Science Companion Earth's Changing Surface Virtual Field Trip

Science Field Trip
Earth’s Changing
Surface
A Trip to Hawaii
“Looking at Landforms”
Selections from the digital
Teacher Lesson Manual
www.sciencecompanion.com
Science Companion Field Trips
A “Science in Real Life” Series
Come on a virtual field trip matching module sample lessons
with special places or current events!
Join our author Belinda Basca and her family
on a journey to the islands of Hawaii...
Hawaii is made up of many islands.
There are eight main islands: Kaho’olawe, Kaua’i,
Lana’i, Maui, Moloka’i, Ni’ihau and O’ahu.

The Hawaiian Islands

are over 2,000 mi les aw
ay!
But there are actually many more

islands and reefs that make up the
Hawaiian Island Chain.
(Many of them are under water.)
Both the big and small islands

were created by volcanoes.
Like this.
Volcanoes create beautiful, dramatic landforms that
Belinda and her family looked at from a helicopter.
Like craters.
And cliffs with amazing
waterfalls.
Beaches.
And mountains.
Sometimes lava (rock so hot it’s liquid) makes

crazy shapes when it cools...
Turn the page to find out how you can learn about different
ways that land forms!
Earth’s Changing Surface
Student Reference Book
Writers
Belinda Basca, Rachel Burke, Lance Campbell, and David Sherman
Developers
Colleen Bell, Diane Bell, Cindy Buchenroth-Martin, and Catherine Grubin
Editor
Wanda Gayle
Pedagogy and Content Advisors

Jean Bell, Max Bell, Stephen Harlan*, and Marlyn Payne*
*Scientists or teachers who gave advice but are not part of the Chicago Science Group.
Book Design and Production

Happenstance Type-O-Rama; Picas & Points, Plus (Carolyn Loxton)
www.sciencecompanion.com
2009 Edition
Copyright © 2005 Chicago Science Group.
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act, no
part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a
database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
SCIENCE COMPANION®, EXPLORAGEAR™, the CROSSHATCH Design™ and the WHEEL Design™ are
trademarks of Chicago Science Group and Chicago Educational Publishing.
ISBN 1-59192-398-0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10-P001-17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
1
Landscapes, Landforms,
and Time
Landscapes and Landforms Surround Us

Land is all around us. The way it looks is different from place
Word Connection
to place. In some places, tall mountains tower into the sky. In
landscape—A large
others, rivers cut through valleys and canyons. Many places
area of land, or scen-
are flat, or nearly so, without any mountains, valleys, or hills. ery, that can be seen
Wherever you live or travel, a landscape surrounds you. from one place. Land-
scapes usually have
a variety of surface
features, such as hills,
valleys, and rivers.

Chapter 1
Just like a jigsaw puzzle, landscapes are made up of many

parts. Tall mountain ranges may be carved with steep can-
yons. Large areas of prairie may be divided by rivers. A desert
may be dusted with sand or scattered with stones.
Since the parts of a landscape can take many forms, these

parts are called landforms.
Landscapes, Landforms, and Time
Word Connection
landform—A part of
the earth’s surface that
has a unique shape, is
easy to recognize, and
was created by nature.
Chapter 1
Think About It!

Wherever people live, they change the landscape to suit their
needs. They build roads, houses, dams, and tunnels. Sometimes
they even level hills and fill in wetlands. What is the landscape like
where you live? Do you know what the area was like before peo-
ple lived there? How much do you think it has changed?
Humans change the landscape in many ways.

Landscapes, Landforms, and Time
Landscapes Change over Time

Have you ever heard the saying “as old as the hills”? People
say this because nothing else has been around as long as
the land—not people, not the things we build, not even the
oldest trees.
But the landscape does change. The land around where you
Word Connection
live did not always look the way it does today.
cataclysmic event—
Some changes to the landscape happen quickly. Floods, earth- An event that causes a
sudden and dramatic
quakes, and volcanic eruptions, for example, can change
change to the earth’s
the land in a few minutes. Scientists call events like these surface.
cataclysmic events.
But most changes to the land happen gradually, over a very

How Much
long period of time. Some changes take place over hundreds of
is a Million?
years, while other changes go on for thousands of years. Some
It would take you
began before the dinosaurs lived on Earth, hundreds of mil- about 23 days to count
lions of years ago, and they still go on today. to one million—and
that’s with no breaks
Thinking back to when your parents were your age can seem for sleeping, eating, or
like ages ago. Looking back 100 years—when there were no anything else!
computers or TVs, and very few telephones and cars—can

seem like ancient times.
Most of the changes to the landscape you will explore started How Much
thousands or even millions of years ago, and those changes is a Billion?
continue today. Looking back to when most mountains were A billion is a thousand
formed and comparing it to when you, your parents, or even million. It would take
you almost 100 years
your great-great-grandparents were born is like comparing the to count to a billion.
size of your room to size of the galaxy. That’s a big difference!
2
The Science of Geolog y
It’s Only a Rock. So What?

Let’s face it, at first glance, rocks may not seem interesting.
They don’t talk. They don’t eat. They usually just sit there.
But rocks, and pieces of rock, are all around us. They are in the
streets we walk on, in the parks where we play, and in the soil
where we grow our food.
If you want to learn about the earth around you, rocks are the
place to start. And once you look carefully at a rock, you may
wonder about other things:
• Where did the rock come from? How was it made?
• Why is the rock shaped the way it is?
• Are there fossils in the rock? What can those fossils tell us?
• Does the rock contain valuable materials, like diamonds

or oil, that can be useful to people?
These are the kinds of questions that the scientists who study
the earth and its rocks try to answer.

Chapter 2
Geologists Study the Planet

For geologists, the people who study the earth, rocks tell a
Word Connection story. A rock may give clues about how a landform got its
geology—The science
shape. Or a rock may show scientists that the spot where they
that involves the study
of the earth, includ- are standing looked very different thousands or millions of
ing its history and the years ago.
processes that shape
it. From the Greek There are many different kinds of geologists. Some geologists
words ge- (the earth) try to figure out what materials rocks are made of. Others
and logos (reason). A
study the location and movement of water under the earth’s
geologist is a scientist
who studies geology. surface. Still others might explore volcanoes to learn about
how they work and about the rocks that come from them.
Geologists share their knowledge of the earth to help build

dams, roads, and buildings. They try to keep us safe by learn-
ing about earthquakes and predicting when they might strike.
Geologists even travel into space to look down at the Earth to
study the continents and different landforms.
The Science of Geology
T Think About It!

In each of these examples,
how can geologists’
knowledge of the earth
help improve people’s
lives?
• People use products
that come from the
earth, such as iron, oil,
and cut stone.
• Whenever we build a
structure—a bridge, a
building, or a power
plant—we need to
know about the ground
it will be built on.
• Everything we eat and

wear originally came
from plants. Plants
grow in soil that’s
partly made up of rock
material.
• Geologic hazards, like

landslides, volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes,
and tsunamis, can
threaten us and our
property.
Geologists use different tools and work in many places.

10 Chapter 2
History of Science and Technology

Sometimes new scientific ideas are born when people use new
inventions. You may already know about how the invention
of the telescope changed how we see the planets and stars,
or that the invention of the microscope helped people see the
smallest living things. For the area of science known as geol-
ogy, the steam engine was just such an invention.
Coal and Canals: Geology 200 Years Ago

In the early 1700s, people only used coal to heat their homes.
Changing
But by the end of that century, they were burning coal to melt
Earth Fact
and shape iron, and to power the new steam-driven factories.
Coal is one kind of
natural resource that Coal is a black rock formed from dead plant material that is
humans use to heat millions of years old. In some areas, coal lies just below the sur-
water and produce
face of the earth. In other areas, it’s found hundreds of meters
electricity. Today,
people also use oil and beneath the land. As more and more people wanted coal, the
natural gas, which also people who knew how to locate it became very popular.
come from the earth.
During this time, the scientific field of geology became more
important to people because they wanted to find the hidden
coal, as well as other valuable rocks that lay beneath the
earth’s surface. But the need for coal created a whole new
set of problems that also helped make geology an important
Changing
Earth Fact new science.
By 1800, a million tons One of these problems was that coal was bulky. Moving it
of coal a year were from mines in the country to the factories and cities where
dug from all of Britain’s
coal mines.
people used it was difficult, especially since few roads at that
time were paved.
The Science of Geology 11
In the earliest canals, heavy goods were carried in boats towed by horses.
In the late 1700s, people began to dig canals that filled with
water for transportation. Canals allowed people to float heavy
loads on boats pulled by horses that walked on a path that
ran alongside the canals. Instead of getting stuck on a muddy
road, canals enabled goods to be transported in almost any
weather, and for a lower price than using carts or wagons.
Canal building was all the rage for fifty years, until railroads
became cheaper and more dependable.
The need for coal and canals created one of those special
moments in history when a clever person makes a remark-
able new discovery. In this case, the new discovery came about
because of one of the most important skills used by all scien-
tists, even you: the skill of observation.
William Smith: An Early Geologist Makes a Discovery

William Smith, the son of a village blacksmith in England,
was the first person to use his observations to make a map of
the layers of rock beneath the earth’s surface. During the late
1700s, in England, he was hired to help plan two canals that
would connect a rich coal mining area with the cities of Lon-
don and Bristol. All his years of climbing down into mines and
watching workers dig canals helped him to notice something
no one else had noticed before.
12 Chapter 2
What did he observe that was so important? First, by care-

fully looking at the underground world, he discovered that the
different colored rocks and sediment below the ground were
always layered in the same order, like the layers of a cake.
Layers of soil and rock
Second, by looking closely at the rocks in those layers, he

Word Connection
discovered that each layer had its own special kind of fossils.
fossil—A rock whose
One of these fossils was called an ammonite, which is a kind
shape reveals informa-
tion about an ancient of snail that lived in the ocean millions of years ago.
plant, animal, or other
organism. If an organ-
Different ammonites lived at different times during Earth’s
ism becomes fossilized, long history. When an ammonite became fossilized, it became
that means that its part of the rock around it. Like a bookmark sticking out from
shape or remains have
been replaced by rock
a group of pages, it marked a certain spot in the layers of rock.
material.
The Science of Geology 13
By comparing that spot with ammonites from other spots,

Smith could tell which layer was which. By looking at the
fossils in the earth, anyone could identify the layer of rock
and tell when it formed.
Ammonites come many sizes and shapes. This one was found in Montana.
For many years Smith traveled the English countryside collect-

ing sample rocks and fossils. Finally, in 1815, he drew the first
map of the types of rocks that make up the surface of England.
In fact, this was the very first geological map of its kind any-
where in the world. It helped people understand that the earth
was composed of layers. When they asked how he made the
map, Smith explained his theory about using fossils to identify
the different layers of rock.
Today, geologists still draw maps of the rocks on the surface of

the earth and the layers of rock beneath the earth. These maps
help scientists and engineers explore the earth, make new dis-
coveries, and form theories about how the earth was formed.
But all of today’s geologists owe thanks to William Smith for
his first map.
14 Chapter 2
People Doing Science
Women in Science
Collecting fossils became a trendy fashion in the mid-1700s.
People could not travel safely very far from their homes. But they
could travel through time by looking at dusty fossil bones, shells,
and plants. Two British women were important fossil collectors
during this time.
Ethelred Bennett, who once gave William Smith a piece of fossil-

ized coral to add to his collection, explored and collected fossils all
over the county of Wiltshire, England. While most women in her
day were learning needlepoint and piano, she was known as an
eager fossil hunter by the people who collected them.
Another woman, Mary Anning, learned about fossil collecting

from her father, who built cabinets for wealthy people to display
their fossil collections. In 1811, when she was just 12 years old,
Plesiosaur skeleton. she and her brother discovered a complete fossil skeleton of a
giant fish. Scientists today know it as an ichthyosaur, a kind of
dinosaur that swam in the sea millions of years ago. Mary later
discovered a fossil of a baby plesiosaur, a huge marine reptile,
Ichthyosaur. and a nearly perfect fossil of a pterodactyl, the winged dinosaur.
Pterodactyl fossil.
Levels 4-6
Science Companion ®

Teacher Lesson Manual
Table of Contents
Suggested Full Year Schedule . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover
Welcome to Science Companion
Philosophy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Finding What You Need in Science Companion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Cross-Curricular Integration and Flexible Scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Differentiating Instruction for Diverse Learners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Unit Overview
Introduction to the Earth’s Changing Surface Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Unit Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Lessons at a Glance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Integrating the Student Reference Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Preparing for the Unit

Earth’s Changing Surface Science Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Science Library and Web Links. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Before You Begin Teaching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Lessons
1 Looking for Changes to the Earth’s Surface: Part 1* . . . . . . . . . . 58
Navigation Tip:
If you are using Adobe Acrobat or the Adobe 2 Looking at Landforms*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Acrobat Reader, you'll have an easier time with 3 Rivers Shape the Land* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
navigation if you give yourself a "Previous View"
Teacher Directions: Making River Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
button. This tool works like a Back button, and
will allow you to retrace your jumps within the 4 Rivers Shape the Land in Different Ways*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
file so you don't get lost. 5 Abrasion Wears Down Rock*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
* Make sure the Page Navigation toolbar is Teacher Directions: Setting up Abrasion Investigations. . . . . . 123
displayed. (Use View/Toolbars or Tools/ 6 Glaciers Carve the Land*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Customize Toolbar if it is not.)
7 Wind Erodes Hoodoos*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
* Place the "Previous View" and "Next View"
buttons on that toolbar if they are not 8 Wind Deposits Dunes*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
already there. (Use Tools/Customize 9 Weathering Breaks Down Rock*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Toolbar.)
10 Looking for Changes to the Earth’s Surface: Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . 194
11 Plate Movements Form Mountains*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
12 Volcanoes Build Up the Earth’s Surface*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Previous View button on 13 Touring Landforms*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Page Navigation toolbar.
* Indicates a core lesson
| Earth’s Changing Surface | Table of Contents

Skill Building Activities
Observing and Describing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Reading Science Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Using Models in Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Teacher Background Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Standards and Benchmarks

Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Benchmarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Teacher Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
2009 Edition
Copyright © 2005 Chicago Science Group.
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the
United States Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be
reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a
database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the
publisher.
SCIENCE COMPANION®, EXPLORAGEAR®, the CROSSHATCH Design™
and the WHEEL Design® are trademarks of Chicago Science Group and
Chicago Educational Publishing.
ISBN 1-59192-291-7
Earth’s Changing Surface | Table of Contents |

Philosophy
Scie nce C ompa nio n
W elcome to
Almost anyone who has spent time with children is struck by the
tremendous energy they expend exploring their world. They ask
“why” and “how.” They want to see and touch. They use their minds
and senses to explore the things they encounter and wonder about.
In other words, children are already equipped with the basic
qualities that make a good scientist.
The goal of the Science Companion curriculum is to respond to

and nourish students’ scientific dispositions by actively engaging
their interests and enhancing their powers of inquiry, observation,
and reflection. Learning by doing is central to this program.
Each Science Companion lesson incorporates interesting and

relevant scientific content, as well as science values, attitudes,
and skills that children in the elementary grades should begin
to develop. These “habits of mind,” along with science content
knowledge, are crucial for building science literacy and they
are an integral part of the Science Companion program. Be aware of
them and reinforce them as you work with students. With experience,
students will develop the ways they demonstrate and use the
following scientific habits of mind.
Habits of Mind
Wondering and thinking about the natural and physical world
Students’ curiosity is valued, respected, and nurtured. Their questions
and theories about the world around them are important in setting
direction and pace for the curriculum. Children are encouraged to
revise and refine their questions and ideas as they gain additional
information through a variety of sources and experiences.
Seeking answers through exploration and investigation

Students actively seek information and answers to their questions
by trying things out and making observations. They continually
revise their understanding based on their experiences. Through
these investigations, children learn firsthand about the “scientific
method.” They also see that taking risks and making mistakes are
an important part of science and of learning in general.
Pursuing ideas in depth

Students have the opportunity to pursue ideas and topics fully,
revisiting them and making connections to other subjects and
other areas in their lives.
| Earth’s Changing Surface | Philosophy

Observing carefully
Scie nce C ompa nio n

Students are encouraged to attend to details. They are taught to
W elcome to
observe with multiple senses and from a variety of perspectives.
They use tools, such as magnifying lenses, balance scales, rulers, and
clocks, to enhance their observations. Students use their developing
mathematics and literacy skills to describe, communicate, and
record their observations in age-appropriate ways.
Communicating clearly
Students are asked to describe their observations and articulate
their thinking and ideas using a variety of communication tools,
including speaking, writing, and drawing. They learn that record
keeping is a valuable form of communication for oneself and
others. Children experience how working carefully improves one’s
ability to use one’s work as a tool for communication.
Collaborating and sharing

Students come to know that their ideas, questions, observations,
and work have value. At the same time, they learn that listening
is vitally important, and that exchanging ideas with one another
builds knowledge and enhances understanding. Children discover
that they can gain more knowledge as a group than as individuals,
and that detailed observations and good ideas emerge from
collaboration.
Developing critical response skills

Students ask, “How do you know?” when appropriate, and are
encouraged to attempt to answer when this question is asked of
them. This habit helps develop the critical response skills needed
by every scientist.
Earth’s Changing Surface | Philosophy |

E arth ’ s C ha n gi n g S urface
C luster 1
2
Earth’s Surface Changes
Lesson Looking at Landforms
A Quick Look
Big Idea Overview

Students observe relief maps or globes and note the large landforms
Landforms are the result on them. To become familiar with the diversity of landforms on Earth,
of changes to the earth’s they examine and discuss photographs of various landforms and
surface. guess how they were formed.
Process Skills Key Notes

• Describing • Arrange to borrow a collection of relief maps or extra relief
• Observing globes from other classrooms to use during the introductory
discussion.
• Using models
• Although you are laying important groundwork for students
• Wondering to understand that the movement of water, ice, and wind
shape the landscape, don’t formally introduce this concept
during this lesson. Instead, allow students to use their own
ideas and previous experience to guess how landforms are
created. In Lessons 3–9, students learn about the natural
processes that wear away or build up the earth’s surface, and
create landforms.
70 | Earth’s Changing Surface | lesson 2 | Looking at Landforms

Key Notes (continued)
Lesson
2
Notes
• In this lesson students use maps and globes, models of the
earth’s surface. In subsequent lessons they build models
to demonstrate various processes that shape the earth. If
students need to develop an understanding of why models
are used in science, teach the Skill Building Activity “Using
Models in Science,” on page 272.
• For more information about the science content in this lesson,
see the “Different Processes Shape the Land” section of the
Teacher Background Information on pages 281–287.
Standards and Benchmarks

