Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
Kristina Golden
Fallstaff Elementary Middle School, Grade 6, Earth Science
Context:
This would be the first two weeks of a five to six week unit at the beginning of the year focused
on materials and processes that shape the planet. After beginning the unit with the second about
weathering, erosion, and deposition, the unit will continue with two to three weeks focused on the
three types of rock, sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. Students will learn which processes form
these types of rocks, and finally complete the unit by studying how it all fits together as part of the rock
cycle.
Essential Questions:
•
How does weathering affect the Earth’s surface?
•
What are the effects of physical and chemical weathering?
•
What are the agents of physical and chemical weathering?
•
How are physical weathering and chemical weathering different? …the same?
Day and Objective
Instruction, Activity, Assessment
Instruction:
In order to introduce this topic, I will show students a movie I
created using www.Animoto.com showing a number of eyecatching pictures of various natural land formations, such as
canyons, deserts, cliffs, mesas, and other interesting photos
such as the southwest United States (Grand Canyon, Arches,
etc.). I will then have the students journal for a timed two
Day 1
minutes using descriptive language to brainstorm any ideas,
impressions, strong visuals images, feelings, etc. that stand out
to them. I will then show them a PowerPoint Presentation of
By the end of this lesson,
photos manmade objects such as statues, the Pyramids and
students will be able to define
weathering and explain the effect Sphinx (which we learn about in Social Studies, as well),
gargoyles, fountains, buildings, etc. that have been affected by
weathering has on natural and
wreathing. The class will then have a discussion as to why
manmade objects on the planet
those objects look the way they do and what could have
over time.
caused them to weather over time.
Activity:
Students will read the introductory chapter in their textbook
on weathering in groups and complete a brief vocabulary and
critical thinking worksheet based on the information they read
from the textbook.
Assessment:
Students will be shown photographs in a FlipChart
presentation of various objects and structures, natural and
manmade. The students will be assessed informally as they are
asked to come up to the screen and using the Promethean pen,
circle and annotate the photograph to show places where the
object has weather and write a speculation as to why this
would have occurred. This will lead into the next lesson about
the different kinds of weathering.
Instruction:
After assessing prior knowledge and reviewing material from
yesterday through a warm-up activity, I will introduce the new
material of this lesson by showing students a brief segment of
“Basics of Geology: Erosion and Weathering,” a video found
on www.DiscoveryEducation.com.
Activity:
Using FlipChart, I will create an interactive venn diagram where
students will be able to classify various terms as either
Day 2
“chemical weathering” or “physical weathering.” They will be
able to do this based on the knowledge gained by watching the
video and reading the chapter in their textbook dealing with
By the end of this lesson,
chemical versus physical weathering. We will read the chapter
students will be able to
distinguish between physical and as a class, and when students read about a term they notice is
chemical weathering and explain on the list, they will determine where that word should go on
the venn diagram. Students will then choose four words or
the difference between the
physical and chemical weathering concepts from their venn diagram that are new to them and
define, describe, and discuss each word on the back of their
general processes.
worksheet. They will also provide a sketch, diagram, or visual
representation of each term, if possible.
Assessment:
Students will complete brief exit ticket without looking at their
venn diagram. They will write down and classify three terms
they remember having to do with physical weathering and
three about chemical weathering. This will help prepare the
students for the lesson tomorrow talking about more specific
types of physical and chemical weathering.
Instruction:
After a warm-up reviewing what the students learned about
the two different types of weathering, I will introduce the new
By the end of the lesson, students material of this lesson by first reading a brief story to the
will be able to explain and
students. I will recreate this story in a digital storytelling
distinguish between the causes of medium such as My Story Maker so that the students can
Day 3
mechanical weathering include
freezing and thawing, release of
pressure, plant growth, actions of
animals, and abrasion.
follow along as I read and see the digital pages turn as we go.
The story deals with a scenario in which mechanical
weathering of all types is taking place in a town and what
happens over time. I can use Google Sketch-Up and create a
movie to show the “before” and “after.” The class will then
discuss what events in the story could be caused by weathering
and what kind of weathering that might be. Then, the five
types of mechanical weathering will be introduced to the
students using the textbook and they will take brief notes
regarding the definition and basic process of each.
Activity:
I will divide the class into five groups. Each group will be
assigned one type of mechanical weathering and have a
computer or laptop to use. Each group will be responsible for
creating a PowerPoint or FlipChart presentation, movie in
MovieMaker, or another type of digital presentation including
photographs, diagrams, and other images that apply to that
type of weathering. Photographs should actually show the
type of weathering that is being discussed so that other
students can understand the impact. Students will define each
type again and use the photographs to explain how the process
works. Students will be give a list of good websites to use as
they search for pictures and information, and will also be
shown what search terms might yield the information they are
looking for.
Assessment:
Students will teach the class using the presentation they
creating and field questions from their peers.
Day 4
By the end of the lesson, students
will be able to explain and
distinguish between the causes of
Continue above
mechanical weathering include
freezing and thawing, release of
pressure, plant growth, actions of
animals, and abrasion.
Day 5
Continue above
By the end of the lesson, students Assessment:
will be able to explain and
distinguish between the causes of
mechanical weathering include
freezing and thawing, release of
pressure, plant growth, actions of
animals, and abrasion.
Students will complete a graded independent assignment
based on the notes they took and information they learned
during the group presentations. This will be open-note and
open book, but will ask students to explain the processes they
learned in writing and by using illustrations.
Instruction:
I will introduce this lesson with a Google Earth tour of various
places around the world that show the effects of erosion and
deposition. I will be sure to include places such as the canyons,
river deltas, deserts, valleys, and glacial topography to give the
students a visual overview of what they will be studying during
the next few days. Students will then be introduced to an
Day 6
interactive Rock Cycle created in FlipChart which we will use
By the end of the lesson, students throughout the unit and refer back to. We will use pictures
will be able to explain how
and words provided on the presentation to fill in blanks on the
erosion differs from weathering
rock cycle diagram. Students will start to get a feel for how
and what impact erosion will
weathering and erosion fit in the bigger picture of geological
have on natural and man-made
formation.
surfaces and landscapes on Earth.
Students will also be able to
Activity:
define and explain how sediment Using the information from class and the textbook, students
is laid down when deposition
will begin an annotated diagram of the rock cycle they can
occurs.
refer back to and add to for the rest of the unit. They will fill in
the information they already know about weathering and leave
spaces for the things they have not yet learned about erosion,
deposition, and the types of rock formation.
Assessment:
Students must be able to verbally explain the difference
between weathering and erosion before they can leave class.
“Weathering breaks material apart, erosion carries material
away.”
Day 7
By the end of this lesson,
students will be able to explain
how natural forces such as
glaciers, waves, mass movement,
water, and wind carry away rock
fragments to different points on
the Earth’s surface.
Instruction and Activity:
Students will be divided into five groups. Groups will travel to
stations around the room that will each have several
photographs to look at. Each station will also have a laptop
with a different video segment to watch from
www.DiscoveryEducation.com , and a physical rock if possible.
Students will watch the video, examine the photographs and
rock, and then try to determine what type of wreathing is
being shown at each station. Students will write down their
guesses at each station and provide a paragraph explanation
about their decision.
Assessment:
The class will verbally informally share the information they
collected and determine which groups guessed the stations
correctly. Students will self-correct their thinking and ask
questions in preparation for the lesson tomorrow.
Instruction:
Students will read the section of the textbook relating to each
type of erosion and complete the guided note-taking outline
worksheet in order to have the notes important for the final
test. The worksheet provides spaces for sketches and diagrams
to be completed, along with notes and graphic organizers to
help students better remember the information.
Day 8
By the end of this lesson,
students will be able to explain
how natural forces such as
glaciers, waves, mass movement,
water, and wind carry away rock
fragments to different points on
the Earth’s surface.
Activity:
Each group from yesterday will be given a computer or laptop
to use and told to use the internet to find at least three stories
pertaining to events that have occurred to humans as a result
of erosion. These could be stories of landslides, mudslides,
flooding, avalanches, sinkholes, etc. Students will document
the articles they find using APA format (provided and
previously taught) and will then share the articles they found
with the rest of the class, giving a verbal explanation of the
article and event. The class will try to decide what type of
erosion they think each event illustrates.
Assessment:
Students will write a summary and explanation in their journals
of the processes that caused one of the events their group
researched and discussed during the activity. Using vocabulary
and scientific terms, students will trace the cause and
consequences of the event.
Day 9
By the end of this lesson,
students will be able to explain
how natural forces such as
glaciers, waves, mass movement,
water, and wind carry away rock
fragments to different points on
Instruction:
I will create a FlipChart that allows students to interact with
various landforms and match up the type of erosion they think
caused that type of landform. I will provide several diagrams
and pictures and allow different students each time to come to
the Earth’s surface.
the board to try to match up glaciers, waves, mass movement,
water, and wind to different landforms they see on the screen.
