Alisa Potter 1

Science Lesson Plan

Weathering & Erosion

Introduction
Lesson topic Weather: Weathering & Erosion
Length of Lesson 30 minutes
VA Standards of Learning
SOL 2.7 The student will investigate and understand that weather and
seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings. Key
concepts include
b) weathering and erosion of land surfaces.

SOL 2.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning,
logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting investigations
in which
a) observations and predictions are made and questions are formed;
b) observations are differentiated from personal interpretation;
c) observations are repeated to ensure accuracy;
g) conditions that influence a change are identified and inferences are
made;
j) conclusions are drawn;
l) simple physical models are designed and constructed to clarify
explanations and show relationships.
Context Effects of weather on the earth.
Global Themes There are relationships among Earth patterns, cycles, and
change and their effects on living things.

Content Objectives
Students will:
Model the effects of weathering and erosion on the land surface.

Assessment Aligned to Objectives
Formative
The teacher will ask key questions:
o How does land change because of weather?
o What is weathering? How did it happen in the experiment? How does it
happen in the real world?
o What is erosion? How did it happen in the experiment? How does it
happen in the real world?
Summative
Students will complete a recording sheet with observations of weathering and
erosion from the experiment.

Materials/Technology and Advanced Preparation
Video: http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/rocks-minerals-
landforms/weathering-and-erosion.htm
Images to view on Promethean Board:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/gifted_ed/project_promise/science_curricu
lum/grade_two/handouts/earth_science/weathering_erosion_pictures.pdf
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Copies of Weathering and Erosion Experiment recording sheet
Materials for experiment:
o Cookies
o disposable plates
o toothpicks
o Pipettes
o safety goggles

Teaching and Learning Sequence

TIME TEACHER ACTIONS STUDENT ACTIONS
Introduction/Anticipatory Set
10 min Review from previous lesson by asking how do plants
and animals change because of the weather.
Ask students if they know how the land changes
because of weather. Introduce terms: erosion and
weathering. Explain that weathering is the breaking
down of rocks, which usually happens over long periods
of time and erosion happens when the broken down
rock and soil are carried away by wind, rain or ice. Land
surfaces that are not covered with or protected by plants
are more likely to be subject to the loss of soil.
Play video for better explanation of weathering and
erosion.
Reply to the teacher by
identifying and describing
migrations, hibernation,
camouflage, and dormancy as
ways that plants and animals
change because of weather.
Offer ideas about how the land
might change due to weather.


Watch video.
Lesson Development
10 min Tell students that they will be doing an experiment on
weathering and erosion. Explain that they will get a
cookie that they will weather or break apart with a
toothpick and then they will try to erode the cookie by
pouring water on their weathered cookie.
Pass out the experiment recording sheet and ask
students to make a prediction about what will happen.
Pass out plates, cookies, and toothpicks.
Demonstrate how to weather the cookies with the
toothpicks then instruct students to begin.
Have students draw a picture in the Weathering box on
recording sheet.
Demonstrate how to use the pipette to erode the cookie
with water. Pass out pipettes and small cups of water.
Allow students to begin when they have the materials.
Have students draw a picture in the Erosion box on
recording sheet of what happened when they squirted
the water onto the weathered cookie.
Ask students to write their observations under What
actually happened on their recording sheets.





Write a prediction about what
they think will happen to the
cookie in the experiment.
Weather cookies by breaking
them apart with toothpicks.
Draw a picture of weathering.

Erode cookie by squirting it
with water using a pipette.

Draw a picture of erosion.

Write an observation about
what happened in the
experiment on recording sheet.
Closure
10 min Review key terms: weathering and erosion. Ask for
definitions in students own words, how do they happen
in the real world and how were they demonstrated in the
experiment.
Show images on Promethean Board of weathering and
erosion in nature and identify each process.
Participate in review by
answering questions and
offering definitions of terms in
their own words.
View and discuss images of
weathering and erosion.
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Lesson Organizer

Prior Knowledge and NEW Instructional Content
Prior Knowledge:
Earths weather changes continuously from day to day.
Changes in the weather are characterized by daily differences in wind, temperature, and precipitation.
Precipitation occurs when water, previously evaporated, condenses out of the air and changes its phase from a
gas to a liquid (rain) or to a solid (snow or sleet).
Extremes in the weather, such as too little or too much precipitation, can result in droughts or floods.
Storms have powerful winds, which may be accompanied by rain, snow, or other kinds of precipitation.
Weather data are collected and recorded using instruments. This information is very useful for predicting
weather and determining weather patterns.
Weather influences human activity.
Scientists collect weather data over time to study trends and patterns. These trends and patterns help them to
make future weather predictions.
Science is a complex social endeavor. It is a complex social process for producing knowledge about the natural
world. Scientific knowledge represents the current consensus as to what is the best explanation for phenomena
in the natural world. This consensus does not arise automatically, since scientists with different backgrounds
from all over the world may interpret the same data differently. To build a consensus, scientists communicate
their findings to other scientists and attempt to replicate one anothers findings. In order to model the work of
professional scientists, it is essential for second-grade students to engage in frequent discussions with peers
about their understanding of their investigations.
In order to communicate accurately, it is necessary to provide a clear description of exactly what is observed.
There is a difference between what one can observe and what can be interpreted from an observation.
An observation is what you actually see, feel, taste, hear, or smell.
By constructing and studying simple models, it is sometimes easier to understand how real things work.

New Content:
Land surfaces are subject to the agents of weathering and erosion. Land surfaces that are not covered with or
protected by plants are more likely to be subject to the loss of soil by wind and water.
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, which usually happens over long periods of time.
Erosion is the process by which the products of weathering are moved from one place to another. Erosion may
happen quickly (e.g., during a flood or a hurricane) or over a long period of time.
Instructional Modifications to
ASSIST Students
Main Events of Instruction
Instructional Modifications to
CHALLENGE Students

The hands on experiment provides
a meaningful experience.

Video and additional images of
weathering and erosion appeal to
visual learners.

Discuss plant and animal responses to
weather.
Introduce weathering and erosion as the
earths response to weather.
Watch video
Write predictions for experiment
Conduct weathering part of experiment
and draw a picture to record what
happened.
Conduct erosion part of experiment and
draw a picture to record what happened.
Write final observation of experiment
under What actually happened on
recording sheet
Discuss terms again and show photos
of weathering and erosion in nature.