• This lesson lays the foundation for students to understand
Earth and Space Science Standard D (Structure of the Earth
System and Changes in the Earth and Sky) by thinking about
how “the surface of the earth changes,” how “some changes
are due to slow processes, such as weathering and erosion,”
and that “landforms are the result of a combination of
constructive and destructive forces.”
• Students also begin to understand The Physical Setting
Benchmark 4C (Processes That Shape the Earth): “waves, wind,
water, and ice shape and reshape the earth’s land surface by Teacher Master 2, Assessment 1
eroding rock and soil in some areas and depositing them in
other areas.”
Lesson Goals
1. Observe various types of landforms.
2. Wonder about the processes that create and shape landforms.
Assessment Option
Pay attention to criteria A and B on Assessment 1 and criteria D on
Assessment 2 when you review student’s responses on pages 4-6
of the science notebooks. Use this review as a pre-assessment of
their understanding of the processes that shape the surface of the
earth and create landforms.
Teacher Master 3, Assessment 2
Earth’s Changing Surface | lesson 2 | Looking at Landforms | 71

Materials
Item Quantity Notes
ExploraGear
Relief map 1 For students to describe shapes of large landforms.
Classroom Supplies
Globe, relief style (optional) 1 or more For students to describe shapes of large landforms.
Overhead projector 1 To display overhead transparencies.

Relief maps (optional) 1 or more For students to describe shapes of large landforms.
Previous Lesson
List of changes to the earth’s surface From Lesson 1.
from the Surface Changes Walk (optional)
Curriculum Items
Overhead Transparencies “Landform 1” through “Landform 14”
Earth’s Changing Surface Science Notebook, pages 4–6
Earth’s Changing Surface Student Reference Book, pages 7–14
Teacher Master “Landform Information”
Teacher Master “Landform—Sensory Memories” (optional)
Teacher Master “Note Recording Tool” (optional)
Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 1 “Landforms” (optional)
Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 2 “Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition” (optional)
Skill Building Activity “Using Models in Science,” pages 272–278 (optional)
Using the Student Reference Book

Notes After the lesson, use Chapter 2 of the student reference book
to reinforce the idea that landforms are made of rock, and to
introduce the science of geology. The “History of Science and
Technology” section is optional, and can be used for reading
enrichment.
Vocabulary
landform . . . . . . . . . . . . A part of the earth’s surface that has a
unique shape, is easy to recognize, and
was created by nature.
model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . An object that represents something that
is similar to the real thing in many ways (it
might be made out of the same materials),
but is different in some ways (it might be
much bigger or smaller, for example).
physical model . . . . . . A three-dimensional model of something.

Teaching the Lesson
Notes
Engage
Introductory Discussion
1. Review the list of changes to the earth’s surface that students
observed on their Surface Changes Walk and their ideas about
what caused these changes.
2. Conduct a brief discussion of the question: Is the surface of the
earth the same everywhere? Help students recall the surface
changes they noticed in the landscape around the school.
Seeing and Touching Global Landforms

Students turn their attention to global landforms by using their
senses to feel and see shapes on a relief globe or relief map.
1. Show students a relief globe or relief map and explain that

these are physical models of the earth’s surface. Ask them what
kinds of shapes they see on the models.
2. If you have enough to go around, distribute globes and
maps to groups of students. Otherwise, invite three student
volunteers to join you in front of the class with the globe or
map you displayed.
3. Have the students close their eyes, gently touch the globe or
map, and describe the shapes they feel.
4. (Optional) If you have both a relief globe and relief map, ask the
student volunteers if it is easier or harder to distinguish shapes
on the relief map. (The difference in scale between the globe and
the map may make it easier or more difficult to feel the shapes of
landforms.)
Teacher Note: If you already taught students about scale in a geography,

math, or science session, you may want to point out that the relief map
has a different scale than the globe, and that is why shapes like mountains
and valleys are more distinctive. Although students view images depicting
landforms in different scales later in the lesson, it is not important to focus
on this concept at this time.
5. Share the definition of landform with students. Have them

brainstorm a list of the landforms that they can recognize
on the globes and maps. (The list might include terms such as
canyon, island, mountain, ocean, plain, river, valley, and volcano.)

Explore
Notes
Looking at Landforms
1. Refer students to the “I Wonder,” “I Think,” and “I Observe”
sections of the “I Wonder” circle and explain that they will
practice many of these scientific skills while identifying some
of the different landforms they learn about during the unit.
2. Tell them that as you show the overhead transparencies, they
should record the type of landform(s) displayed, and then
make their best guess, on pages 4–6 of their science notebook,
about how it was formed.
Teacher Note: The earth’s surface exhibits an amazing diversity of

landforms. Some of the overhead transparencies reflect this diversity by
depicting more than one landform. Use the descriptions on the teacher
master to guide you as you point out specific formations for students to
Science Notebook pages 4–6 observe, but don’t feel compelled to share all the information provided.
Alternatively, invite students to name the kinds of landforms shown.
3. Display the overhead transparencies titled “Landform 1,”

“Landform 2,” and so on. Use the notes and questions on
Teacher Master “Landform Information” to help guide a
discussion about each one. Point out the individual landforms
on each transparency before showing the next one.
Overhead Transparencies:
“Landforms 1–14”
language arts
connection
You can record the names of
landforms during the sensory
observation by making a chart
and listing terms. The chart
can be the beginning of an
“word bank” that you can post
and then add to throughout
the unit to assist students.
(For more information about
word banks, see the “Setting
Up a Science-Friendly
Environment” article in the
Teacher Reference Materials.)

4. After pointing out the landforms, give students time to write
down their ideas about each one’s formation. Ask volunteers to
share their guesses with the class.
Notes
Teacher Note: You don’t need to critique or correct the students’ guesses
at this point. Help them articulate their ideas and questions, and listen for
opportunities to revisit them during future lessons.
5. Display and discuss all of the transparencies, then finish the

activity by asking students if any of the landforms reminded
them of the changes to the earth’s surface they identified on
the Surface Changes Walk. If there are similarities, display the
landform again and invite further discussion about how the
formations might have been created.
Teacher Masters 11–19
social studies
connection
The final overhead
transparency shows the
Great Lakes, an essential
transportation waterway for
both Canada and the United
States. Have students name
the states and provinces that
border the Great Lakes, as
well as the major cities on
their shores.
Use the note recording tool

to record students’ ideas
about how the landforms
were created. Use this as
a pre-assessment of their
understanding of criteria A
and B on Assessment 1, and
criterion D on Assessment 2.

