Name: Ellyn Culotta Grade Level: 2nd Your 3125#: 6

School: Magnolia
Mentor Teacher: Brooke Patterson Room No.: C2
Woods Elementary
Subject: Science Date this lesson will be taught: 3/6/18
Learning Cycle Lesson Title: How Can We Prevent Landslides?
Author: Ellyn Culotta
Adapted from: Mystery Science
Learning Objective(s)
LO #1. Students will work in groups of four to brainstorm and test two possible solutions for how to
prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.
LO #2. Students will individually draw what they observed about how the land eroded and compare the
solutions to find two similarities.
Key: Task, Condition, Standard
LA Standards for Science (LSS; 2017) – Science Content
2 – ESS2 – 1 Earth’s Systems
Performance Expectation: Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent
wind or water from changing the shape of the land.

Citation: Louisiana Believes State Standards (2017). K-12 Louisiana Student

Standards for Science. Retrieved from
https://www.louisianabelieves.com/resources/library/academic-standards.
Duration 45 minutes Setting: Regular Classroom Grouping: 4 students per group

Materials and Advance Preparation

Materials
Per student: (approximate number of students: 25 students)
 1 – BL #1 “Save the Hills Worksheet”
 1 – BL #2 Lesson Assessment: “How Can We Prevent Landslides?”
 1 – pencil
Per group: (approximate number of groups: 5 groups of 4 students & 1 group of 5 students)
 2 – paper plates
 2 – plastic plates
 2 - paper towels
 1 – 3oz cup (for scooping the land)
 1 – 3oz cup (“rainmaker” with holes in bottom)
 1 – 3 oz cup (cover the “rainmaker,” keep the water in until time for rain)
 7 cotton balls
 4 paper towels stripes (each about 1” x 5”)
 2 pieces of aluminum foil (each about 1½” square)
Miscellaneous materials
 newspaper or plastic for covering the table
 paper towels for mopping up spills
 a food storage container big enough to hold about 1½ cups of cornmeal “land” for every 4
students
 a pushpin
 cornmeal
 water

Blackline Masters (attached after the lesson plan)

BL #1. “Save the Hills Worksheet”

Ellyn Culotta Grade 2nd How Can We Prevent Landslides (Lesson #2) 3/6/18, p. 1
 BL #2. Lesson Assessment: “How Can We Prevent Landslides?”
BL #3. Answer Key for Lesson Assessment: “How Can We Prevent Landslides?”
BL #42. “Plate Pocket”

Advance Preparation for Teacher

1. Run off multiple copies of Blackline MastersBL# 1 and 2 (One for each student)
2. Run off one copy of Blackline Masters 3 (One for teacher)
3. For each group of students, prepare a container of “land,” and a drip-cup “rainmaker.”
4. Use the plate pocket sheet (BL #4) to cut the paper plates for students.

Summary of Background Information; Prior Knowledge Needed

Background Information
It is important for the teacher to know the definitions of landslide, wattle, erosion, absorb and
wildfires. He or she should also know how to explain each of these to the students when asked.
According to Mystery Science (2018), a landslide occurs “when the earth loosens and is washed
away down a hill.” Landslides are more likely to occur after wildfires because there are no plants left
to hold the soil in place or soak up the water. Note that wildfires are defined by Merriam-Webster
Dictionary (2018) as “a sweeping and destructive conflagration especially in a wilderness or a
rural area.” Also, the word absorb according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary can be defined as
something “to take in (something, such as water) in a natural or gradual way” For example,
“a sponge absorbs water.” Plants are a key way to prevent landslides due to the leaves lessening
the rainwater from hitting the soil harshly. Shrubs and leaves soak up the water from the rain before it
reaches the soil. Also, the roots of the plants hold the soil in place because they absorb water and are
attached to the soil itself. Therefore, after a wildfire leaves only ash behind, heavy rains can loosen
the soil to the point where it washes away and creates a landslide. Landslides are dangerous
because they block roadways and could cause houses to fall from cliffs.
According to the mystery science video (2018), a wattle is like a long sock filled with straw that
soaks up the water as it flows down the mountain. This is one of the preventions against erosion and
landslides. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2018), erosion is “the act in which earth is worn
away, often by water, wind, or ice.” The students are learning or have learned that erosion causes
canyons and landslides. Keep in mind that this lesson is supposed to focus on landsides and how to
prevent this specific type of erosion from happening. Humans are able to prevent erosion by pouring
concrete over the side of a hill, hammering the edges of a net over the side of the hill until the plants
grow, placing wattles along the sides of the hill, and planting new plants to grow roots on the hill.

