Build your own glacier and explore!
Scientific Theme(s):
Physical Science
*Motion and Forces
Earth Science
* Forces that Shape the Earth
Grade Level(s):
6-8
9-12
Lesson Duration: Two 1 hour lessons
Overview
Students will construct their own glaciers out of flubber, a material that exhibits viscous flow like a glacier, but
moves at a much faster rate. Using their flubber-glacier models, students will work in small groups to make
predictions and conduct simple experiments exploring how a glacier’s slope, thickness, and bed conditions will
affect flow rates.
Objectives
1. Understand that glaciers move via both viscous flow and basal sliding.
2. Understand that a warming climate creates more water input at the glacier base, resulting in faster sliding.
3. Understand that glacier thickness, bed condition, and slope affect movement rate.
Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) Addressed
1. Science as Inquiry and Process
a. [6-8] SA1.1 - The student demonstrates an understanding of the processes of science by asking
questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, classifying, making generalizations, inferring,
and communicating.
b. [6-12] SA1.2 - The student demonstrates an understanding of the processes of science by
collaborating to design and conduct simple repeatable investigations.
2. Concepts of Physical Science
a. [9-12] SB4.1 - The student demonstrates an understanding of motions, forces, their characteristics,
relationships, and effects by explaining the relationship of motion to an object’s mass and the applied
force.
Required Background
1. Basic knowledge of glaciers (see the National Snow and Ice Data Center website).
2. The scientific method (observing, questioning, predicting, gathering data, making conclusions).
Vocabulary
1. Mass
2. Velocity
3. Lubrication
4. Friction
5. Slope
6. Viscous flow
Materials
Day 1
1. Glaciers! Introduction video: download at www.gilbertresearch.org/outreach/podcast/
2. Materials for making flubber glaciers: 1 set for each group of 3-5 students
 Glacier bases: PVC piping or cardboard mailing tube, cut in half to form 2 open troughs
 4 tsp. Borax
 2 cups Elmer’s glue
 Food coloring
 1.5 cups + 1 cup warm water
 I small + 1 medium mixing bowl
3. Newspaper or butcher paper to cover tables
4. Paper towels for cleanup
5. Ziploc bags
6. Sharpie markers
Day 2
1. Flubber from Day 1
2. Sharpie markers
3. Rulers
4. Scissors
5. Sandpaper
6. Vegetable oil
7. Round toothpicks
8. Newspaper or butcher paper to cover tables
9. Paper towels for lubrication and cleanup
Activity Preparation and Procedure
Day 1: Introduction to glaciers
1. Watch the glacier video (15 min.)
2. Discuss how changing the glacier’s slope, thickness (mass), and lubrication of the bed might affect how fast it
moves (velocity). Ensure students understand that velocity= distance/time (V=D/T) (5 min.)
3. How might a warming climate change the thickness and lubrication at the base? (5 min.)
4. Divide students into groups of 3-5.
5. Make flubber! Each group of will make two batches: one white and one dyed with food coloring (20-30 min.)
Flubber Recipe
Mixture 1:
¾ cup warm water
1 cup Elmer’s glue
*food coloring, for the colored recipe
Mixture 2:
2 tsp. borax
½ cup warm water.
- Make mixture 1 in a small bowl.
- Make mixture 2 in a medium bowl.
- Pour mixture 1 into mixture 2 and knead it gently with your hands (this is the fun part!)
- Be sure to make the white flubber before the colored flubber.
6. While the students are mixing up their flubber, the teacher can set up a demonstration glacier. It should look
something like this:
7. Allow students to observe the glacier “flow” so they can get a feel for how flubber behaves (5 min.)
8. Clean up, and store the flubber in labeled Ziploc bags for Day 2.
Day 2: Experimenting with the flubber glacier models
1. Working in the same groups as Day 1, students will predict how:
a. changing the slope of the glacier will change its speed
b. changing the lubrication at the base of the glacier will change its speed
c. changing the thickness of the glacier will change its speed
2. Each group will conduct experiments to address their predictions (10-15 minutes each)
a. Use the student worksheet provided as a guide. Remind students that velocity= distance/time.
b. To determine velocity, use a ruler to measure how far the flubber moves in a given amount of time.
c. For at least one of the experiments, stick toothpicks into the flubber. On the back of the worksheet,
draw how the toothpicks move and/or change direction during the experiment.
d. Conclusions: write a paragraph about what factors can change the speed of a glaciers’ movement.
3. Groups may continue on to the complementary activities if time permits.
Assessment
1. Write a paragraph explaining what factors change the speed of glacial movement, and how they do so.
Complementary Activities and Extension Ideas
1. Pull a piece of flubber until it breaks. What evidence of this “pull until it breaks” property can we see in
real glaciers (think crevasses and ice falls)?
2. Toothpick exercise extension questions:
a. What do you think the observed pattern means in regards to how fast the flubber is flowing at the
surface vs. the bed of the glacier, and in the center vs. the edges of the glacier?
b. How can we explain this pattern based on viscous flow and friction along the sides and bed of the
glacier? What evidence can we see of this in real glaciers (think moraines)?
3. Glacier races! Based on knowledge gained from the experiments, each group designs the ultimate
speedy glacier based on glacier slope, base lubrication, and thickness. Then, have a race between groups
to see whose glacier reaches the bottom of the trough/bed first.
4. Glacier symposium: each group may create a poster presenting their questions, predictions,
experiments, and results to the rest of the class. Older students may compliment the poster with a
complete written scientific report.
References
National Snow & Ice Data Center, basic information about glaciers:
http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glaciers/information.html
Glacier Exploration Worksheet
Name:_________________________
Date:__________________________
What do you think will happen in the following scenarios?
Prediction 1: I think the flubber glacier will move______________ (fill in the blank with FASTER or
SLOWER) if the slope becomes steeper.
Prediction 2: I think the flubber glacier will move ______________ (fill in the blank with FASTER or
SLOWER) if the bed is more lubricated.
Prediction 3: I think the flubber glacier will move_______________ (fill in the blank with FASTER or
SLOWER) if the glacier is initially thicker.
Velocity Tables
1. Thickness test: Make two glaciers of different thicknesses. Record the thicknesses below. Keep the slopes and base
lubrications the same. Record how far and how fast the glaciers travel. Remember that V=D/T.
Mass- thick (__cm deep)
Mass-thin (__cm deep)
Distance:
Time:
Velocity:
Distance:
Time:
Velocity:
2. Basal conditions/lubrication test: Make three glaciers, one with vegetable oil rubbed on the base of the chute, one
with sandpaper laid on the base of the chute, and one in the normal chute. Record how far and fast each glacier travels.
Oiled Base
Sandpaper Base
Normal Base
Distance:
Time:
Velocity:
Distance:
Time:
Velocity:
Distance:
Time:
Velocity:
3. Slope test: Make two glaciers, one tilted at a steep angle, and one laid more shallowly. Record how far and fast the
glaciers travel.
Slope – shallow
Slope – steep
Distance:
Time:
Velocity:
Distance:
Time:
Velocity:
4. Flubber glacier model with toothpicks: What happened?
5. Conclusions: