Geography · Grade 7

Active learning ideas

Glacial Landforms and Processes

Active learning works for glacial landforms because the movement and impact of glaciers happen over long timescales, making them difficult to visualize. Hands-on modeling and simulations let students observe erosion and deposition in minutes, turning abstract processes into tangible experiences that build lasting understanding.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Physical Patterns in a Changing World - Grade 7

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Document Mystery
• 45 min · Small Groups

Modeling Lab: Glacier Erosion

Provide groups with clay mountains, wooden 'glaciers' (blocks wrapped in sandpaper), and trays. Students push the blocks downhill to simulate abrasion and plucking, then compare before-and-after valley shapes. Discuss results and sketch changes.

Explain how glacial movement reshapes valleys and mountains.

Facilitation Tip

During the Modeling Lab, circulate with a tray of sand and ice cubes to help students adjust variables like slope and pressure, ensuring they connect deformation to erosion.

What to look for

Present students with images of different landforms (e.g., a U-shaped valley, a drumlin, a fjord, a river valley). Ask them to label each as either 'erosional' or 'depositional' and briefly explain their reasoning based on the landform's characteristics.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Document Mystery
• 35 min · Pairs

Map Analysis: Canadian Glacial Features

Distribute topographic maps of areas like Banff or the Canadian Shield. Pairs identify and label U-shaped valleys, moraines, and fjords, then trace glacier flow directions. Share findings in a whole-class gallery walk.

Differentiate between erosional and depositional landforms created by glaciers.

Facilitation Tip

In the Map Analysis, model annotation by projecting a provincial map and thinking aloud as you mark features, showing students how to interpret contour lines and glacial boundaries.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a scientist studying a region with retreating glaciers. What two key pieces of information about water resources or sea levels would you prioritize collecting and why?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their priorities and justify their choices.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: Depositional Landforms

Use playdough for bedrock and shaved ice mixed with sand as glacial till. Groups melt ice slowly over 'valleys' to form moraines and kettles, observing sorting by water flow. Record with photos and measurements.

Predict the impact of retreating glaciers on water resources and sea levels.

Facilitation Tip

For the Simulation, give groups a limited set of materials to force creative problem-solving, such as predicting where a retreating glacier will leave a moraine based on sediment piles.

What to look for

On an index card, have students draw a simple sketch of one glacial landform (erosional or depositional). Below the sketch, they should write one sentence explaining how the glacier created that specific feature.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Document Mystery
• 40 min · Whole Class

Predictive Debate: Glacier Retreat

Divide class into teams to research current glacier data from sources like Parks Canada. Debate impacts on water resources and coasts, using evidence from models. Vote and reflect on predictions.

Explain how glacial movement reshapes valleys and mountains.

Facilitation Tip

In the Predictive Debate, provide sentence starters on the board like 'I believe glacier retreat will most affect _____ because...' to scaffold evidence-based arguments.

What to look for

Present students with images of different landforms (e.g., a U-shaped valley, a drumlin, a fjord, a river valley). Ask them to label each as either 'erosional' or 'depositional' and briefly explain their reasoning based on the landform's characteristics.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with the Modeling Lab to establish that glaciers move and erode, then use the Map Analysis to ground these processes in real places. Avoid overemphasizing dramatic features like fjords—focus on gradual changes like drumlins and kettles to highlight widespread glacial effects. Research suggests students grasp deposition best when they physically sort sediments in the Simulation, so prioritize kinesthetic activities over lectures.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how glaciers shape landscapes by linking specific landforms to erosion or deposition. They should use evidence from models and maps to support their reasoning and apply this knowledge to real-world Canadian terrain.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Modeling Lab, watch for students who treat ice cubes as static blocks, ignoring visible flow lines in the sand.

  Press a small piece of ice into the sand and ask students to observe how it deforms under gentle pressure, then have them trace the flow path with a stick to reinforce movement.

• During Simulation: Depositional Landforms, watch for students who assume all sediments pile up uniformly at the glacier’s edge.

  Have students vary the angle of their glacier model and measure where till accumulates, linking steeper slopes to longer debris trails and flatter areas to compact moraines.

• During Map Analysis: Canadian Glacial Features, watch for students who associate glacial features only with mountainous regions.

  Highlight drumlins in southern Ontario on the projected map, then have students compare topographic profiles of flat vs. mountainous provinces to identify depositional patterns.

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Methods used in this brief

• Document Mystery
• Simulation Game