Ongoing Learning
Notes
Science Center
Materials: Books and • Encourage students to bring in images of landforms from
photographs about magazines and web sites, as well as photographs from home.
landforms, student They might also want to draw their own pictures of these
drawings of landforms, features. Have them create labels for the images to use as
and chart paper for an captions.
“word bank” • If you began an Earth’s Changing Surface “word bank” during
the exploration, post it in the Science Center. Add to these
terms as students encounter new words in future lessons.
Extending the Lesson

Further Science Exploration
Local Landforms
To help students connect their experience of their surroundings to
the examples of the landforms they observed in class, have them
research similar local landforms. Encourage students to record their
ideas about how the features were formed.
Language Arts Extension

Have students recall their experiences at a local landform, or
suggest that they investigate a famous landform. Encourage them
to share their reflections and impressions in one of these formats:
• A poem about the landform using vivid sensory images

• A travelogue describing a real or imaginary trip to the landform
• A myth or legend that explains how the landform was created
or depicts how the landform significantly affects the people
who live nearby
If students need help using details in their descriptive writing, have

them complete the Teacher Master “Landform—Sensory Memories”
as a pre-writing activity.
Teacher Master 20

Social Studies Extension
Have students research a famous landform or one that plays Notes
a significant role in the culture or folklore of a native people.
Examples include:
• Crater Lake, Oregon

• Devil’s Tower, Wyoming
• Horseshoe Falls at Niagara Falls, New York
• Kilauea volcano, Hawaii
• Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
• Mt. Rainier, Washington
• Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
• Uluru (Ayers Rock), Australia
Art Extensions
• Collages offer children an opportunity to create unique
interpretations of common sights. Encourage students to use
natural materials like bark, flowers, grass, pebbles, and sand
to create a collage depicting a local or a famous landform that
interests them.
• Have children study masterworks of famous landforms around

the world. Explore how different cultures use unique artistic
styles to emphasize different features. Japanese artists, for
example, have created highly stylized depictions of sacred
Mt. Fuji. Contrast these with the romantic visions of American
landforms painted by artists such as Thomas Doughty and
Albert Bierstadt, or the photographs of Ansel Adams.

Music Extension
Notes Many songs have landforms featured prominently in their lyrics
and titles. Try to obtain recordings of the following songs, or have
students search the Internet for more songs and lyrics.
• The Green, Green Grass of Home

• Down by the Valley
• Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Diana Ross and the
Supremes)
• The Bear Went Over the Mountain (traditional)

• Red River Valley (traditional)
• She’ll be Comin’ Around the Mountain When She Comes
(traditional)
• By the River of Babylon (Bob Marley)

• Volcano (Jimmy Buffet)
• Roll on Columbia, Roll On (Woody Guthrie)
• Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal
• Climb Every Mountain (from “The Sound of Music”)

Planning Ahead
Notes
For Lesson 3
• Have the students read Chapter 3 of the student reference
book before the lesson. This reading provides a basic
foundation for understanding weathering, erosion, and
deposition.
• If you haven’t already done so, review the materials list, obtain
classroom supplies, and construct the river tables according to
the teacher directions.

Overhead Transparency: “Landform 1” Overhead Transparency: “Landform 2”



Science Notebook page 4 Science Notebook page 5

Science Notebook page 6 Teacher Master 2, Assessment 1
Teacher Master 3, Assessment 2 Teacher Master 11

Teacher Master 12 Teacher Master 13


Teacher Master 20

Teacher Background
T eacher B ackgrou nd
In formatio n
Information
Introduction: Our Changing Earth
In the early summer of 2004, a landslide created a natural dam on
the Pareechu River in Tibet. Within weeks, satellite images showed
a large lake building behind the obstruction, filling a basin and
extending far upriver. According to NASA, “the new lake poses a
threat to communities downstream in northern India, which will
be flooded if the landslide-dam bursts.” 1
Cataclysmic events, such as floods and landslides, change the earth’s

surface in sudden and dramatic ways. Because such changes are
easy for children to observe, these spectacular events commonly
become the focus of learning about how the earth’s surface changes.
In the fast-paced 21st century, when we are less connected to

nature on a daily basis, we usually don’t notice the slow and subtle
changes to the landscape around us. Our everyday experience
tells us that the earth’s surface rarely changes. When we view
landforms such as mountains and valleys, they appear constant,
solid, and unchanging. In our concrete cities, the only changes to
the landscape we may experience are those created by humans.
Landscapes may appear the same from day to day, but in fact they
are in a state of perpetual change. These changes happen slowly,
often imperceptibly, but they are constant. New rock is added to
the surface as the earth’s crust moves, forming new mountains and
creating rift valleys and volcanoes. The processes of weathering,
erosion, and deposition slowly transform rock, creating an amazing
variety of landforms and features. Depending on the local climate,
the force of moving water, ice, and wind act in unique ways to
shape and carve the earth’s surface.
Children have difficulty applying scientific explanations to

processes in the natural world that they don’t personally observe.
As one research report explained, children demonstrate a “natural
inability to conceive vast scales of time and distance and of rates of
process of phenomena which are outside immediate experience.” 2
1
Landslide Creates Lake in Tibet. NASA Earth Observatory: Natural Hazards. September
1, 2004. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_
v2.php3?img_id=12390
2
Representations of Mountains and Mountainous Landscapes and Environments. Roger
Trend, Lynne Everett, and Jane Dove. Research in Science and Technological Education.
Exeter School of Education, University of Exeter: 2000.
280 | Earth’s Changing Surface | Teacher Background Information

The Earth’s Changing Surface Unit challenges the misconception
T eacher B ackgrou nd
of landscapes as fixed features by engaging students in the primary
In formatio n
activity of geologists: making careful observations of the processes
that impact the earth’s surface and its interior. Each lesson focuses
students’ attention on the slow processes and the subtle forces that
carve, shape, and weather the earth’s surface. By the end of the unit,
children shed their image of landscapes as unchanging and develop
a view of the earth’s surface as dynamic and constantly changing.
Different Processes Shape the Land

Movements of the Earth’s Crust Create Landforms
Many elementary-aged children assume that the earth is solid
rock all the way through. To dispel this notion and help children
understand why movement occurs on the earth’s surface, it is
helpful to provide a basic overview of the structural layers below
the earth’s crust. It is not necessary to explain plate tectonics, but
it is important to emphasize that there are forces deep within the
earth that cause movement of the earth’s crust.
Inner Core Crust

4300C to Air Temperature
7200C to 870C
(7772F to (1598F)
Mantle
12992F)
870C to 3700C
(1598F to 6692F)
Outer Core
3700C to 4300C
(6692F to 7772F)
0 km 1228 km 3500 km 6340 km 6378 km

(0 mi) (763 mi) (2174 mi) (3939 mi) (3963 mi)
Layers of the Earth

The earth is made up of four layers: inner core, outer core, mantle, and
crust. The core is composed of mostly iron and nickel and remains very
hot, even after 4.5 billion years of cooling. The core is divided into two
layers: a solid inner core and a liquid outer core. Above the core lies
Earth’s Changing Surface | Teacher Background Information | 281

the mantle, an immense layer of rock that makes up approximately
75% to 80% of the earth’s mass and volume. The crust is the outer
layer of solid rock that makes up the surface of the earth. It includes
the continents and ocean basins. Compared to the internal layers of
the earth, the crust is a thin shell, like the outer surface of an egg.
The mantle itself is divided into an upper and a lower mantle. The
upper mantle, called the rigid mantle, is a plastic-like rock that
is firmly attached to the crust. Together, the crust and rigid mantle
are known as the lithosphere, a layer about 100 kilometers
(approximately 60 miles) deep. Like a cracked egg shell, the
lithosphere is made up of numerous pieces called tectonic plates.
The plates of the lithosphere float on top of a layer of hot, semi-fluid
rock that composes the lower mantle.
The material below the rigid lithosphere is part of the convecting

mantle. Like any other hot liquid, its semi-fluid rock circulates very
slowly in convection patterns driven by the earth’s intense internal
heat. As it slowly churns, it carries the tectonic plates along with it,
like material carried along a conveyer belt. This slow and constant
circulation of rock material in the convecting mantle is the driving
force behind plate tectonics and the movements of the crust that
shape the earth’s surface. Students learn about the layers of the
earth in Lesson 11.

Moving Plates Build Mountains
Plate movements build mountains during a process called
orogenesis. As plates move, they can collide, split apart, or grind
together. The way the tectonic plates interact determines the types
of landform that form at the plate boundaries.
When two plates collide they form convergent margins. Large folded
mountain ranges are typically found along such plate boundaries.
In Lesson 11, students explore folded mountains—one of several
mountain types. Folded mountains, as the name implies, form when
the collision of two plates causes the crust to compress and crumple
into huge mountainous folds. The European Alps, Appalachian
Mountains, and Himalayas are all folded mountain chains.
Oceanic and continental tectonic plate collisions form subduction

zones. In these collisions, one tectonic plate sinks downward while
the overriding plate pushes up. As the front edge of an oceanic
plate sinks deep into the mantle, some of its rock melts. Volcanoes
commonly form above such subduction zones. As the plate melts,
molten rock, called magma, rises up through the lithosphere and
erupts as volcanoes. The volcanic mountains along the Cascade
and northern Sierra Nevada mountain ranges are examples of this
kind of volcanic activity.
Divergent boundaries are found where tectonic plates are moving

away from each other, such as along the mid-ocean ridges. Lava erupts
along the mid-ocean ridges due to underwater volcanoes that are
located above fissures created where the crust is weakened and
stretched as the plates move apart. This lava is a source of new rock
material that adds to the crust forming on the ocean floor. Divergent
boundaries also form rift valleys on land in places like east Africa.
Transform boundaries occur as tectonic plates slide past each

other. A small canyon, plateau, or ridge may sometimes form along
transform boundaries. Part of California’s famous San Andreas fault,
for example, forms a long valley running south of San Francisco
between the coastal Santa Cruz Mountains and the San Francisco
Bay. Earthquakes are very common along transform, divergent,
and convergent plate boundaries.
Most of the world’s earthquakes occur at fairly shallow depths, only

20 to 30 km (12–19 miles) deep. But earthquake movement within
the lithosphere often results in cataclysmic changes to the earth’s
surface. Huge cracks can open up in the ground, and buildings,
bridges, and other structures may crumble. Earthquakes can also
trigger massive landslides. Additionally, earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions under the ocean and in coastal areas can trigger huge
waves of water called tsunamis. Tsunamis can travel enormous
distances across the ocean and build in height as they approach

land. Where they reach shore they may attain a height of nearly 30
meters (100 feet) and can sweep very far inland. These and other
secondary effects of an earthquake, such as landslides and fires,
often cause more damage than the actual ground shaking.
Weathering Breaks Down Earth’s Rock

• How do giant boulders become small pebbles?
• How do sharp, rough rocks become smooth and round?
• What makes sand?
The answer to all of these questions can be found in the subtle,
and often protracted, process of weathering. Weathering is the
physical, chemical, or biological breakdown of rocks and minerals
into smaller sized particles.
Physical Weathering
Geologists usually describe three types of weathering: physical,
biological, and chemical. Physical weathering occurs when rock
is broken down into smaller pieces by physical processes. Physical
weathering changes the physical shape of rocks, but not their
chemical composition. Moving water, in the form of rain, rivers,
waves, and storms, is the greatest cause of physical weathering,
even in locations that receive very little precipitation. Glaciers,
wind, and extreme changes in temperature also play an important
role in physical weathering.
The weathering process that is the focus of the Earth’s Changing

Surface Unit is abrasion caused by moving water, ice, and wind-
dispersed materials. Simply put, abrasion is the grinding down of
one rock by another. This grinding can be found in the tumbling
of boulders in a large, flood-prone river, the pulverizing of rock
material beneath the enormous weight of a glacier, or the subtle
sanding of rock surfaces by wind-borne sediment. Students
explore the effect of abrasion on rock in Lessons 5 and 9. They
apply this knowledge of abrasion as they review the role of water
(Lessons 3 and 4) on the movement of sediment. They consider the
impact of ice (Lesson 6) and wind (Lessons 7 and 8) on the process
of abrasion and its contribution to the creation of landforms.
In high mountains, and other places where nighttime temperatures

drop below freezing, the freeze/thaw cycle is often the first process
to act on rock that is newly exposed to the elements. When water
seeps into cracks, it often freezes and expands at night, wedging
rocks apart. Since water expands 10% in volume when it freezes,
the force of wedging can be considerable. In the daytime the water
melts and the cracks contract again. In addition, the rock itself
expands and contracts as temperatures rise and fall. This constant

expansion and contraction eventually weakens rock and breaks
it apart. Although students do not study the freeze/thaw cycle
during Earth’s Changing Surface Unit, it is a key process for breaking
large rocks into smaller fragments, beginning the slow, steady
deterioration to sediment, the tiny particles of rock material.
Biological Weathering
Biological weathering occurs when the actions of living
organisms contribute to the breaking down of rock. Most people
are unaware of the role that living organisms play in shaping
the earth’s surface. Plants, bacteria, and fungi are all agents of
biological weathering. Even the footsteps of humans and animals
are considered by some scientists to be an example of biological
weathering. The roots of plants are strong enough to wedge
and break apart rocks. Tree roots can even break apart giant
boulders. Soil is created through physical, chemical, and biological
weathering and is composed of rocks, minerals, organic debris,
and living organisms. These organisms are widespread in soil and
produce acids and enzymes that chemically break down and
dissolve rocks. Though not covered in the lessons, plants, bacteria,
lichens, and fungi play an important role in weathering processes.
Chemical Weathering
Chemical weathering occurs when the minerals in rocks are
chemically transformed into new materials. Oxidation, the most
common form of chemical weathering, occurs when oxygen reacts
with iron and magnesium-rich minerals. This is the same process
that rusts metal. The deep red and brown colors of many rocks are
caused by iron oxidation. Dissolution, another important form of
chemical weathering, occurs when slightly acidic water dissolves
calcium-rich minerals in rock. Dissolution is the primary process
that causes the formation of limestone caverns. It is also the cause
of weathering seen in many limestone buildings throughout the
world exposed to air pollution and acid rain.
Erosion Moves Material; Deposition Builds It Up

Once rock is broken into smaller bits, two other processes contribute For more detailed information
to the creation of landforms and shape the earth’s surface: erosion about erosion and deposition,
and deposition. The word erosion comes from the Latin word erodere, see Chapter 3 of the student
which means “to eat away slowly.” Although the terms weathering reference book.
and erosion are often used interchangeably, it will help students
to clearly distinguish between the two processes. Weathering,
discussed above, is the formation of loose bits of rock material,
called sediment. The second process, erosion, is the removal and
transportation of sediment and larger rock material by water, ice,
and wind. Most erosional processes happen very slowly—for
example, the way wind-bourn sediment polishes rock over thousands

of years—or very quickly, as in the case of hurricanes and floods.
Students are introduced to the concept of erosion in Lesson 3, and
return to it in subsequent lessons.
The forces of water, ice, and wind all pick up and transport eroded
material, but eventually gravity pulls this material down to settle
on the surface of the earth. There it may form new soil, compact
over time to become new rock, build a river delta, or settle onto a
sand dune. Deposition occurs when eroded rock material is laid
down in a new location. It also occurs when volcanic activity causes
new rock material to emerge from beneath the earth’s surface.
All three of these processes—weathering, erosion, and deposition—

work together to wear down, transport, and build up the rock
material that shapes the remarkable surface of our planet.
Plants, Animals, and Humans Impact the Earth’s Surface

Plants and animals also play an important role in shaping the
earth’s surface. Plant root systems hold soil in place and limit
erosion. At the same time, plant roots can make a forceful wedge
that eventually breaks down rock. In some places where conditions
are too extreme for plants to grow, lichens help break down rock.
In other places, like the deserts of the western United States, lichens
can bind the top of otherwise lifeless soil, preventing erosion. The
complex interactions of plants and the earth’s surface are beyond
the scope of this unit, but these interactions may be ones that
students first notice as they look for changes to the earth’s surface in
Lessons 1 and 10 and take part in the virtual field trips of Lesson 13.
Students may have witnessed the industrious bustle of ants moving

sediment to build a nest. Or they may have seen the temporary
dams built by beavers and the lakes that result. In coastal areas,
students may recognize that animals like coral eventually decay
and become part of the landscape by forming beaches. From
the migratory paths worn by large mammals to the hills built by
termites, the earth’s surface is marked by the activity of animals.

Humans also make dramatic and lasting changes to the surface
of the earth. Like animals, human activities often alter natural
processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition. Some of these
activities can be destructive. Urban development transforms
natural landscapes and alters the course of rivers, deltas, and
floodplains. Agriculture, logging, and mining can expose topsoil,
leaving it susceptible to rapid erosion. Even overuse of limited
water resources can deplete groundwater and sometimes
irrevocably change landscapes by lowering the elevation of the
land (subsidence), creating sinkholes, and diminishing annual
flows of rivers and streams. Global warming, which most scientists
believe is accelerated by burning fossil fuels, is causing glaciers around
the world to retreat or melt away entirely. Human activities also create
by-products which can alter the earth’s surface by damaging rivers
and coastlines, causing acid rain, and creating dumps and landfills.
The Force of Water

Rivers Shape the Land
Moving water is the single most important factor in shaping For more detailed information
the earth’s surface, and rivers are one of the most important about rivers and the force of
catalysts of landscape change. Once precipitation reaches the moving water, see Chapters 4–6
earth’s surface, water flows from high to low elevation under of the student reference book.
the influence of gravity. Rainfall, glacial runoff, snowmelt, and
springs can contribute water that feeds small creeks, referred to
as headwaters, that are eventually channeled into streams and
larger rivers. Rivers play a major role in shaping every landscape on
earth, except for the most extreme arctic and desert environments.
Even in deserts, occasional rainfall causes ephemeral streams
and flash floods that play a major role in shaping the landscape.
Students discover how moving water and rivers shape the earth’s
surface in Lessons 3 and 4.
The Role of a River’s Slope and Rate of Discharge

The shape of rivers and the landforms they create over time are
largely determined by the river’s slope and water discharge. Slope
determines how fast the water in a river flows and the size and
amount of sediment a river can transport. On a mountainside,
water flows downhill very fast because the slope is steep. Fast
flowing water has enough force to pick up large rocks and carry large
amounts of sediment and debris downstream. Steep mountain
streams tend to cut very narrow channels with turbulent whitewater
and many waterfalls. Rocks and rock fragments carried by these
fast moving waters are subjected to considerable abrasion as they
are tossed about during their journey downstream. Swift streams
and rivers frequently cause rapid erosion, carving canyons and
steep V-shaped valleys.

