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South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Weathering Agent 007 (Grades 3-5)

Master Teacher

Floyd Dinkins

Time Allotment

The lesson takes one 55-minute-block of time.

Overview

In this lesson, students will discover and explore different agents of weathering. The use of visual icons to exemplify the agents should aid in student recall of these agents.

Subject Matter

Earth Science Grades 3-5

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Name and describe the process for four different agents of erosion.
• Explain why heavier sediments are deposited before lighter sediments as water velocity decreases.
• Recognize the role humans play as agents of erosion.

South Carolina Curriculum Standards

(These Standards are found online at http://www.myscschools.com/offices/cso.)

Compare some changes in the Earth's surface that are due to slow processes, such as erosion and weathering, with some changes that are due to rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.

Predict and explain the consequences of natural events, such as fire, flood, drought, erosion, earthquake, and volcanic eruption.

Define constructive forces, which include crustal deformation (folding and faulting), volcanic eruptions and deposition of sediment.

Define destructive forces, which include weathering and erosion.

Investigate and describe how the Earth's surface is constantly changing by weathering, erosion, deposition and human impact.

Media Components

Video

Weathering and Erosion . This 20-minute video provides excellent explanations for the erosion and weathering processes. The use of icons for the agents of erosion and weathering makes remembering them more brain compatible for young learners.

To access this video, log on to your account at ETV's StreamlineSC Web page ( http://etv.streamlinesc.org ). In the search by keyword box, type in Weathering and Erosion and hit go. Click the program title and that takes you to a list of the program's video segments. Download the whole program.

(Note to Teacher: If you don't have an account with ETV's StreamlineSC , check with your media specialist about signing up for an account.)

Web Site

Exploring Earth: Effects of Mechanical Weathering

http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/
es1201/es1201page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization

Observe the effects of mechanical weathering with this visualization of weathered materials. By clicking on each image, the picture is zoomed closer to provide more detailed observations.

Materials

• Pencils
• Changes in the Earth's Surface Media Focus Sheet
• Culminating Activity worksheet
• Set of Weathering Agent icons (preferably laminated on colored paper)
• Pocket Chart
• Earthsteps: A Rock's Journey Through Time by Diane Nelson Spickert ; illustrated by Marianne D. Wallace, Fulcrum Publishing, 2000. ISBN: 1555919863

Equipment

• Computer
• TV

Prep for Teachers

• Download the Weathering and Erosion video from ETV's StreamlineSC Web site. Just before teaching the lesson, have the video pulled up and paused at 0:1:00 (one minute into the video) ready to begin playing by clicking the "PLAY" button. ( Note to Teacher: Saving these on your desktop will facilitate time and effort in using them for instruction .)

• You will need RealPlayer or Quicktime video viewer to view the video; RealPlayer is available for free at: http://forms.real.com/netzip/getrde601.html?h=software-dl.real.com&dc=102610251024&f=windows/RealPlayer10-5GOLD_bb.exe&p=RealOne+Player&oem=dlrhap_bb&tagtype=ie&type=dlrhap_bb

• Bookmark (onto your computer desktop) the Web site.

• Purchase or check out the children's picture book Earthsteps: A Rock's Journey Through Time .

• Download and run off copies of weathering agent icons onto colored card stock or paper and have them laminated.

• Run off enough copies of Changes in the Earth's Surface Media Focus Sheet for each student to have one copy. On the back copy the Culminating Activity worksheet.

• When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction , a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Gather students together in a common "shared" area. Ask students if rocks are alive-are they living organisms. (Accept and develop all student responses. As a class come to some understanding that rocks are not alive.)

Step 2: Challenge students to think "What if rocks were alive? What would they have seen over the millions of years Earth has been around? What changes would they have witnessed?" (Accept student responses. If students focus solely on changes in life-forms [dinosaurs, etc], develop conversation to discuss changes in the Earth itself.) Inform students that many changes have in fact occurred with Earth's surface and that today's lesson will deal with how those changes occur.

Step 3: Show the cover to the read aloud book, Earthsteps: A Rock's Journey Through Time. Set the purpose for reading the book: Students should listen for specific changes the rock observes or experiences as time passes. Inform students that you will ask for examples from students after finishing the read-aloud.

Step 4: Read Earthsteps: A Rock's Journey Through Time aloud to the students. Stop occasionally to allow students to reflect on the illustrations (which provide a rich source of content information).

