Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Ohio Standards
Connection:
Earth and Space Sciences
Benchmark E
Describe the processes that
contribute to the
continuous changing of
Earth’s surface (e.g.,
earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, erosion,
mountain building and
lithospheric plate
movements).
Indicator 13
Describe how landforms
are created through a
combination of destructive
(e.g., weathering and
erosion) and constructive
processes (e.g., crustal
deformation, volcanic
eruptions and deposition of
sediment).
Lesson Summary:
This lesson includes information about the destructive and
constructive processes that create landforms. Students will
locate information about geologic processes, draw pictures
and create a bulletin board. Students will review and use
key information in context by reading or presenting a play.
The play pits the Wizard of Destruction, representing
natural destructive processes, against a soldier trying to
protect a house built on the side of a mountain. The postassessment requires students to complete a metaphor or
create a comic strip.
Estimated Duration: Four hours
Commentary:
Given the vast array of geologic processes that impact the
Earth's lithosphere, student comprehension is a daunting
task. This novel lesson encourages student learning through
several forms of participation. First, students review
geologic processes through the construction of posters and
bulletin board displays. Then, students participate in a play
that demonstrates how the various geological processes are
continuous and concurrent.
This lesson was field tested by Ohio teachers. Some of the
teacher comments about this lesson follow:
 "This (play) was a genre that I had never used thinking
that the students would complain. They were so excited
and were happy to take parts and get to work completing
the activities. Some classes chose to make puppets and
stay behind a curtain while performing and others
wanted to act it out."
 "The performance of this play for other classes that were
studying the same (topic) helped pull the information
together and allowed for a very large group discussion
about land formations."
 "The play was challenging and fun."
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Pre-Assessment:
 Give copies of Attachment A, Pre-Assessment to students to complete.
Scoring Guideline:
 See Attachment B, Pre-Assessment Answers for appropriate responses to the PreAssessment.
 After checking student performance on the pre-assessment, determine the amount of
review necessary before presenting the topic.
Post-Assessment:
 Give copies of Attachment C, Post-Assessment to students.
 Instruct students to follow the directions on the handout and use the rubric to guide their
work
 You may revise the pre-assessment and use it as the post-assessment instrument.
Scoring Guideline:
 Use the rubric included in Attachment C, Post-Assessment to assess student work.
Instructional Procedures:
1. After checking over the pretest for student understanding, have students fill in the
correct answers and discuss any terms they may not understand. Tell students to keep
their pre-assessments and use them as future reference.
2.
Hand out the graphic organizer in Attachment D, The Ups and Downs of Land
Formation. Ask students what questions they might be able to answer using the
information.
Instructional Tip:
The information in Attachment D, The Ups and Downs of Land Formation is for student
reference. Students are not expected to memorize the lists. It is important to bring to their
attention that these processes do not occur in isolation. They are simultaneous and constant.
3.
Arrange students into groups of two to five. Assign one of the four main topics from
Attachment D, The Ups and Downs of Land Formation (deposition, crustal movement,
weathering or erosion) to each group. Have a student in each group choose one of the
key components to represent pictorially for a bulletin board or poster display. Allow
students to draw, cut out or download a picture. They should include a brief caption
identifying the process, agent or result and explaining how it fits into the diagram. For
example, if a group is assigned the topic of deposition and one of the students has the
key component of waves, that student could use a picture of a sandbar to explain how
waves deposit sand.
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
4.
Instruct student groups to assemble their displays so they help explain the four main
topics from Attachment D, The Ups and Downs of Land Formation.
5.
Have students display their work so that all students are able to learn about the various
processes impacting the Earth's lithosphere.
Instructional Tip:
Teachers may want to give students paper, or limit the size of drawings so the organizational
chart can be displayed on a bulletin board. The teacher should provide students with texts,
articles or the Internet to obtain information needed. This activity is not graded. The
objective is to familiarize students with the complexity of the forces shaping the lithosphere.