Activity:
Using the textbook and internet resources (that students will
view in groups as they rotate to the computer throughout
class) students will create a colored, annotated flip-book of
different landforms. Each page will have a picture, sketched by
the student, and the back will explain the type of erosion that
has caused that landform and the natural process that
occurred.
Assessment:
Students will peer-review one another’s flip-books and provide
written comments praise-question-polish style on a separate
piece of paper. The flip-books will be graded, as well.
Instruction:
Now that students have learned the different types of
weathering and erosion, and learned the difference between
weathering and erosion processes, they are prepared to add
more information to their understanding of the rock cycle. The
class will use the FlipChart interactive rock cycle diagram to
add more terms and explanations related to erosion, and
students will add these to their individual posters.
Day 10
By the end of this lesson,
students will be able to explain
how natural forces such as
glaciers, waves, mass movement,
water, and wind carry away rock
fragments to different points on
the Earth’s surface.
Activity:
Students will be given a choice to work individually or in a pair
to use one of the following programs to create a presentation
that describes - in writing or recorded voice accompanying
visuals - one type of erosion, the landforms that result, where
that erosion type is most common, what causes it, what the
consequences are to humans, etc.
 Google Sketch-Up
 Google Earth
 Go Animate
 Animoto
 MovieMaker
 A digital storytelling program
 PowerPoint
 FlipChart
Assessment:
Students will present their creation to the class.
Summative Assessment: I would give the students a choice project at the end of the unit (after they
have learned about different types of rocks and rock formation, and the rest of the rock cycle) where
they would have to demonstrate their comprehensive understanding of the entire rock cycle and how
all the processes fit together. In trying to allow students the most exposure to technology, I will design
the final assessment options around various technology options available to my students. Below are
some of the menu choices I may provide for such a summative assessment.
Research Paper – Students must research one particular geographic region on earth we have talked
about in class (or another region to be approved by teacher), for example the Sahara desert, the
Mississippi River watershed and delta, the Chesapeake Bay region, Amazon River and Rain Forest,
Southwestern United States, etc. in order to explain how each step of the rock cycle applies to the
specific actions that occur in that region on a regular basis. Students must use at least five credible
research sources to answer the questions: What types of weathering occur most often? Why? What
natural landforms in this area are a result of the rock cycle? How did they form? How are they
changing over time and why? What type of rock is most prevalent in this area? Why? What is the
geologic history of the region and how does this account for how it looks today? With teacher
guidance, the paper must be typed and peer or teacher edited.
FlipChart or PowerPoint – Students can create a FlipChart or PowerPoint presentation including
photographs and images that addresses the same topic and questions as the research report (above).
Google Earth Movie – Students must use Google Earth to create a movie which visits at least ten places
on earth that show an example of a process we discussed in the unit that is part of the rock cycle. For
example, the Grand Canyon would show an example of erosion due to water movement. The movie
must either have a recording of the student explaining the significance of each place, or a pop-up
written explanation of each site.
FlipChart or PowerPoint – Students can create a FlipChart or PowerPoint presentation including
photographs and images that addresses the same topic and questions as the Google Earth Movie
(above). The presentation would show a picture and include the same type of written explanation as
the movie requires.
GoAnimate or other animation – Students can create a digital animation of a lecturer or teacher (or
other person in appropriate situation) teaching about the rock cycle to someone who has very little
background knowledge. The student will anticipate the questions this person will have and include
those into the animation, along with the answers from the teacher.
Google Sketchup – Students may create a building on a landscape in Google Sketchup. Then, the
student will provide a written explanation as to how weathering and erosion would affect that
landscape and that building in particular, specifically citing types of physical and chemical weathering
and explaining why these would have an effect on the building and what the long term consequences
of the rock cycle would be on the man-made elements of the landscape.
____________________________________________________________________________________
VSC CONTENT INDICATORS AND OBJECTIVES
A. Materials and Processes That Shape A Planet
2. Cite evidence to demonstrate and explain that physical weathering and chemical weathering cause
changes to earth materials.
a. Identify examples of physical weathering, such as the effect of wind, ice, etc. and describe the
changes caused in each.
b. Describe the changes in materials caused by each of the chemical weathering processes listed:
▪ Rusting/tarnishing
▪ Dissolving by acid rain