Step 5 : After reading the book, ask students to share specific changes that occurred to the rock or in the rock's environment. (Accept all responses.) Show students the picture where the rock becomes sand. Ask students what forces could be responsible for changing rocks into smaller pieces. (Accept all responses.) Tell students that today, they will focus on learning what forces could be responsible for changing the Earth's surface.

Step 6 : Ask students to return to desks to prepare to watch a video.

Learning Activity

Step 1: Pass out copies of Changes in the Earth's Surface Media Focus Sheet. Explain the purpose of the worksheet as giving the students structure in making observations from the upcoming video. Challenge students to use drawings and illustrations as well as words in "note-taking." Read aloud the directions-"Directions: As you listen and observe the video, draw or write new ideas you learn. Boxes are provided as places to draw or write."

Step 2: Cue the Weathering and Erosion video to 1 minute. You will hear the narrator say "What are some of the forces that can change the shape of our world?" and you will see a waterfall. This is where you want the students to start viewing the video. Tell them to listen for the answer to item 1 on their worksheets.

Step 3: PLAY video.

Step 4: At the two minute 46 second mark, PAUSE the video after you hear the narrator say, "The breaking and changing of rocks is called weathering" and you see a close up of a rock mountain face. At this point, allow your students to fill in question 1 on the Media Focus Sheet. ( Note to Teacher: Always hit the PAUSE button. If you hit the STOP button, when you hit the PLAY button to continue, the video will go back to the very beginning.)

Step 5: Set the purpose of watching the next video segment by telling your students, "Now, watch to find how many agents of weathering cause rocks to break down into soil over time. As you discover the identities of the causes or agents of weathering, record these on your Media Focus Sheet. List the agent on the dark line and then as the video discusses how that agent weathers rock, in the box below the agent, draw a representation for how the weathering occurs."

Step 6: PLAY video.

Step 7: PAUSE the video at 4 minutes and 10 seconds when you hear the narrator say, "Water!" and you see an ice cube and water drop icon standing in front of an image of planet Earth. At this point, tell your students to record "water/ice" as weathering Agent One on the Media Focus Sheet. There is a line on which students can record the words water/ice.

Step 8: Before beginning the video again, ask students, "Can anyone predict HOW water or ice might break apart rocks?" ( Accept all responses.) Instruct student to listen to ways water/ice might break apart rocks. As they discover new ways, they should draw or write words describing how this occurs. A recording box with the word "How?" is provided under Agent One on the Media Focus Sheet.

Step 9: PLAY video.

Step 10: PAUSE the video at 4 minutes and 48 seconds when you hear the narrator say, "The force of expanding water is so great, it can actually split rock apart" and you see a rock being split in half. At this point, allow your students time to draw or record with words ways the video has described water/ice as being capable of breaking rocks apart. The next section of video will activate students' background knowledge of putting water bottles in a freezer. Tell them this is an example of the force of water in their everyday lives.

Step 11: Before cueing PLAY again, remind students to look for other ways water is capable of weathering. PLAY video.

Step 12: PAUSE the video when you hear the narrator say "We saw how water can get into cracks in rocks, freeze, expand and break rock down. The same thing can happen with plants" and you see a big rock with a crack running down it. At this point, orally review the different ways that Agents Ice/Water have weathered rocks. Have students discuss out loud and make changes or additions to observations on their Media Focus Sheets. Give them one minute to make changes or additions.

Step 13: Before beginning video again, set purpose for finding other agents and means of weathering. PLAY video.

Step 14 : After a few seconds, PAUSE the video again when you hear the narrator say, "Plants!" and you see the plant agent icon standing on top of the Earth graphic. This should be at 7 minutes 41 seconds into the video.

Step 15: Have students write "plants" as Agent Two on Media Focus Sheet. Before beginning video again, ask the class to predict ways plants might break rocks apart. (Accept all responses.) Ask students to listen for ways plants break down (weather) rocks and record that information under Agent Two on the Media Focus Sheet.

Step 16: PLAY video.

Step 17: ( Note to Teacher: The plant agent section lasts only a few seconds). PAUSE the video when you hear the narrator say, "As the plant grows, the roots of the plant grow too, making the plant bigger, and BIGGER, until." and you see a graphic of a plant growing larger on top of a splitting rock. Give the students time to record information about Agent Two (plants) on the Media Focus Sheet. Remind students they can draw or use words in the box space provided.

Step 18: PLAY video reminding students to be on the look out for Agent Three.

Step 19: PAUSE the video when you hear the narrator say, "Wind!" and you see a whirlwind icon on top of the Earth graphic. Allow students time to record "wind" as Agent Three on the Media Focus Sheet. Before beginning video again, ask the class to predict ways the wind might break rocks apart. (Accept all responses.) Ask students to listen for ways wind breaks down (weather) rocks and record that information under Agent Three on the Media Focus Sheet.

Step 20: PLAY video.

Step 21: PAUSE the video at 8 minutes and 59 seconds after you hear the narrator say, "Just like the sandblaster, over time wind can weather away the surface of landforms, changing the way they look" and you see an outcrop of red stone from the Arizona desert. At this point, allow students time to record ways Agent Three, wind, weathers rock.

Step 22 : Before beginning the video again, remind students to look for Agent Four. PLAY video.

Step 23: PAUSE the video almost immediately as you see the thermometer icon rise above the Earth graphic and you hear the narrator say, "Temperature!" Allow students time to write "temperature" on the Media Focus Sheet reminding them spelling does not count. As students finish writing temperature, ask the class to predict how temperature could be responsible for weathering rocks. (Accept all responses and perhaps challenge a few.)

Step 24 : Before beginning video again, remind students to look for how temperature can change the surface features of our Earth and tell them to record that information on the Media Focus Sheet in the box provided under Agent Four.

Step 25: PLAY video.

Step 26: STOP the video at the 10 minute mark after you hear the narrator say, "So temperature changes can also cause weathering" and you see a background of snow covered mountains. You will not need to use the video anymore. Allow students time to record ways the video talked about temperature being able to weather rocks. ( Note to Teacher: Contraction and expansion may be difficult concepts for some students-develop these with discussion if possible.)

Culminating Activity

Step 1: Ask students to bring Media Focus Sheets to a shared-experience area where all have access to seeing a pocket chart. Ask students if any would like to share new discoveries made while watching the video. (Accept responses and chart some on dry-erase board.)

Step 2 : Ask if any student can name all the agents of weathering discussed. (Give students a chance to talk amongst themselves before calling on someone.) As student(s) gives the names of the weathering agents, place the laminated icon into the pocket chart. After students have named all the agents, place the terms "Weathering" and "Agents" at the top of the pocket chart.

Step 3: Tell students that to culminate the learning for today-so that they might have a chance to blend everything they have learned-you will show them interactive pictures of weathering processes. Explain to students that as you display the pictures, you will expect them to draw the scene as it appears BUT they should add an image of the agent icon (point to the chart) responsible for causing the weathering in the picture. When they finish, they should have "snapshots" of the agents caught in the act of weathering.

Step 4: Have students turn their Media Focus Sheets over to the back to find the Culminating Activity worksheet. Read aloud the directions and the captions below each of the six boxes. Ask students to predict what they think they might see from the Web site.

Step 5: Pull up the previously b ookmark Web site Effects of Mechanical Weathering ( http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations
/es1201/es1201page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization ).

Step 6: Send students back to their desks with the Culminating Activity worksheet. Once students are back and able to write on their sheets, begin to click each image to see a larger view of each scene. Allow students time to begin drawing in details from each picture.

Step 7: Walk around the room as students draw and provide feedback-"C ould you add more background?" "So what does this represent?"

Step 8: After two minutes, move the cursor to the next image and have students draw it.

Step 9 : Allow students about two minutes to complete each picture (for all six pictures this will take 12 minutes).

Step 10: As students complete the pictures, have them answer the last three questions on the sheet.

Step 11 : When students are finished, in whole-class discussion, go over the answers to the last three questions. Which agent is demonstrated most in the pictures? (Answer: students may say it is a tie between the ice agent and the plant agent; some may say the plant agent occurs most often if frost wedging is considered a "temperature" agent; accept reasonable and defendable explanations.)

Step 12 : Close the lesson by reminding students that weathering occurs everyday. If they find examples of weathering (weathered rock on the playground, trees growing up through sidewalks, etc) they should bring these issues up in future class discussions.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Art: Have students draw pictures of weathering they find in their neighborhoods.

Community Connections

• Ask an official from the Highway Department to talk about protecting road surfaces from weathering.

Student Materials

• Changes in the Earth's Surface Media Focus Sheet (PDF)
• Culminating Activity Worksheet (PDF)
• Weathering Agents Lettering (PDF)
• Ice Icon (PDF)
• Plants Icon (PDF)
• Temperature Icon (PDF)
• Water Icon (PDF)