Activity 01
Hands-On: Glacier Erosion Model
Students mix flour, water, and sand to create 'glacial ice' dough. Place it on a wooden incline sprinkled with sand as bedrock, add weights to simulate flow, and tilt to observe erosion and deposition. Groups sketch before-and-after landscapes and measure debris movement.
Explain the processes of glacier formation and movement.
Facilitation TipFor the Glacier Erosion Model, circulate with a ruler to prompt students to measure and compare erosion rates on different inclines.
What to look forPresent students with images of different glacial landforms (e.g., U-shaped valley, drumlin, moraine). Ask them to identify the landform and briefly explain the glacial process responsible for its creation.
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Activity 02
Simulation Game: Ice Cap Melting
Fill trays with clay 'land' and water 'ocean,' add land-based ice caps marked with dye. Use heat lamps to melt ice gradually, measure water level rise, and compare to floating ice control. Record data in tables and graph results.
Analyze how glaciers reshape Earth's surface over time.
Facilitation TipDuring the Ice Cap Melting simulation, assign roles so one student tracks water volume while another notes melting patterns for shared analysis.
What to look forPose the question: 'If all the ice on Greenland melted, what would be the two most significant global consequences?' Facilitate a class discussion where students support their predictions with evidence about sea level rise and climate feedback loops.
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Activity 03
Concept Mapping: Glacial Landforms Hunt
Provide topographic maps or Google Earth access focused on Canadian regions. Pairs identify and label features like eskers and kettles, then create a class mural annotating formation processes. Discuss evidence of past glaciations.
Predict the consequences of widespread glacier and ice cap melting.
Facilitation TipIn the Glacial Landforms Hunt, provide a checklist of landforms with blanks for sketches to guide systematic observation.
What to look forStudents write a short paragraph explaining how gravity causes glaciers to move and one way this movement reshapes the land. They should use at least two key vocabulary terms in their explanation.
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Activity 04
Timeline Challenge: Glacier History
Groups research key events in glacial advance and retreat using provided timelines. Arrange cards chronologically on a wall, adding cause-effect arrows for climate drivers. Present one segment to the class.
Explain the processes of glacier formation and movement.
Facilitation TipFor the Glacier History timeline, limit events to 5 per student to focus on key patterns rather than exhaustive detail.
What to look forPresent students with images of different glacial landforms (e.g., U-shaped valley, drumlin, moraine). Ask them to identify the landform and briefly explain the glacial process responsible for its creation.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teach this topic by starting with students' local geography to build relevance, then moving to hands-on modeling to make invisible processes visible. Avoid over-reliance on videos or diagrams alone, as glaciers' slow movement can be hard to grasp without tactile experience. Research shows that combining kinesthetic activities with mapping tasks improves spatial reasoning and retention of glacial processes.
Successful learning looks like students accurately describing glacial flow, erosion, and landform creation, connecting these processes to real landscapes in Canada and beyond. They should use precise vocabulary and explain cause-effect relationships in discussions and written work.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During the Glacier Erosion Model, watch for students describing glaciers as 'frozen blocks' that do not move.
Ask students to mark their dough with a toothpick every 2 minutes to observe and measure incremental movement down the incline, linking this to gravity-induced flow.
During the Ice Cap Melting simulation, watch for students arguing that melting sea ice will raise sea levels.
Have students compare water displacement in two trays: one with ice floating in water and one with ice resting on soil, then measure volume changes to see how land-based ice contributes to sea level rise.
During the Glacial Landforms Hunt, watch for students assuming glaciers only exist in polar regions.
Provide a map with labeled mountain ranges and ask students to plot glaciers they locate, using Canada’s Rockies as a starting point to confront this assumption with evidence.
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