Pepperdine University Lesson Template Instructional Design/Sublette
Lesson Title: Erosion
Students: 4th Grade
Time: 65 minutes
Materials:
 KWL Chart (1 per student – ELL students will have a variation with sentence
frames and a word bank)
 Computer/Bill Nye Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JULcVdeqgE
 Transparencies of eroded landforms (Grand Canyon, mountains, rivers, etc.)
 Large clear plastic bins (6 total – 1 for teacher/5 for student groups)
 Sand
 Watering cans (5 total)
 Broom/Dustpan (this could get messy)
Standards: 4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence
of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
Measurable Objectives: Students will be able to identify the physical effects of
erosion on landforms and justify that natural elements, such as wind or water,
promote that land change to create a meaningful and accurate definition of erosion.
Concepts/Skills Prerequisites: Students should possess a previous knowledge of
various landforms: mountains, rock, soil, rivers, etc and a previous lesson on
weathering.
Introduction:
(time) 2 minutes
Today we are going to be talking about erosion and we will conduct an experiment to
show how wind and water erode landforms.
Anticipatory Set: Does anyone know what the word erosion means? By the end of
today’s lesson, everyone is going to be able to give me a definition!
Instructional Procedures:
(time) 35 minutes
The Teacher Will:
TTW pass out the KWL chart and tell the students, “Today we are going to be talking
about erosion.”
TSW write “Erosion” as the topic on the KWL chart and begin filling out the What I
Know column (students should include at least 3 items in all columns).
TTW ask for volunteers to give examples of “what they know” about erosion and
write those examples on the board, making a “master” KWL chart.
TSW turn to their partner for two minutes to discuss the What I Wonder column and
write down at least 3 items on their chart.
TTW ask for volunteers to give examples of what the students “wonder” about
erosion and write those examples on the board in the next column of the KWL chart.
TSW watch the Bill Nye Erosion Video.
TTW define erosion as “A type of weathering (previous lesson) in which surface soil
and rock are worn away through the action of water and wind,” (dictionary.com).
TTW show examples of erosion by using transparencies of the Grand Canyon and
various mountain patterns that have been eroded.
TTW remind the students that mountains and rivers are examples of erosion because
parts of their surface have been taken away by wind and water and point out where
on the landforms you can see these effects.
TTW tell the students that today they are going to focus on erosion by wind and water
and conduct an experiment to show this process.
TTW stand at the front of the room with a big bin. Inside the bin is a large mound of
sand.
TTW blow on the sand (or use a small fan) to represent wind and its effects on the
mound.
TSW turn to their partner to determine what the mound and fan/blowing
represented. (The students should conclude that the mound represented a mountain
and the fan/blowing represented the wind).
TSW describe what they saw. (The students should determine that the wind carried
parts of the mound away – or eroded the mountain – causing the mountain to change
form).
TTW tell the students that they are now going to conduct their own experiment to
show how wind, and then water, erode landforms.
Check for understanding? TSW discuss with their partners what they saw in the
“wind” experiment and provide answers to the teacher orally as a class. If the
students determine that the wind took away part of the sand to change the landform
of the mound, then they have an understanding and will be able to conduct this
experiment on their own.
The Student Will:
(time) 20 minutes
TSW have a big clear bin in front of them that has a pile of sand inside.
TSW form the sand into a mountain form.
TSW blow on the sand to show how wind erodes land shapes. (Students will be
surrounding the bin; therefore, the “wind” will be coming from multiple angles.)
TSW stop to talk with their group about what they saw and walk around to 1 other
group to note the differences between the two “mountains” even though they
experienced similar types of erosion.
TSW go back to their bins and again form the sand into a mountain form.
TSW use a watering can to slowly pour water on the top of the mound of sand.
TSW stop to talk with their group about what they saw and draw a conclusion as to
what the watering can represented. (The students should conclude that the water
represented rain.)
TSW walk to 1 other group to note the differences between the two “mountains” even
though they experienced similar types of erosion.
Check for understanding? TTW walk around the classroom and ask the students what
they saw in their experiments. TSW tell the teacher the differences they observed
between the wind and water tests. TSW also note that erosion patterns are different
from one another by observing the difference between other students’ experiments.
Close of lesson:
(time) 5 minutes
The students will complete the What I Learned portion of the KWL chart and provide
at least 3 items. One item must be a definition of the word erosion written in the
students’ own words. TSW share some of their answers for What I Learned.
Tomorrow we will be discussing other types of erosion, including erosion by waves,
chemicals and even humans. I want you to go home and think of one way that waves,
chemicals or humans cause erosion. You can use the internet, ask a relative or friend
or even make a guess. Tomorrow we will share our ideas to start our lesson.
Assessment: TTW use the KWL charts as a visual map of the students’ learning of the
activity. Each student should have a definition of the word erosion in the What I
Learned column of the KWL chart.
Differentiation: ELL Students will be allowed to draw pictures on their KWL chart,
rather than write sentences. The ELL students will be placed in groups that have
students at higher proficiency levels, so that the ELL students can learn from their
peers and use their peers to promote their own learning. The What I Learned portion
of the ELL students’ KWL chart will have sentence frames and a word bank.
Reflection: TBD once lesson is taught.