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Standard 2.1.1
Develop and use models illustrating the patterns of landforms and water on Earth. Examples of models could include valleys, canyons, or floodplains and could depict water in the solid or liquid state. (ESS2.B)
Develop and use models illustrating the patterns of landforms and water on Earth. Examples of models could include valleys, canyons, or floodplains and could depict water in the solid or liquid state. (ESS2.B)
This core covers weather patterns and how the Earth's surface changes over time.
Rain Cloud in a Jar: Fill a jar with water, top it with shaving cream "clouds," and drop blue food coloring on top. As the cloud becomes saturated, the coloring falls, modeling precipitation and the water cycle.
Lighthouse Erosion Lab: Create a miniature coastline using sand and a paper lighthouse, then simulate ocean waves. This highlights slow earth changes and the impact of erosion on the environment.
Shadow Tracking: Trace a student's shadow at different times of the day using sidewalk chalk. This helps students observe patterns in the sun's movement and the Earth's rotation.
Standard 2.1.2
Construct an explanation about changes in Earth's surface that happen quickly or slowly. Emphasize the contrast between fast and slow changes. Examples of fast changes could include volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or landslides. Examples of slow changes could include the erosion of mountains or the shaping of canyons. (ESS1.C)
Construct an explanation about changes in Earth's surface that happen quickly or slowly. Emphasize the contrast between fast and slow changes. Examples of fast changes could include volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or landslides. Examples of slow changes could include the erosion of mountains or the shaping of canyons. (ESS1.C)
Classroom "Speed Dating" Simulation
A visual lab that proves how different forces work at different speeds.
The Fast Station (Landslide): Pile damp sand at the top of a plastic tray. Pour a full cup of water at the very top all at once. Watch the hillside instantly collapse to show a fast change.
The Slow Station (Canyon Carving): Use the same sand setup, but use a dropper to drip water slowly over the sand for several minutes. Watch a tiny, gradual path form to show a slow change.
Standard 2.1.3
Design solutions to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of land. Define the problem by asking questions and gathering information, convey designs through sketches, drawings, or physical models, and compare and test designs. Examples of solutions could include retaining walls, dikes, windbreaks, shrubs, trees, and grass to hold back wind, water, and land. (ESS2.A, ESS2.C, ETS1.A, ETS1.B, ETS1.C)
Design solutions to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of land. Define the problem by asking questions and gathering information, convey designs through sketches, drawings, or physical models, and compare and test designs. Examples of solutions could include retaining walls, dikes, windbreaks, shrubs, trees, and grass to hold back wind, water, and land. (ESS2.A, ESS2.C, ETS1.A, ETS1.B, ETS1.C)
The "Blow and Wash" Hands-on Lab
A classic Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) engineering activity that fits perfectly with this curriculum. [1]
Setup: Fill two aluminum baking pans with soil or sand to represent land (2:08). [1]
Wind Simulation: Use a straw to blow air across the first pan to watch "wind erosion" happen. Then, insert small plastic trees or popsicle sticks to act as windbreaks and see how they redirect the air and save the soil (0:49). [1]
Water Simulation: Tilt the second pan and pour water from a cup to simulate rain or a rising river (2:25). Have students build a small wall using small stones or blocks to simulate a dike or sandbags, proving how barriers regulate and hold back water (1:56). [1]
Mathematics – MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (2-ESS2-1),(2-ESS2-1),(2-ESS2-2)
MP.4 Model with mathematics. (2-ESS1-1),(2-ESS2-1),(2-ESS2-2)
MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically. (2-ESS2-1)
The Math Action:
Students use a ruler to measure how far the sand traveled in centimeters.
Repeat the test multiple times as a class.
Record the data on the board and have students draw a line plot where the horizontal scale is marked in whole-number units (centimeters).
2.NBT.A Understand place value. (2-ESS1-1)
📋 Student Worksheet
Name: ______________________
Directions: Read the story about how slowly the Earth changes. Then, fill in the missing place value formats.
The Canyon Pathway: A tiny river takes 438 years to carve a small path into a rock.
Expanded Form: \(400 + 30 + 8\)
Number Name: Four hundred thirty-eight
Base-Ten Breakdown: \(\mathbf{4}\) hundreds, \(\mathbf{3}\) tens, \(\mathbf{8}\) ones
The Smooth Mountain: Wind blows across a mountain peak for seven hundred ninety-two years to smooth down its sharp edges.
Base-Ten Numeral: __________
Expanded Form: __________ \(+\) __________ \(+\) __________
Base-Ten Breakdown: _____ hundreds, _____ tens, _____ ones
The Slow Ocean Wave: Waves crash against a cliff side, taking \(900 + 50 + 6\) years to break off a large boulder.
Base-Ten Numeral: __________
Number Name: _______________________________________________
Base-Ten Breakdown: _____ hundreds, _____ tens, _____ ones
2.NBT.A.3 Read and write numbers to 1000 using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. (2-ESS2-2)
2.MD.B.5 Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems involving lengths that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as drawings of rulers) and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. (2-ESS2-1)
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