6.
7.
8.
8.
9.
Hand out copies of Attachment E, Mountains of Work Play. This is a play about the
processes described in Attachment D, The Ups and Downs of Land Formation.
Allow students to choose parts they may want to play and encourage them to choose an
appropriate audience for the play. Have students who have chosen not to perform help
with scenery, announcements, etc. If more than one student wants the same part, you
could have them compete for the part by writing persuasive paragraphs explaining why
they feel they would be best. They could then present their paragraphs to the class for a
vote.
When practicing the play, check for student understanding by having students pick out
constructive and destructive processes included in the play.
Present the play to your chosen audience.
Finish the lesson with the post-assessment.
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs to help all learners either meet the
intent of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the
specified indicator(s).
 The play format provides accessibility to all level of students. Those who do not want
speaking parts can help with props and direction. Reading the play aloud encourages all
students to take part and does not require any advanced reading skills.
Extensions:
 Have students create models to demonstrate examples of Earth's geologic processes.
Possibilities include the following:
 Use slanted trays with outlets and sand and gravel or diatomaceous earth to create
the land. Then use a watering can to create rivers.
 Make a volcano.
 Create a glacial outwash by freezing sand and water.
 Lead students on a walk around the outside of the school building and check for signs of
land destruction and construction.
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

Have students create a timeline of significant events of the birth and aging of the
Appalachian Mountains. Compare it to a timeline of the Rocky Mountains.
As an alternate post assessment, have students create their own comic strip showing the
constructive and destructive forces. A rubric would need to be developed, but it could be
student generated.
Homework Options and Home Connections:
 Encourage parents to help students learn their parts, create costumes and to come to the
presentation.
 Ask students to observe land destruction and construction as they travel with their
parents. If possible, students can take photos of these landforms to share with the class.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
 Language Arts: Rather than using a script that was created by the science teacher, work
with the language arts teacher to help students in small groups create their own play.
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of a specific resource in any lesson formulated by the Ohio Department of
Education should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that particular resource, or any of
its contents, by the Ohio Department of Education. The Ohio Department of Education does
not endorse any particular resource. The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main
page, therefore, it may be necessary to search within that site to find the specific information
required for a given lesson. Please note that information published on the Internet changes
over time, therefore the links provided may no longer contain the specific information related
to a given lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all sites before using them with students.
For the teacher: Attachment D, The Ups and Downs of Land Formation, Attachment E,
Mountains of Work Play (the play), signs to identify characters in the play,
props (if desired).
For the students: Attachment D, The Ups and Downs of Land Formation, Attachment E,
Mountains of Work Play (the play), signs to identify characters in the play,
props (if desired).
Vocabulary:
 destructive processes
 constructive processes
 erosion
 weathering
 deposition
 crustal movement
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Technology Connections:
Use the Internet to show students maps of actual changes taking place, such as deposition or
volcanic activity. Such images will be available at the Internet site of The United States
Geological Survey at www.usgs.gov.
Research Connections:
Marzano, R. et al. Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for
Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, 2001.
Identifying similarities and differences enhances students’ understanding of, and ability
to use, knowledge. This process includes comparing, classifying, creating metaphors and
creating analogies and may involve the following:
 Presenting students with explicit guidance in identifying similarities and
differences;
 Asking students to independently identify similarities and differences;
 Representing similarities and differences in graphic or symbolic form.
Nonlinguistic representations help students think about and recall knowledge. This
includes the following:
 Creating graphic representations (organizers);
 Making physical models;
 Generating mental pictures;
 Drawing pictures and pictographs;
 Engaging in kinesthetic activity.
Attachments:
Attachment A, Pre-Assessment
Attachment B, Pre-Assessment Answers
Attachment C, Post-Assessment
Attachment D, The Ups and Downs of Land Formation
Attachment E, Mountains of Work Play
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment A
Pre-Assessment
I. List the following words under the correct destructive or constructive force.
Water
Glacial
Mechanical
Gravity
Plutonic
Wind
Wind
Human Activity Compression
Water
Tension
Volcanic
Glacier
Compression
Destructive Processes
Weathering
Erosion
______________________
___________________________
______________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
Constructive Processes
Deposition
Crustal Deformation
______________________
___________________________
______________________
___________________________
______________________
___________________________
___________________________
II. Use the words in the list above to describe how the earth continually breaks down and
rebuilds itself.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment B
Pre-Assessment Answers
I. List the following words under the correct destructive or constructive force.
Destructive Processes
Weathering: chemical, mechanical
Erosion: wind, water, glacier, gravity, human activity
Constructive Processes
Deposition: water, glacial, wind
Crustal Deformation: compression, tension, plutonic, volcanic
II. Use the previous words to describe how the Earth continually breaks down and rebuilds
itself.
Chemical and mechanical weathering breaks down rock. The actions of wind, water, glaciers,
gravity and humans move the Earth to new areas by the process of erosion. Constructive
processes include deposition, when the wind, water and glaciers drop soil or rock particles in
new areas. Constructive processes also includes crustal uplift caused by compression,
tension, plutonic and volcanic forces.
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment C
Post-Assessment
A metaphor is a way of comparing two things that are not similar. Example: He is a toad.
Even though he is not a toad, the comparison helps us understand his looks and personality.
Maybe he is like a toad because he is short and squat, a silent watcher with beady eyes, and
not attractive. On a separate sheet of paper, create a metaphor for the constructive and
destructive processes that create the Earth’s landforms. Explain why it is a good one to
choose.
You will receive your best grade if you can use show a relationship between all four of the
key components that create new landforms and the object or process you chose to use as your
metaphor.
Scoring Guideline:
Student has written a metaphor and explained why it is a good
5 points
comparison to the Earth’s constructive and destructive processes. Student
has used information from all four processes (deposition, weathering,
crustal deformation and erosion), and the metaphor shows a clear
relationship between the constructive and destructive forces.
Student has written a metaphor and explained why it is a good
4 points
comparison to the Earth’s constructive and destructive processes. Student
has used only three of the key processes (deposition, weathering, crustal
deformation and erosion), or the relationship between the constructive
and destructive forces, though present, is could be more clearly stated.
Student has written a metaphor and explained why it is a good
3 points
comparison to the Earth’s constructive and destructive processes. Student
has used only two of the key processes (deposition, weathering, crustal
deformation, and erosion), and/or the relationship between the
constructive and destructive forces, though present, is somewhat unclear.
Student has written a metaphor, but not given a good explanation of the
2 points
processes involved.
Student has not written a metaphor but only explained the process. Or
1 point
the student has written a metaphor, but not shown the relationship to the
processes.
Example of a 5 point answer
The Forces Creating Land Forms Are Giant Recycling Plants
Just like a recycling plant, the destructive forces break down the original product. In the
recycling plant it might be newspaper or plastic. On the Earth it is rock being broken down
by mechanical and chemical weathering. As the material moves through the plant, it is like
the earth’s material being moved through erosion. Finally the materials are deposited
(deposition on the earth), and reassembled into a new product (paper or plastic object in the
recycling plant; layers of sedimentary rock deformed and uplifted to create a new mountain
or mountain range).
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment D
The Ups and Downs of Land Formation
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment E
Mountains of Work Play
Setting:
Students may decide to create a set, but the play can be performed without scenery. It will be
helpful to the audience to have students wear signs indicating their roles if they are not using
costumes.
The narrator stands to one side. The evil wizards and their minions sit on the opposite side.
The mountain (three students) is in the center. The soldier and engineer sit nearby until it is
their turn to speak. Then they rise and stand in front of the mountain. Other characters enter
from either side.
Characters (14 or more):
Costumes are optional.
Minions should wear signs designating their roles and carry tools.
Three students playing the mountain should have bits of paper or packaging peanuts taped to
their clothes.










Narrator
The Wizard of Destruction (WOD)
Handsome Soldier
Home-Loving General
Beautiful Engineer
Destruction’s Minions:
 Weathering:
 Physical (hammer)
 Chemical (bottle of acid)
 Erosion:
 Wind (balloon)
 Water (squirt gun)
 Glaciers (ice cubes)
 Gravity (weight)
Wizard of Construction (WOC)
Construction’s Minions:
 Deposition (bucket to collect debris)
 Uplift (tire pump or car jack if desired)
The mountain (at least three students – one hand touches shoulder of next student)
The General’s Home (when it joins the mountain, the two students on the end touch his
or her shoulders to form a bond)
DRAFT
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment E
Mountains of Work Play
Continued
Narrator: Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there was a beautiful mountain. It was
the most beautiful mountain the world had ever seen, very tall, made of large jagged
rocks that stuck up so far that they touched the sky. It was a young mountain, only
about ten thousand years old.
Nearby, there also lived a handsome soldier (soldier stands and bows), a beautiful engineer
(engineer waves) and two angry wizards the Wizard of Destruction (WOD) and the Wizard
of Construction (both shake their fists).
The Wizard of Destruction who loved to destroy things like beautiful mountains, had a
grudge against the handsome soldier.
WOD (standing and speaking with a sneer): I have a grudge against that handsome soldier.
He stepped on my toes one day at the market. Even though the soldier said “Excuse
me,” I will NEVER forget my sore toes. (thoughtfully) The little one was particularly
painful. One of these days soon I will get my revenge.
Narrator: Sadly enough that day was about to come.
Soldier: (stands and looks around). What a beautiful mountain. I like looking at it every day
and climbing its steep slopes. I hope it will be here forever.
General (entering with person playing his home): Soldier, soldier. I need your help.
Soldier (saluting): Yes, sir.
General (introducing his home): Soldier, this is my beautiful new mountain home. I am
going to put her high on the mountain and retire and live happily ever after.
Soldier: Yes, sir. The mountain is a very nice place to have a home.
General: Yes, it is soldier. But I must take care of some General business before I move in.
Place my home in a safe place and guard her well. If she is safe and happy when I
return, I will make you the new General.
Soldier: Yes, sir. That should be an easy job for a brave soldier like me. I will guard her
well.
General: (exits)
DRAFT
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment E
Mountains of Work Play
Continued
Soldier (leading home to the mountain): Come, little house. Here is a beautiful place for you
to stay. I will stand guard and let no harm come to you. (Stands in front of the
mountain).
WOD: Oh, ho. Just what I needed. I love to destroy things piece by piece and scatter the
pieces around the world. If I had my way, the Earth would be a flat plane – no
mountains, no oceans – nothing but a smooth round ball. Now, I’ll fix that soldier.
Weathering and Erosion are you ready?
Weathering and Erosion: Yes, we can’t wait to get to work.
Weathering: What do you want me to knock apart?
Erosion: What do you want me to carry away?
WOD: Do you see that big ugly mountain? I want you to round the edges and make the
house fall down the slopes. I know it will take some time to do your work, so get started.
Weathering: Great! I’ve got my hammer for mechanical weathering (shows hammer) and
my acid for chemical weathering (shows plastic bottle labeled acid).
Erosion: And I’ve got everything I need to carry away the pieces. Wind (lets a little air out
of the balloon), ice (holds an bag of ice), water (watering can) and gravity (weight).
Weathering and Erosion (together): Let’s get to work. (They head for the mountain).
Narrator: Behind the soldier’s back, the Wizard of Destruction’s minions get to work.
Weathering: First, I’ll use my hammer. (Weathering pretends to strike the mountain apart
with her hammer).
Mountain Rock 1: I am a rock in this mountain. I am very young and very strong. You
can’t hurt me.
Weathering: You are right. My hammer will not break you. (Aside to the audience) Is it
time to use my secret weapon? (Holds up bottle of acid)
Mountain: What is that?
Weathering: Just a little mild acid. It won’t hurt. (Pretends to pour the acid).
DRAFT
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment E
Mountains of Work Play
Continued
Mountain Rock 1: Wait, I can’t hold on. You’ve broken the bond between us.
Mountain Rock 2: Just stay close. Don’t let them take you away.
Mountain Rock 3: The mean Wizard of Destruction! Go away Weathering or I’ll call
you . . . a lichen.
Erosion: Now, it’s time for me to do my work. (Pretends to pour water on the mountain.)
Mountain (all the rocks): Help us! Help us, soldier.
Mountain Rock 1 (moving away): Goodbye, friends, goodbye.
Soldier (turning around): What’s going on here? Get away from here?
Weathering and Erosion run away.
Mountain Rock 2 (to the home): Little house are you okay?
Mountain Rock 3 (to the home): Yes, we are trying to hold you up, but it is hard without
Mountain Rock 1 to help us.
Home: I am okay. You are still a beautiful mountain and I am happy to be here. I will hold
on tight.
Narrator: The house looks like it can hold on. But the soldier is worried. He knows he must
get help to defeat the Wizard of Destruction and his evil minions Weathering and
Erosion.
Soldier: Oh, no. Part of the mountain has been broken and moved. I will never become a
general this way. I need to get some help.
Beautiful Engineer (standing up and looking around): Handsome soldier, what’s wrong?
You look very unhappy.
Soldier: Weathering and Erosion are trying to destroy this mountain. They have moved
some of the rock. The house that the general built may not be safe. What can we do?
DRAFT
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment E
Mountains of Work Play
Continued
Beautiful Engineer: Don’t worry. I am an engineer. I use science to help people solve
problems. We will bring in extra rock and use special materials to keep the mountain
from falling down. (She brings Rock 1 back, but they do not reconnect).
Soldier: You are very beautiful and very clever. When I am a general some day, I will invite
your to dinner.
Engineer: That sounds very nice, but let’s wait and see what happens. (She walks away).
WOD (angrily): Drat it. Drat it. Drat it. Now I’ll never get my revenge. My toes will be
sore forever.
Weathering: But, Great Wizard of Destruction, we’re not finished. The beautiful engineer
cannot defeat us.
Erosion: Yes, she saved the house . . . but only for a short time.
WOD: Weathering and Erosion, my loyal minions. Together we can even defeat the
beautiful engineer. Go back out and do your work. Weathering, you can use ice to
break apart the rock. Erosion you can use wind and water to take the pieces away.
Narrator: So Weathering and Erosion went back to work. Weathering used acid rain and her
friend the lichen to cause tiny cracks to occur in the rock. Then she poured water into
the cracks and froze it so they broke apart.
(Weathering pretends to pour acid and water and the rocks drop hands and move slightly
apart. The house stays in place.)
Mountain: Help us. Weathering is breaking us apart.
Soldier: I will send for the beautiful engineer.
Engineer (rushing in): What’s wrong?
Soldier: The rocks in the mountain are being broken apart by chemical and mechanical
weathering.
Engineer (sadly): I have done everything I can. I can’t save a mountain.
Erosion: Now it is my turn. I will use wind and water and glaciers to carry the rock away
and wear it down.
DRAFT
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Mountains of Work – Grade Eight
Attachment E
Mountains of Work Play
Continued
(Erosion uses the balloon for wind, pretends to use water from the watering can, and drags
ice across one person’s arm. Mountain gets lower and lower. Students are crouching, but
house is still standing).
General (rushing in): What’s going on? What’s happening to the mountain? Is my house
okay?
Soldier: No, sir. I am very sorry. Weathering and erosion are rounding out the mountain –
but your house is still standing.
WOD (sneering): Not for long. Finally, I will have my revenge. You will never be a
general. Erosion, bring out the gravity.
Beautiful engineer: Oh, no. Not the gravity.
House: I have tried to stay here on the hill. It has been a long battle with Weather and
Erosion. Goodbye, General. Don’t build your next house on the side of a mountain.
(Erosion hands her the weight. The house takes it and sits down behind what is left of the
mountain. The students playing the mountain should also be seated at this time.)
General: My beautiful house is gone.
Soldier: I am so sorry, General.
Engineer: I did everything I could.
Narrator: Everyone except the Wizard of Destruction is very sad. He likes the rounded hills
where the mountains once stood and he’s glad the house is gone and his toes feel much
better. But just when the mountains have almost completely disappeared, there is a puff
of smoke and a crash that sounds like thunder. The Wizard of Destruction’s twin
brother, the Wizard of Construction, appears.
(Engineer, General, and Soldier hold their ears.)
General: What is that terrible noise?
Engineer: It’s the Wizard of Construction, but he’s too late. Everything is gone.
DRAFT
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Attachment E
Mountains of Work Play
Continued
WOC: It is never too late for the Earth. But I can see you are all very young and very afraid.
First I will let you sleep for a few thousand years while I rebuild.
(He waves his hands and the engineer, general and soldier fall fast asleep).
WOC: Dear Brother, what have you been up to?
WOD: Just the usual. A little weathering here. A little erosion there. You know.
(Weathering and erosion cower behind him).
WOC: Well, what’s done is done. Let me see what my friends deposition and uplift can do
to bring back a mountain or two. Deposition. You gather up any materials you find and
drop them together in a pile.
Deposition (to the audience): That’s me, Deposition. Gravity may help erosion, but it helps
me more. I’m Erosion’s worst enemy. He can’t carry that soil or dust forever. Sooner
or later he drops the heavy pieces, and then the pieces that are a little bit lighter, and
finally the lightest of all. The pieces fill in all the low areas, evening things out.
(Deposition joins the mountain back together. It continues to stay low).
WOC: Nice job, deposition. Now we’ll wait until those pieces are nice and firmly cemented
together. Let’s see-one thousand years, two thousand years, three thousand – okay.
Uplift, it’s your turn.
Uplift (to the audience): Hi, I’m called Uplift. I do my work by deforming the crust. I push
it and pull it, stretch it and break it. I work with some guys you’ll meet at another time
to recreate the mountains and plateaus after weathering, erosion, and deposition have
done their work. Now watch this.
(Uplift uses his/her hands (or the tire pump or jack) to raise the mountains. The students
stand up.)
Uplift (Turns to the audience, bows, and smiles.): Pretty cool.
WOC: Okay, okay. So you are wonderful. Doesn’t mean you’ll get a raise, though. Let’s
see. What am I forgetting?
Deposition (pointing to the sleepers): Don’t forget them.
WOC: Oh, yeah. (Snaps his fingers). Wake up.
DRAFT
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Attachment E
Mountains of Work Play
Continued
(General, engineer and soldier wake up).
Soldier: Wow, what a great nap. I feel like I’ve been asleep forever. Gosh, look at that
beautiful mountain.
Engineer (yawning): Yes, that is a beautiful mountain.
General (yawning): That mountain? What a view? What a great place to build a house!
WOD (rubbing his hands together): Here we go again.
WOC: This would be the perfect place for us all to say “The End,” but we know it never
ends. The Wizards of Destruction and Construction will always be at work.
WOD: Yep, look for us today on your way home.
WOC: And look for our friends Weathering, Erosion and Deposition. Check your sidewalk
and home for a mini view of our friend Uplift.
Narrator: Well, they may go on forever, but our time is up. Thanks for listening to our story.
(Characters take a bow.)
DRAFT
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