential Questions

Weathering and erosion are both processes that

change the surface of the earth, but weathering
involves breaking down rock into sediment while
erosion is more related to wearing down by
carrying sediment away.

How are weathering and erosion examples of destructive forces?

How is deposition an example of a constructive force? (sand, river
deltas, Barrier Islands) Could deposition be an example of a
destructive force?
Georgia Performance Standards
S5E1. Students will identify surface features of the Earth caused by constructive and destructive
processes.
a. Identify surface features caused by constructive processes.
b. Identify and find examples of surface features caused by destructive processes.
Relate the role of technology and human intervention in the control of constructive and destructive processes

Safety Considerations
The Learning Plan:
ENGAGE: Show the students pages 6-9 showing the same rock over a period
of time. After each slide ask the students what could have happened to the
rocks.
EXPLAIN: Use the powerpoint as direct instruction to familiarize the students
with the vocabulary for the unit. They should record information learned in a
flipbook- Vocabulary word, definition, pictures, and examples
EXPLORE: The students will participate in lab rotations. (From Kara
Householders Science files at MCAA) These will most likely take place over
the course of two days. The purpose of the lab is to support the students
understandings of the nature of the processes of weathering/erosiondeposition and the difference between them.
Lab directions are attached.

Blown Away Lab- Focus on erosion/deposition

Beachfront Property- Focus on erosion/deposition
Glaciers- Focus on erosion and deposition
Acid Rain- Focus on weathering
Gone with the Wind- Focus on weathering
The students will complete the lab sheet for each mini-lab discussing findings
and answering the questions with their group.
EXTEND: The teacher will share the fires of Yellowstone with the students. In
1988, wild fires hit Yellowstone. This extreme heat followed by rapid cooling
fractured rocks there. Extreme heat and cold conditions there break rocks
during much of the year. The students will be asked to research other
examples of weathering and erosion found on our Earth now or in the past.
They will need to share the location, time, type of breaking down of Earth
either weathering or erosion- why it occurred, and show pictures and a brief
description of this occurrence.
EVALUATE: The teacher will use formative checks throughout the activities
with scenarios of weathering, erosion, and deposition to check to see if they
can identify each one.
The teacher will use a short answer/constructed response question using
real-life scenarios such as that found on LessonSnips.com
These are from LessonSnips.com
1. We have talked about many forces that act on the surfaces of the earth
and change them over time. Some are considered to be weathering while
others are classified as erosion. What is weathering and how is it different
from erosion?
2. You are walking through the woods and find a large pile of boulders out in
the middle of nowhere. There are no mountains or other places from which
these could fall and there is no obvious explanation. As a science student,
use what you have learned in this exercise and write up a possible
explanation of how this rock pile got here.
3. When visiting Bryce Canyon National Park, you see some formations called
Hoodoos. These types of formations are common throughout the park and
look like columns of dirt or stone left standing after all the surrounding
material has been removed. They almost look like statues or chimneys after
a house has burned. They are a product of erosion over millions of years.
Using what we have learned, write a possible explanation as to why these

towers of stone remain when all of the ground/dirt/stone that once

surrounded them is gone.
4. On a walk through a section of Yellowstone National Park, you notice that a
lot of smaller boulders have cracks in them and some are fractured
completely into several smaller rocks. What may have caused something as
hard as a rock to break?

Title of the Lesson: Changing Rocks

Lesson Logistics/Materials:
Students will be in 8 small groups. This lesson may take as many as
3 days
Gone with the Wind: chalk, sandpaper, hand lens
Effects of Acid Rain- vinegar, chalk, tweezers, magnifying lens,
timer, paper towel, water
Rivers- tub, sand, pitcher of water, books
Blown Away- two aluminum trays, sand, gravel, sifter, safety
goggles (required to protect eyes from blowing sand)
Beachfront Property- plastic tub, sand, water, wooden block,
Monopoly house/hotel
Glaciers- plastic tub, sand, gravel, ice to represent glacier
Station assignments directions for each station
Opening/Hook/Initial Focus: Showing the students the powerpoint
with the pictures.

Work Session: The students will be working in small collaborate

groups discussing and sharing ideas and findings.

Closing: Review and discuss as a class.

How are weathering and erosion examples of destructive forces?

How is deposition an example of a constructive force? (sand, river
deltas, Barrier Islands) Could deposition be an example of a
destructive force?

Documentation of Resources
Georgia Performance Standards, 5th Grade Labs from
MCAA, Powerpoint (attached), LessonSnips.comconstructive response questions