ES: Landscapes and Surface Processes

15 Components
Unit Overview
Landscapes and Surface Processes Unit Plan Monument Mayhem Performance Task Unit 3 Regents-Based Item Bank
5E Instructional Model Plans
Rock Cycle and Rock Identification 5E Instructional Model Plan What's Changing Earth's Surface? 5E Instructional Model Plan Patterns of Erosion and Deposition in Streams 5E Instructional Model Plan
Laboratory Experience
Mineral Identification and Explaining Mineral Properties Lab Modeling Weathering and Erosion Lab Patterns of Stream Erosion and Deposition
Highlighted Resources
Unit 3 Professional Development Booklets Unit 3 Pre-assessment Mineral ID and Explaining Mineral Properties Weathering and Erosion Modeling Stations Factors of Sediment Erosion and Deposition Transported Particle Size and Stream Velocity 3-Level Guide
ES Unit 3: ES: Landscapes and Surface Processes
Browse Components
Unit Overview
Landscapes and Surface Processes Unit Plan Monument Mayhem Performance Task Unit 3 Regents-Based Item Bank
5E Instructional Model Plans
Rock Cycle and Rock Identification 5E Instructional Model Plan What's Changing Earth's Surface? 5E Instructional Model Plan Patterns of Erosion and Deposition in Streams 5E Instructional Model Plan
Laboratory Experience
Mineral Identification and Explaining Mineral Properties Lab Modeling Weathering and Erosion Lab Patterns of Stream Erosion and Deposition
Highlighted Resources
Unit 3 Professional Development Booklets Unit 3 Pre-assessment Mineral ID and Explaining Mineral Properties Weathering and Erosion Modeling Stations Factors of Sediment Erosion and Deposition Transported Particle Size and Stream Velocity 3-Level Guide
5E Instructional Model Plan:

What's Changing Earth's Surface? 5E Instructional Model Plan

Plan for teaching about weathering and erosion using the 5E Instructional Model as a framework

5-7 days
See Standards
Earth Science (NY State Core Curriculum, 2005) - Standard 4:
ES 2

Key Idea 2: Many of the phenomena that we observe on Earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land.

ES 2.1

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 2.1: Use the concepts of density and heat energy to explain observations of weather patterns, seasonal changes, and the movements of Earth's plates.

ES 2.1p

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 2.1p: Landforms are the result of the interaction of tectonic forces and the processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition.

ES 2.1r

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 2.1r: Climate variations, structure, and characteristics of bedrock influence the development of landscape features including mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys, ridges, escarpments, and stream drainage patterns.

ES 2.1s

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 2.1s: Weathering is the physical and chemical breakdown of rocks at or near Earth’s surface. Soils are the result of weathering and biological activity over long periods of time.

ES 2.1t

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 2.1t: Natural agents of erosion, generally driven by gravity, remove, transport, and deposit weathered rock particles. Each agent of erosion produces distinctive changes in the material that it transports and creates characteristic surface features and landscapes. In certain erosional situations, loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency preparedness.

ES 2.1u

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 2.1u: The natural agents of erosion include:

ES 2.1u.iv
  • Wind: Erosion of sediments by wind is most common in arid climates and along shorelines. Wind-generated features include dunes and sand-blasted bedrock.
ES 2.1u.v
  • Mass Movement: Earth materials move downslope under the influence of gravity.
Analysis, Inquiry, and Design SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY (NY State Core Curriculum, 2005) - Standard 1:
SI 1

KEY IDEA 1: The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing and creative process

SI 1.2

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1.2: Hone ideas through reasoning, library research, and discussion with others, including experts

SI 1.3

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1.3: Work towards reconciling competing explanations; clarify points of agreement and disagreement

NY State Earth Science Reference Tables:
ESRT 12

Scheme for Igneous Rock Identification (p.6)

ESRT 13

Scheme for Sedimentary Rock Identification (p.7)

ESRT 14

Scheme for Metamorphic Rock Identification (p.7)

Common Core Learning Standards - Grades 6-12 Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects:
9-10.R.ST.2

Reading: Key Ideas and Details

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.

9-10.R.ST.4

Reading: Craft and Structure

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9–10 texts and topics.

9-10.R.ST.7

Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

9-10.R.ST.9

Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.

9-10.R.ST.10

Reading: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently

9-10.W.HST.10

Writing: Range of Writing

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Students learn about mechanical weathering, chemical weathering, and erosion by modeling a range of weathering and erosional processes and sorting them into categories. Students then read a text about the difference between mechanical weathering, chemical weathering, and erosion and use this understanding to make evidence based claims about the kind of surface processes they modeled in the explore phase and to explain how sinkholes are formed. Finally, students learn about factors that affect weathering rates and use that understanding to explain how another surface feature was formed.

Resources: