Activity 01
Stream Table Setup: Water Erosion
Provide trays with layered soil and sand. Students add water at varying flows and slopes, then measure channel depth and sediment deposit locations. Discuss how faster water moves more material. Sketch before-and-after diagrams.
Explain how gravity contributes to the movement of eroded materials.
Facilitation TipDuring Stream Table Setup, have students predict how adding more water will change the channel depth before they pour the next trial.
What to look forPresent students with images of different landscapes (e.g., a desert dune, a river canyon, a glacier valley, a steep mountainside). Ask them to identify the primary agent of erosion at work in each image and write one sentence explaining their choice.
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Activity 02
Fan Blow: Wind Erosion
Set trays with dry sand and small barriers. Use hair dryers to simulate wind, observing ripple formation and particle transport. Students test barrier heights and record distances traveled. Compare to calm conditions.
Compare the erosional effects of wind versus water in different environments.
Facilitation TipWhen running Fan Blow, remind students to keep the fan at the same height for each trial to ensure fair comparisons.
What to look forProvide students with a scenario: 'A heavy rainstorm occurred on a steep, deforested hill.' Ask them to write two sentences describing what might happen to the soil on the hill and which agent of erosion is most active.
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Activity 03
Ramp Slide: Gravity and Mass Movement
Tilt foam boards covered in moist soil. Students shake or add water to trigger slides, measuring slide distance and debris spread. Vary angles and moisture levels. Predict outcomes before testing.
Predict the long-term impact of erosion on a specific landscape feature.
Facilitation TipFor Ramp Slide, provide a protractor so students can record slope angles and connect them to gravity’s pull.
What to look forAsk students: 'Imagine you are a park ranger in a national park with a large river. What are two ways erosion might be changing the landscape of the park, and how might these changes affect visitors?'
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Activity 04
Ice Push: Glacial Transport
Place ice cubes with embedded soil bits on sloped trays. As ice melts, observe material movement downhill. Students time the process and note sorting of particles. Compare to dry slides.
Explain how gravity contributes to the movement of eroded materials.
Facilitation TipBefore Ice Push, freeze colored water in layers so students can see how ice carries sediments as it moves.
What to look forPresent students with images of different landscapes (e.g., a desert dune, a river canyon, a glacier valley, a steep mountainside). Ask them to identify the primary agent of erosion at work in each image and write one sentence explaining their choice.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teachers should frame erosion as a set of competing forces students can control in the lab. Avoid over-explaining; let the materials show the effects. Research shows that guided inquiry with repeated trials helps students move from noticing change to explaining cause and effect.
Success looks like students describing which agent of erosion they observe, measuring changes in material position, and explaining how slope or speed affects movement. They should link their lab results to real-world landscapes.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Fan Blow, watch for students who assume wind erosion only moves light materials like sand.
Guide students to test heavier materials like small pebbles and ask why wind might not move them as far, reinforcing that wind’s power depends on particle size and speed.
During Ramp Slide, watch for students who think gravity only pulls objects straight down.
Use the ramp to show how gravity pulls materials downhill, then tilt the ramp higher to demonstrate how increased slope accelerates movement.
During Ice Push, watch for students who believe glaciers only carry rocks at the surface.
Encourage students to examine the ice block after pushing it to see embedded sediments, helping them see how glaciers transport materials within and beneath the ice.
Methods used in this brief