Sources for background information:

Absorb. (2018). Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam
webster.com/dictionary/absorb
Landslide. (2018). Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam
webster.com/dictionary/landslide
Mystery Science. (2018). How can you stop a landslide? https://mysteryscience.com/water/mystery-
4/erosion-engineering/152?r=10185392#slide-id-0
Mystery Science. (2018). Work of Water. https://mysteryscience.com/
National Geographic Society. (2015). Erosion. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/erosion/
Wildfire. (2018). Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam
webster.com/dictionary/wildfire
Prior Knowledge Needed by Student to be Success in this Lesson
Students should already be able to…
1. Define the words absorb, erosion, landslide
Absorb “a: to take in (something, such as water) in a natural or gradual way” For
example, “a sponge absorbs water”
Erosion “the act in which earth is worn away, often by water, wind, or ice”

Ellyn Culotta Grade 2nd How Can We Prevent Landslides (Lesson #2) 3/6/18, p. 2
 Landslide “the sudden and rapid downward movement of a mass of rocks or earth on a
steep slope”
2. Compare two items that are similar in nature

Detailed Procedure.
1. Lesson Opening (Journal Entry, etc.) – optional (est. time: 3 minutes)
1. T: “Who here can tell me what you have learned about erosion?” [call on a student to answer
the question]
2. S: “We learned that water is powerful enough to make a canyon!”
3. S2: “Erosion is when the water and wind washes the rocks away”
4. T: “Great job, (insert student’s names)! Those are both correct!”
5. Optional: Read the objective for this lesson to the student. At the end of this lesson,
LO #1. Students will work in groups of four to brainstorm and test two possible solutions for how
to prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.
LO #2. Students will individually draw what they observed about how the land eroded and
compare the solutions to find two similarities.

2. Engage (7 minutes)
1. [Show pictures of before and after landslide in Big Sur from Mystery Science video in Exploration
1 of 9 at .49sec-.56sec]
2. “Who can tell me what they think happened in this before and after picture? [The land fell,
or erosion happened]. Does anyone know what that is called? [a landslide!] Great job (insert
students name)! A landslide did occur, do you notice anything else about this picture? [the
landslide blocked the road] You all are such smart cookies!”
3.
4. Define what a landslide is for the students, be explicit. “A landslide is the sudden and rapid
downward movement of a mass of rocks or earth on a steep slope.”
5. Now, we are going to watch this video to find out more about landslides and how we as humans
can stop them from happening. Pay close attention to the details of the video and the vocabulary
that they use because we will have a discussion after the video. [play portion of Mystery Science
Video: Exploration 6 of 9.]
a. Link to video: https://mysteryscience.com/water/mystery-4/erosion-engineering/152?
r=10185392#slide-id-0
6. “From watching the video what can you tell me about landslides? [Landslides block roads
and make houses fall. The soil slides down the hill] Why do you think landslides happen after
wildfires? [Because there are no more trees on the hill] Let’s watch another video to find out
more about landslides! [play portion of Mystery Science Video: Exploration 7 of 9.] This has lead
us to the scientific question: how can we prevent erosion from happening, other than planting
more plants. Put your hands down because we are going to answer that question after our
activity. Are you ready to get started? [Students response: yes!] Now, we are going to work in
small groups to discover solutions of how we can prevent, or stop, landslides from happening.”

2. Explore: (20 minutes)

1. “First, I am going to divided you up into groups and everyone is going to get a number.” [Count off
and split the students into groups and assign them somewhere to work within the classroom.]
a. Group 1 – Sa’maiya, Jose, Serenity, Xaiden
b. Group 2 – Jolia, Danny, Kathy, Adrian
c. Group 3 – Jaiden, Traelon, Jeslyn, Faith
d. Group 4 – Briceida, Kingston, Brittany, Haley
e. Group 5 –Javin, Artaz, Charla, Nevianna
f. Group 6 – Brayson, Kiammarie, T’relle, Dajarrion, Connor
2. “Using the materials that we have today I am going to use corn meal to represent the land. And I
will make a mountain of “land” then sprinkle water on it to show you what a landslide would look
like without anyone trying to stop it.”
a. [Walk through steps of the experiment together]

Ellyn Culotta Grade 2nd How Can We Prevent Landslides (Lesson #2) 3/6/18, p. 3
 b. Here you see I am getting a full cup of land and pressing it into the cup so that it becomes
more compact. Now, I am going to flip it gently onto the paper plate and tap the bottom of the
cup so that the “land” comes out as a mountain or hill. The next step for me is to use my
“rainmaker” to sprinkle water on the land like this. [Demonstrate how to take the cup of water
out of the cup and hold it over the plate]. What did you notice about my land has the water
came down on it? [Students responses may include: the water makes it wash away, erosion
happened, or it made a landslide.] Yes, so notice that this made a landslide because now as
a group, you all are going to brainstorm two solutions of how you think you can stop the
landslide from happening. I am going to pass out materials while you talk to your group, do
not touch the supplies until I give you directions.” [pass out materials (i.e. plastic plate, paper
plate, worksheet, paper towel, the three different 3oz cups) while students brainstorm.]
3. [Students talk amongst their groups to come up with two solutions.]
4. “When I was walking around I saw some really great ideas! Now it is y’alls you all’s turn chance to
test your ideas. First, make sure to follow the directions on your handout (BL#1). Take a minute to
fill out the first box and make a prediction about what you think will happen. When you are
finished put your pencil down and look up. Great, now look at the numbers that I gave each of
you and follow these instructions. If I gave you the number 1, please push the land into the cup
with another empty cup. [like this, Ms. Culotta? Yes (insert students name), just how I showed
you on the board] If you have the number 2, please flip the cup gently onto the plate and form the
mountain. If you have the number 3, please add the first solution to the hill that your group thinks
will keep the land from sliding down the hill. [Student asks: Should this look like the picture we
drew in box number one? Teacher response: Yes (insert students name) it should look that way
because each group drew a plan and now we are testing it to see if it works.] If you have number
4, hold the rainmaker directly over the hill and then remove the cup from under the rainmaker to
let the water fall. It is okay if all of the water does not fall out of the cup. When the water stops
dripping, put the rainmaker back inside of the cup that it was just in. Everyone grab a pencil and
record what you see on your worksheet (BL#1) in box 2.” [Allot time for students to draw what
their hill looked like after the rain.]
5. “Now, that we have gone through the instructions, do you think you can do this again with your
group? [student’s response: yeah!] Okay, once everyone in your group has finished box 2 and 3
on your handout (BL #1), your group may begin testing your second way to prevent a landslide.
Keep the same jobs that you had before.
a. [Students work with their land and solutions to see if they can prevent a landslide.]
b. [Walk around the room to observe what the students are doing. Ask questions. (insert
students name), tell me about what your group is doing to try to prevent erosion.
Student’s response: we are putting cotton balls on the top to see if it stops the water from
making the hill fall.]
6. “Once, you all finish testing the second solution fill out box number four on the handout (BL#1).

3. Explain: (7 minutes)
1. “Class, Class” [Yes, Yes]
2. “Who can tell me how their group prevented a landslide from happening?” [Student
Response: We used the cotton balls and wrapped them around the land.] Someone else from
that group tell me if the cotton balls worked. [yes, it stopped the water from breaking the hill.]
3. In reality, there is something similar to this called a wattle. [Student Response: a wattle? What’s a
wattle] “I am so glad that you asked a wattle is something that is long like a snake but it has straw
in it that can absorb or soak up the water when it flows down the hill.”
4. “What are some other ways that we learned can prevent erosion?” [Student Response:
plants, grow on the hill and their roots help or we used the foil and it didn’t help very much.]
5. “Why do you think that the foil didn’t work?” [student response: because it was hard or it
didn’t absorb the water it just fell on the side of it]

4. Elaborate:
Time will most likely not allow for this to be completed in class.
Early completers will: write a story about what they learned in science today. Make sure that the
students use science vocabulary such as erosion, water, landslide, wattle, plants.

Ellyn Culotta Grade 2nd How Can We Prevent Landslides (Lesson #2) 3/6/18, p. 4
 4. Assessment/Evaluate: (7 minutes)
Evaluation is attached, BL#31.

5. Lesson Closure
- “What did we learn about landslides today?” [They are dangerous because they can block
roads, and make houses fall off of hills.]
- “How can we prevent landslides from happening?” [using wattles, plants, plastic blankets,
net, concrete]

CITATION OF SOURCES.
*Note: the citations are also listed under the background information
Mystery Science. (2018). How can you stop a landslide? https://mysteryscience.com/water/mystery-
4/erosion-engineering/152?r=10185392#slide-id-0
XXX Yes, I cited all materials and resources used in this lesson. Ellyn Culotta
Student signature
Check for Success:
X Yes  No 1. Does your lesson focus on and achieve the student learning objectives that you list?
X Yes  No 2. Do all of your lesson components align with the Four E Learning Cycle?
X Yes  No 3. Did you attach your rubric evaluation?
X Yes  No 4. Did you attach all of your data sheets, worksheets, PowerPoints?

Ellyn Culotta Grade 2nd How Can We Prevent Landslides (Lesson #2) 3/6/18, p. 5
 Blackline Master #1

Ellyn Culotta Grade 2nd How Can We Prevent Landslides (Lesson #2) 3/6/18, p. 6
 Blackline Master #2
Name: ____________________________ Date: ___________
Lesson Assessment: How Can We Prevent Landslides?
List at least four possible ways to prevent a landslide from occurring. (2-ESS2-1, LO#1)

Draw two pictures of two different landslides and compare. (2-ESS2-1, LO#2)

Ellyn Culotta Grade 2nd How Can We Prevent Landslides (Lesson #2) 3/6/18, p. 7
 Blackline Master #3
Name: ____ANSWER KEY____________________ Date: ___________
Lesson Assessment: How Can We Prevent Landslides?
List at least four possible ways to prevent a landslide from occurring. (2-ESS2-1, LO#1)

Nets
Concrete
Wattles
Plants

Draw two pictures of two different landslides and compare. (2-ESS2-1, LO#2)

Drawings may vary. Drawings may vary.

Some student responses may include:

They both have land that fell because of erosion.
The water made the landslide down the hill.

Ellyn Culotta Grade 2nd How Can We Prevent Landslides (Lesson #2) 3/6/18, p. 8
 Blackline Master #42

Ellyn Culotta Grade 2nd How Can We Prevent Landslides (Lesson #2) 3/6/18, p. 9