Student/Teacher Actions (what students and teachers should be doing to facilitate learning) Prior to beginning the lesson, gather the materials listed above and take students outside. Ask students to think about a visit to the beach. Ask them what happens when they stand in the sand at the edge of the water (the sand moves). If desired, watch a video that shows erosion. Talk with students about soil and sand moving from one place to another. Explain to students that this movement is called erosion. Discuss reasons it might be a problem for land to erode. Challenge students to of something that might help the soil not move. Guide them to mention plant life. Explain that they are going to complete an experiment to see if soil erodes more when there is no plant life. Explain that the cardboard represents the land, and the water represents rain. Divide students into groups. Ask students to work together to place a handful of soil on the cardboard and then hold it at a slight angle. Then have the students SLOWLY pour about ¼ of a cup of water down the cardboard. Direct them to watch the soil. Discuss what happened. Next, have students place the square of grass (sod) on the cardboard, hold it at an angle and SLOWLY pour a ¼ cup of the water down the cardboard. Remind students to watch the soil under the grass. Compare what happened to the soil this time with what happened the first time. Direct students to repeat the experiment to determine if the same thing happens. Assessment Questions What does erosion mean? What happened to the soil without plant life on it? What happened to the soil with plant life on it? Journal/writing prompts Draw a picture of a riverbank before and after a flood. Explain how the flood caused erosion in the second picture. Write a letter to the mayor of your town. Suggest ways he/she could prevent erosion along a body of water near you. Other Ask students to write a summary of what happened during the experiment. Listen as students complete the experiment and evaluate their use of the term erosion and how accurate their statements are. Have students work as partners to share their ideas orally together, and then write and share out. Extensions and Connections (for all students) Repeat the experiment with topsoil, sand, flowers, loose grass, etc.
Student/Teacher Actions (what students and teachers should be doing to facilitate learning) Prior to beginning the lesson, gather the materials listed above and take students outside. Ask students to think about a visit to the beach. Ask them what happens when they stand in the sand at the edge of the water (the sand moves). If desired, watch a video that shows erosion. Talk with students about soil and sand moving from one place to another. Explain to students that this movement is called erosion. Discuss reasons it might be a problem for land to erode. Challenge students to of something that might help the soil not move. Guide them to mention plant life. Explain that they are going to complete an experiment to see if soil erodes more when there is no plant life. Explain that the cardboard represents the land, and the water represents rain. Divide students into groups. Ask students to work together to place a handful of soil on the cardboard and then hold it at a slight angle. Then have the students SLOWLY pour about ¼ of a cup of water down the cardboard. Direct them to watch the soil. Discuss what happened. Next, have students place the square of grass (sod) on the cardboard, hold it at an angle and SLOWLY pour a ¼ cup of the water down the cardboard. Remind students to watch the soil under the grass. Compare what happened to the soil this time with what happened the first time. Direct students to repeat the experiment to determine if the same thing happens. Assessment Questions What does erosion mean? What happened to the soil without plant life on it? What happened to the soil with plant life on it? Journal/writing prompts Draw a picture of a riverbank before and after a flood. Explain how the flood caused erosion in the second picture. Write a letter to the mayor of your town. Suggest ways he/she could prevent erosion along a body of water near you. Other Ask students to write a summary of what happened during the experiment. Listen as students complete the experiment and evaluate their use of the term erosion and how accurate their statements are. Have students work as partners to share their ideas orally together, and then write and share out. Extensions and Connections (for all students) Repeat the experiment with topsoil, sand, flowers, loose grass, etc.