Library Connections
Grade th
4, 1st OI
4
Weathering and Erosion: Cause and Effect
TEKS Science (4.7) Earth and Space. The students know that Earth consists of useful resources and its surface is constantly
changing. The student is expected to: (B) observe and identify slow changes to Earth's surface caused by weathering, erosion,
and deposition from water, wind, and ice.
TEKS English Language Arts and Reading (11) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students
analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text to support their
understanding. (C) describe explicit and implicit relationships among ideas in texts organized by cause-and-effect, sequence, or
comparison,
STAAR Reading (19.D) make inferences about texts and u se textual evidence to support understanding (literary non-fiction,
poetry, drama). (E) summarize information in text, maintaining meaning and logical order (literary non-fiction, poetry, drama)
Science (prior knowledge) 3.7 (B) investigate rapid changes in Earth’s surface such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and
landslides. Supporting Standard; for 5th grade: 5.7 (B) recognize how landforms such as deltas, canyons, and sand dunes are
the result of changes to Earth’s surface by wind, water, and ice; Readiness Standard
Organizing Idea/Activity: Balance and Stability/Texas A State of Mind/ Ice, Ice Baby
Learning Targets:
I can identify examples of weathering, erosion, and deposition in poems from a book
providing proof from the text.
I can match cause and effect statements about the Earth’s changing surface.
Materials / Resources
Book Earthshakes: Poems from the Ground Up by Lisa Westberg Peters
Book Erosion: Changing Earth’s Surface by Robin Koontz (or any expository book about erosion)
Document of cause and effect statements
Procedure
Prior Knowledge
 Begin by accessing students’ prior knowledge by asking them what they already know
about weathering, erosion, and deposition.
Modeling and/or Skills Development
 Read the following poems from Earthshakes, asking students to listen and locate
evidence in the text of weathering, erosion, and deposition. Ask students to come to
the Elmo and point out those words.
“Glacial Pace” p. 14 (weathering)
“Crumble” p. 16 (weathering and erosion)
“Michigan Sahara” (deposition)

Display a cause and effect graphic organizer and review the concept of cause/effect.
Ask them what happens first? Second? What means the same as “the result”? Which
one answers the question “why”?

Read from an expository text with facts about the changing of the earth’s surface, such
as Erosion: Changing Earth’s Surface, and identify cause and effect statements in the
text.
“Frozen Erosion” p. 12 (erosion by glaciers)
“Whipping Wind” p. 16 (erosion by wind)
“Fast Erosion” p. 18 (erosion by natural disasters and people)
Guided Practice
 Using the document provided with this lesson, (cut each sentence apart before lesson)
spread out all of the sentences on the Elmo. Model your thinking aloud as you find and
match a cause and effect for the students.
For example: Cause – Water seeps into cracks between rocks and freezes.
Effect – Rocks crack from the force of frozen water.
 Options: Whole group - Have students come up and match the other statements and
discuss as a group.
Small group – Provide sets of the sentences in envelopes to groups of
2-4 students. Students match the cause and effect statements together
and discuss as you walk around and listen.
 Another idea of how to break into groups is to pass out the cause and effect statement
Extensions / Ideas
 Reinforce use of the library resources that are available-utilize Pebble Go: Earth Science for more information. Students read about Soil Erosion
and act it out
 Create a song using a familiar tune that explains one or all of these terms
For example “What Does the Fox Say” changed to ….What does the Rock Say?
 Jigsaw Method - Break students into groups and assign them to one of these sources
with the objective being to find more info about erosion then reconvene so that each
group can share what they learned.
 Discovery Education
 World Book Encyclopedia
 NetTrekker search “erosion” and choose the interactive BrainPop Quiz.