Geography · 9th Grade

Active learning ideas

Glacial Processes and Landforms

Active learning helps students grasp glacial processes because the scale and timeframe of glaciation can feel abstract. When students analyze maps, discuss scenarios, and examine real landforms, they connect textbook concepts to tangible landscapes they can visualize and discuss.

• Common Core State Standards
• C3: D2.Geo.9.9-12
• C3: D2.Geo.1.9-12

• 30–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Socratic Seminar
• 40 min · Pairs

Map Analysis: Reading the Glacial Landscape

Students receive topographic maps of two contrasting US regions , one heavily glaciated (Great Lakes region) and one not (the Ozark Plateau) , and identify glacial landforms on the first map while explaining their absence on the second. They then connect glacial history to current land use patterns in each region.

Explain how glacial retreat created the Great Lakes and fertile Midwest plains.

Facilitation Tip

During Map Analysis, ask students to trace the path of past ice sheets with their fingers to reinforce spatial understanding of glacial movement.

What to look for

Present students with images of different glacial landforms (e.g., drumlin, moraine, outwash plain). Ask them to identify each landform and briefly describe the glacial process (erosion or deposition) that created it.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: If Greenland Melted

Students calculate the expected sea level rise if the Greenland ice sheet melted entirely (approximately 7 meters) and identify which US coastal cities would be most affected. Pairs compare findings and discuss what infrastructure investments would be necessary, then share conclusions with the class.

Predict what happens to global sea levels when continental ice sheets melt.

Facilitation Tip

In the Think-Pair-Share, provide a blank map of the U.S. for students to sketch predicted changes if Greenland melted, making the abstract concept of sea level rise more concrete.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How does the glacial history of the Midwest directly influence where major cities developed and how transportation routes were established?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to cite specific landforms and their effects.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Whole Class

Gallery Walk: Glacial Landforms in the Real World

Post photographs of real US landforms with brief labels: a drumlin field in Wisconsin, the Finger Lakes in New York, a glacial outwash plain in Minnesota, a kettle pond in New England. Students annotate each image with the process that created it and one way the landform has influenced settlement or land use in that region.

Analyze how glacial topography influences modern transportation routes and settlement patterns.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, have students rotate in groups of three, assigning each student a role: recorder, speaker, and timekeeper to ensure participation.

What to look for

Ask students to write two sentences explaining how past ice sheets contribute to current concerns about sea level rise. Then, have them write one sentence connecting glacial deposition to the agricultural productivity of the Midwest.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract processes in familiar places. Start with local landscapes students may have seen, then expand to regional and national maps. Avoid overemphasizing terminology—focus instead on the processes of erosion and deposition and their visible results. Research shows students retain more when they connect glacial features to their own lives, such as how a moraine might affect their daily commute or why their town’s soil is rich for farming.

By the end of these activities, students should be able to identify glacial landforms on maps and in images, explain how ice sheets sculpted the land, and connect glacial history to modern geography and environmental issues. They should also recognize how glaciers influence daily life in the northern United States.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Map Analysis, watch for students who assume the Great Lakes formed like typical lakes, such as through river erosion or tectonic activity. Redirect them by having them trace the lake basins on a topographic map and note their U-shaped profiles, which are characteristic of glacial scouring rather than river valleys.

  During Think-Pair-Share, if students suggest Greenland melting will only affect coastal areas, ask them to map the 10-meter sea level rise scenario and calculate how far inland floodwaters could reach in their state, using the provided elevation data.

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Methods used in this brief

• Socratic Seminar
• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk