Earth’s Changing Surface
Main Learning Goal for the lesson:
The Earth has recognizable landforms caused by processes of pulling apart and
coming together of plate boundaries, erosion and weathering.
Focus Questions:

What does the surface of the earth look like?

Why do South America and Africa look like they fit together?

How do mountains form?
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How do mountains get smaller?
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When mountains get smaller, where does the material go?

What processes cause Earth’s landforms to change over time?
Science ideas:
The Earth is composed of many layers. The outermost layer has plates that move.
1. Earth is made of three layers: core, mantel, and crust.
2. Thin crust holds landforms (continents, islands, oceans).
3. The crust is broken into pieces.
4. The pieces come together and pull apart.
Some of the processes that change the Earth’s surface result in the building up of surface
landforms. These processes include the coming together and pulling apart of plate boundaries.
1.
2.
3.
4.
The earth’s hard surface (crust) is made up of sections called plates.
These plates are floating on molten material that allows them to move.
Some plates pull apart and some come together at the plate boundaries.
When plates come together there is a buildup of land.
Some of the processes that change Earth’s surface result in the tearing down of surface
landforms. These processes include weathering and erosion. One result of erosion is deposition,
which causes surface landforms to be built up.
1. Weathering loosens material but does not move it.
2. Major weathering processes are mechanical, chemical, and biotic:
a. wind
b. water
c. plants
d. freezing/thawing.
Some of the processes that change Earth’s surface result in the tearing down of surface
landforms. These processes include weathering and erosion. One result of erosion is deposition,
which causes surface landforms to be built up.
1. Rock particles loosened by weathering are moved to another place through erosion.
2. The particles end up in another place through deposition. Material does not disappear.
3. Smaller particles travel farther than larger particles.
Earth's landforms change because the surface sits on moving plates. This movement results in
earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains. The landforms wear down due to weathering and
erosion. This material is moved to new locations through deposition.
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Idea: Some landform changes happen quickly, and some take millions of years.
Watch slideshow:
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/rocks-mineralslandforms/landforms.htm
http://geology.com/plate-tectonics.shtml
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/rocks-minerals-landforms/weatheringand-erosion.htm
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1205/es1205page01
.cfm?chapter_no=visualization
http://nhb-arcims.si.edu/ThisDynamicPlanet/index.html
http://www.kineticcity.com/mindgames/warper/