Lesson Description
What are the effects of weathering on rocks? Do some rocks weather faster than others? How does a stream form? Do erosion patterns change with different types of sediment? What about a steep mountain versus a valley?
Water and Earth’s Surface Erosion is a two part activity spanning multiple days. In the first part, students use a rock tumbler to explore the effect of weathering on different rock samples. For the second part, they use a stream table observe erosion patterns of different types of sediment.
The teacher would need the attached lesson document and gather unique supplies such as:
- rock tumblers (found at online retailers)
- rock samples – such as granite, quartz, and calcite
- stream tables
- sediment samples such as sand, clay, gravel
Grade(s)/Age
8th Grade, 9th Grade
Science Subject Matter
Science and Engineering Practices, Physical Sciences: Matter and Its Interactions (PS1)R PATTERNS, Physical Sciences: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (PS2), Earth and Space Sciences: Earth's Systems (ESS2), Earth and Space Sciences: earth and Human Activity (ESS3), Engineering Design: Developing Possible Solutions (ETS1.B)
Lesson Documents