Erosion Activity(5

th
Grade)
Zachary Haro EDEL 445

Nevada State Science Standard
E.5.C.2: Students know water, wind,
and ice constantly change the Earth's
land surface by eroding rock and soil in
some places and depositing them in
other areas. E/S
N.5.A.6: Students know models are
tools for learning about the things they
are meant to resemble. I/S

Materials Needed-all can be bought at local
department stores
Plastic bins/medium sized Tupperware
Sand
Ice Cubes
Spray bottles with water
Coffee stirrers/Straws
Paper Towels
Safety Goggles

Safety Precautions
Keep safety goggles on at all times
When blowing air through the straw, be
sure to exhale slowly and be careful not
to blow sand everywhere.
Keep ice cubes in the plastic container
ONLY spray water from the bottle into
the plastic container, DO NOT turn
nozzle
Wipe hands after handling sand and
keep paper towel under plastic container
Cleanup Spills Immediately

Teacher Information
Teacher should know how the different
forms of erosion alter the land and
people. The different famous landforms
formed by erosion and which form of
erosion was responsible.
http://education.nationalgeographic.c
om/education/encyclopedia/erosion/?
ar_a=1

Procedure
1. Engage the students by first asking
them if they have ever heard of the
Grand Canyon. Ask students to discuss
with their shoulder partners how they
think the Grand Canyon was formed.
2. Have students share a few of their
guesses while you bring up the link to
Billy Blue Hairs video on Erosion on
YouTube
http://youtu.be/G5Rp9MJJGCU?t=1m20
s and play the video until 2:18.
3. Have students get into groups of 3 and
have group members 1 & 2 get a plastic
container, paper towel, a straw, and
safety goggles for each member of their
group.
4. Be sure to walk around and ask groups
guiding questions as they explore the
activity in their groups.
5. Instruct students to put on goggles, and
group member 3 to lay out the paper
towel and put the plastic container in the
middle while you pour sand into one
side of each groups container.
6. Model how to take the straw, point it
towards the empty side of the container
and SLOWLY exhale through it. Group
member 1 will emulate while other group
members record & observe.
7. Have group member 2 get one ice cube
for their group. Model erosion by setting
the ice cube on top of the sand, and
sliding it across. Group member 2 will
copy and others record & observe the
bottom of the ice cube after sliding it
across.
8. Instruct group member 3 to get one
spray bottle for their group. Model water
erosion by squirting water at the sand at
an angle towards the empty side. Have
group member 3 copy while others
record and observe what happened to
the sand that the water hit.
9. Have groups compile one list of
observations for each model and ask
two groups to share their findings for
each model on the board. Discuss
conclusions for the effects wind, ice, and
water can have on Earths land surface
based off of the sand model.

Teaching Techniques
Inquiry-students make predictions on
how the Grand Canyon is formed and
what the different outcome of each
model will be. Guiding questions are
asked throughout the activity, and
observations were made and discussed
amongst the groups.
Modeling-Instructor should model each
form of erosion first and students should
follow to get desired results.

Integration
Social Studies: Students can research
how erosion has influenced human
settlements.
Language Arts: Students can write a
short narrative from the perspective of a
mountain or other landform and explain
how erosion gives them their shape and
appearance.

Real World Extension
Students can look up national parks or
other places theyve visited that may
have had landforms that they thought
looked weird at the time, but can now
apply their knowledge of erosion to
determine how they were formed.
Students can research where and how
erosion can pose a potential problem in
some locations where people live.