Note: Students can write in the Weathering and Response Notebook.
(Adapted from Science and Children, Science Shorts, October 2004)
Look carefully at the photograph of the Grand Canyon. Then answer the following questions:
1. How do you think the Grand Canyon was formed?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. Why do you think it has gotten deeper and wider over time?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. How long do you think it took for the Grand Canyon to form?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Materials: plastic deli bowl, sandy soil, toothpick, 5 oz. paper cup, 100 mL water, graduated cylinder or measuring cup, ruler, blue tray
Directions:
1. Use the Response Notebook or label a page in your journal/notebook as Station
# 1.
2. Fill a small deli bowl completely full with sandy soil and pat it down.
3. Place a blue tray over the top of the deli bowl and hold it in place. Then turn it over so that the tray is on the bottom sitting on a table or desk and the deli bowl is on top and upside down.
4. Remove the deli bowl and smooth the sand flat if needed to f orm a “plain.”
5. Measure the beginning width of the plain at its base in centimeters and record.
6. Measure the beginning height of the plain in centimeters and record.
7. Use a toothpick to make 9 small holes in the bottom of the paper cup from the inside cup bottom to the outside.
8. Use a graduated cylinder or measuring cup to measure l00 mL of water.
9. Hold a ruler vertically next to the “plain”. (one student)
10. Hold the paper cup with holes 30 cm above the “plain”. (second student)
11. Pour the 100 mL of water into the cup with holes as second student moves the cup over the “plain” to simulate rain. (third student)
12. Observe what happens.
13. Measure the ending width of the base of the plain and its tallest ending height.
14. Record observations and measurements on the Station # 1 page.
15. Answer the following questions: a.
What happened when it “rained” on the “plain”? b. How does the data collected support what happened? c. How was this related to weathering and erosion?

Materials: 8 oz. tall clear cup, sandy soil, toothpick, 5 oz. paper cup, 100 mL water, graduated cylinder or measuring cup, ruler
Directions:
1. Use the Response Notebook or label a page in your journal/notebook as Station
# 2.
2. Fill an 8 oz. tall clear cup full with sandy soil. Pat the sandy soil down and add more if needed to shape the sandy soil into a “mountain.”
3. Place a blue tray over the top of the tall clear cup holding the sandy soil
“mountain” and hold it in place. Then turn the tray over so that it is on the bottom sitting on a table or desk at the station and the clear tall cup forming a mountain shape is on top and upside down.
4. Remove the clear cup and mound the sandy soil if needed to form a “mountain.”
5. Measure the beginning height of the “mountain” in centimeters and record.
6. Use a toothpick to make 9 small holes in the bottom of the paper cup.
7. Measure l00 mL of water in a graduated cylinder or measuring cup.
8. Hold a rul er vertically next to the “mountain”. (one student)
9. One student: Hold the cup with holes 30 centimeters above the mountain.
10. Second student: Gently pour the 100 mL of water into the cup with holes.
11. Pour the 100 mL of water into the cup with holes as second student moves the cup over the “mountain” to simulate rain. (third student)
12. Observe what happens and record observations on your Station # 2 page.
13.
Measure the ending height of the “mountain” in centimeters and record.
14. Answer the following questions: a.
What happened when it “rained” on the “mountain” with no grass? b. How does the data collected, support what happened? c. How was this model simulation related to weathering and erosion?

Materials: 8 oz. clear cup, sand, toothpick, 5 oz paper cup, water, nose tissue
(“Kleenex”)
Directions:
1. Use the Response Notebook or label a page in your journal/notebook as Station
# 3.
2. Fill an 8 oz. tall clear cup full with sandy soil. Pat the sandy soil down and add more if needed to shape the sandy soil into a “mountain.”
3. Place a blue tray over the top of the tall clear cup holding the sandy soil
“mountain” and hold it in place. Then turn the tray over so that it is on the bottom sitting on a table or desk at the station and the clear tall cup forming a mountain shape is on top and upside down.
4. Remove the clear cup and mound the sandy soil if needed to form a “mountain.”
5. Pretend to grow grass all over the mountain by covering it with a “Kleenex”. Pat the “Kleenex” down so that it is touching the sandy soil everywhere.
6. Use a toothpick to make 9 small holes in the bottom of the paper cup.
7. Fill a second cup with water.
8. One student: Hold the cup with holes 30 centimeters above the mountain.
9. Second student: Gently pour the water from the other cup into the cup with holes.
10. Observe what happens and record observations in your science journal.
11. Answer the following questions: a.
What happened when it “rained” on the “grassy mountain”? b. How does the data collected, support what happened? c. How was this model simulation related to weathering and erosion?

Materials: sugar cubes, blue tray, clay, water, cup, book
Directions:
1. Use the Response Notebook or label a page in your journal/notebook as Station
# 4.
2. Pat the clay into a pancake and place it in the tray to represent a river bottom.
3. Measure and record the width and height of the sugar cubes.
4. Place six sugarcube “rocks,” three each in two rows, on the clay river bottom.
5. Prop one end of the tray on a book to elevate it.
6. Gently pour half of the cup of water from the elevated end of the tray so that the water flows like a river through the rocks.
7. Observe what happens and record observations in your science journal.
8. Measure the width and height of the sugar cubes again.
9. Answer the following questions: a.
How were the “rocks” changed? b. What is your evidence? c. Where did the “rock” fragments go? d. How does this model simulation represent weathering and erosion? e. Where might you see a similar type of weathering in nature?

Materials: safety goggles, sheet of newspaper, paper box lid, cup of sand,
Directions:
1. Use the Response Notebook or label a page in your journal/notebook as Station
# 5.
2. All group members put on safety goggles.
3. Open a sheet of newspaper in the center of the table.
4. Place a paper box lid on the center of the newspaper.
5. Cut an opening 6 cm by 7.5 cm in the center of one long end of the box lid.
6. Mark a line 8 cm from this end across the width of the box.
7. Pour of a cup of sand into that same end of the lid covering the area from the edge of the lid to the 8 cm line.
8. Have one member put his or her hand inside the other end of the box, open palm facing the pile of sand.
9. Have another member blow gently on the sand through the 6 by 7.5 cm opening, and then blow harder until the sand hits the other member’s open palm.
10. Repeat until all team members have felt the sand hitting their palms.
11. Describe how the sand felt blowing against the palm of your hand in your journal.
12. Observe and compare the original pile of sand with the pile blown to the other end of the box by rubbing some of the sand between your fingers.
13. How has the original pile changed (location, shape, etc.)?
14. How are the textures of the sand different?
15. Answer the following questions: a. How were the “rocks” changed? b. What is the evidence? c. Where might you see a similar type of weathering in nature?

Follow up questions:
1. What is weathering?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. In which part(s) of the stations did you observe weathering?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. What is erosion?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
4. In which part(s) of the stations did you observe erosion?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

5. Comparing results from stations 2 and 3, what is a way to keep erosion from happening?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
6. What is the most interesting discovery you made from these station activities?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Home Learning: Expository Writing Prompt:
Weathering and erosion change the Earth’s surface over time. Write a multi-paragraph essay describing the various ways that weathering and erosion change the Earth’s surface. Choose a location such as Florida’s coastline or the Grand Canyon.