TEACHER PREPARATION
I. Directions for ENGAGE A:
WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN SAMPLE A AND SAMPLE B???
1. Obtain two bars of soap of the same brand (one bar unused and one bar worn down by
repeated use.
2. Use the method of your choice, e.g., smart board, flip chart, etc., to ask the following
questions:
What could cause the new bar of soap to look the way the old bar of soap looks?
Why is the old bar smaller and more rounded? Where did the rest of the soap go?
Are there any forces in nature that would produce similar situations? What are they?
Where in the world has this happened? In the U.S.? In Alabama?
What problems does this cause?
What scientific term is used to describe this process?
II. Directions for ENGAGE B:
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF???
1. Dump a large bucket of sand on a “cookie sheet”.
2. Hold a hair dryer in one hand and a garden hose in the other hand pointed toward the sand.
(Demonstration {NOT TURNED ON})
3. Use the method of your choice, e.g. smart board, flip chart, etc., to ask the following
questions:
What would happen if I turned on either the hair dryer or the hose?
Are there any forces in nature that would produce similar situations? What are they?
Where in the world has this happened? In the U.S.? In Alabama?
What problems does this cause?
What scientific term is used to describe this process?
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE ACTIVITIES
The following Activities may be done together as a single lab or as individual labs as
they are introduced in separate chapters in the textbook or in your lesson plans.
III. EXPLAIN: Materials and Set Up for the Lab Activities on Weathering and Erosion
ACTIVITY 1: MECHANICAL WEATHERING
MATERIALS: Pea size aquarium gravel; small square pretzels; small glass jar with lid; timer;
Ziploc bags; STUDENT HANDOUTS 1-A, 1-B and 1-C.
DIRECTIONS: Fill a small ziploc bag with pea size aquarium gravel; fill a second ziploc
bag with at least 20 pretzels; have available the small glass jar with lid, the timer and
HANDOUTS 1-A, 1-B and 1-C.
ACTIVITY 2: CHEMICAL WEATHERING
MATERIALS: 2 pint glass jars; one 8 oz bottle of water; pint bottle of vinegar; ziploc
bag; chalk; timer; 2 plastic spoons, a pair of goggles per student and HANDOUTS 2-A,
2-B and 2-C.
DIRECTIONS: Crush several pieces of chalk into small pebbles and place them in a
ziploc bag; have available the glass jars, bottled water, vinegar, timer, plastic spoons
and HANDOUTS 2-A, 2-B, 2-C.
ACTIVITY 3: GLACIER EROSION
MATERIALS: Modeling Clay (NOT Play Doh); large ice cubes; tray or cutting board; a
ziploc bag of sand.
DIRECTIONS: Roll the modeling clay into a 1 to 2 inch diameter ball; have available
the clay ball along with the other materials and HANDOUTS 3-A, 3-B, 3-C.
ACTIVITY 4: WAVE EROSION
MATERIALS: 2 large tinfoil pans; 2 ziploc bags of sand; two 8 oz bottles of water,
aprons.
DIRECTIONS: Have available the materials and HANDOUTS 4-A, 4-B, 4-C.
ACTIVITY 5: WATER EROSION
MATERIALS: Three 9” x 12” x 2” aluminum pans; three ziploc bags of aquarium sand;
three ziploc bags of pea size aquarium gravel; six 1” x 2” x 12” wooden blocks cut from
a standard 1” x 2” board; three 12 oz cups with a pencil-sized hole in the center of the
bottom (punch a pencil through the bottom of the cups from the outside).
DIRECTIONS: Have available the materials and HANDOUTS 5-A, 5-B, 5-C.
ACTIVITY 6: WIND EROSION
MATERIALS: Plastic or cardboard container approximately 12” wide by 20” long by 10”
deep, but not smaller than this; a piece of poster paper (not black or white) large
enough to cover the bottom of the container; ziploc bag of white aquarium sand; 1/3
cup measuring cup; two-speed hair dryer; two timers; yardstick; black marker.
DIRECTIONS: Cut the piece of poster paper to fit the bottom of the container. Use
the black marker to draw a 5” diameter circle in the center of the poster paper and place
it in the container. Have available the materials and HANDOUTS 6-A, 6-B, 6-C.
ACTIVITY 7: SINK HOLE
MATERIALS: Four 8½ oz styrofoam cups; 4 larger containers (at least as deep as the
cups are tall and somewhat larger in diameter); 3” x 3” “Sticky-Notes” pad ; ziploc bag
of Extra Super Fine Granular sugar; ziploc bag of aquarium sand; ziploc bag of pea
size aquarium gravel; ziploc bag of clay (dug from a clay bank and pulverized);ziploc
bag of sand, clay, gravel mixture; eight 8 oz bottles of water; a funnel; a timer; 2
tablespoons, one labeled A ( for Sugar) and one labeled B (for other Materials); ¼”
thick Scotch-Brite abrasive pad; sharp thin-blade knife; scissors; “Gorilla” tape; and
HANDOUTS 7-A, 7-B, 7-C.
DIRECTIONS: Use the knife to cut an opening the size of a quarter in the bottoms of
the styrofoam cups; label one cup SAND, one GRAVEL, one CLAY, and one SANDGRAVEL-CLAY (use equal amounts, approximately 1/3 cup of each); use scissors to
cut squares of abrasive pad the same size as the bottom diameter of the styrofoam
cups; use a single ¼” wide strip of “Gorilla” tape to tape the abrasive squares under the
cups; have available these cups, the other materials and HANDOUTS 7-A, 7-B, 7-C.