“I Wonder” Circle ®
Doing Science
o v er I W
isc on
D de
I
r
I Record
I Think
Doing
Science
ve
er I
bs Tr
I O y
I Wonder: notice, ask questions, state problems

I Think: consider, gather information, predict
I Try: experiment, model, test ideas, repeat
I Observe: watch, examine, measure
I Record: record data, organize, describe, classify, graph, draw
I Discover: look for patterns, interpret, reflect, conclude,
communicate discoveries
2009 Edition. Copyright © 2004 Chicago Science Group.

All Rights Reserved. www.sciencecompanion.com
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10-P001-17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
Table of Contents
Introduction
Assessment Philosophy........................................................................ 5
Assessment Materials........................................................................... 8
Content Rubrics and Opportunity Overviews

Landforms Rubric 1............................................................................. 16
Landforms Opportunities Overview..................................................... 17
Weathering, Erosion and Deposition Rubric 2.................................... 18
Weathering, Erosion and Deposition Opportunities Overview............ 19
Breaking Down Rock Rubric 3 ............................................................ 20
Breaking Down Rock Opportunities Overview.................................... 21
Movements of the Earth’s Crust Rubric 4 ........................................... 22
Movements of the Earth’s Crust Opportunities Overview ................... 23
Skills and Attitudes Checklists and Self-Assessments

Observing and Describing: Checklist .................................................. 26
Observing and Describing: Self-Assessment ..................................... 27
Interpreting and Using Models: Checklist ........................................... 28
Performance Tasks and Evaluation Guidelines

Earth’s Surface Changes Cluster (Lessons 1 2, 10, 13) and
How The Earth’s Surface Changes Cluster (Lessons 3 9):
How Landforms Are Created #1:
Rio Grande River and Santa Elena Canyon .......................... 30
How Landforms Are Created #2: Cunningham Creek................ 31
How Landforms Are Created #3:
Aerial View of Mt. St. Helens.................................................. 32
How Landforms Are Created #4: Namib Desert Dunes ............. 33
Fast and Slow Changes ............................................................. 34
How the Earth’s Surface Changes Cluster (Lessons 3 9):
Glacial Landforms....................................................................... 35
Effects of Abrasion ..................................................................... 36
Movements of the Crust Change the Earth’s
Surface Cluster (Lessons 11 12):
Explaining Mountain Formation.................................................. 37
Explaining Volcano Formation.................................................... 38
Unit Assessments:
Landform Letter .......................................................................... 39
Landform Poster ......................................................................... 40
Quick Check Items and Answer Keys

Earth’s Surface Changes Cluster (Lessons 1 2, 10, 13).................... 42
How the Earth’s Surface Changes Cluster (Lessons 3 9) ................. 44
Movements of the Crust Change the
Earth’s Surface Cluster (Lessons 11 12) .......................................... 49
EARTH’S CHANGING SURFACE | TABLE OF CONTENTS | 3

Rubric 1: Landforms
Criterion A Criterion B Criterion C
(Lessons 1—2, 10, 13) (Lessons 2, 4, 6, 10, 13) (Lessons 1, 10, 13)
The earth’s surface is Landforms are a result of Some changes to the

constantly changing; weathering, erosion, earth’s surface happen
landforms result from deposition and quickly, but most take
those changes. movements of the earth’s place over a long period
crust. of time.
4 - Exceeds Understands at a secure Understands at a secure Understands at a secure

Expectations level (see box below) level (see box below) and level (see box below)
and can name specific can describe how a and can describe
Explores content landforms that result certain landform is specific examples of
beyond the level from those changes. created and the processes changes that happen
presented in the
involved. quickly and ones that
lessons.
take place over a long
period of time.
3 - Secure Understands that the Understands all four Understands that some
(Meets earth’s surface changes processes and knows that changes to the earth’s
Expectations) constantly and that one or more can act to surface happen quickly,
landforms result from create landforms. but that most take
Understands those changes. place over many years.
content at the level
presented in the
lessons and does
not exhibit
misconceptions.
2 - Developing Understands that Understands that Has some understanding
(Approaches landforms result from landforms result from that changes to the
Expectations) changes to the earth’s some process, but does earth’s surface take
surface but may not not correctly or time, but cannot
Shows an increasing understand that those consistently identify distinguish between
competency with changes are constant. those processes. ones that happen
lesson content. quickly and ones that
are slow.
1 - Beginning Does not understand that Does not understand any Does not have a sense
the earth’s surface of the processes that of how much time it
Has no previous
constantly changes or create landforms. takes for changes to the
knowledge of lesson
that landforms result earth’s surface to
content.
from those changes. occur.
16 | EARTH’S CHANGING SURFACE | CONTENT RUBRICS AND OPPORTUNITIES OVERVIEWS

Opportunities Overview: Landforms
This table highlights opportunities to assess the criteria on Rubric 1:
Landforms. It does not include every assessment opportunity; feel free to
select or devise other ways to assess various criteria.

(Lessons 1—2, 10, 13) (Lessons 2, 4, 6, 10, 13) (Lessons 1, 10, 13)
Lesson 1: Lesson 2: Lesson 1:

- Science Talk - Science notebook pages - Science Talk
Lesson 2: 46 Lesson 10:
Pre and Formative
- Introductory discussion Lesson 6: - Teacher Master “Surface

Opportunities
Lessons 1 and 2: - Science notebook page 24 Changes Performance

- Synthesizing discussions Lesson 10: Task”
Lesson 2: - Teacher Master “Surface Lesson 13:
- Science notebook pages 4 6 Changes Performance - Exploration discussions
Lesson 10: Task” - Science notebook page 64
- Teacher Master “Surface Lesson 13:
Changes Performance - Exploration discussions
Task” - Science notebook pages
59 68
Performance Tasks
Earth’s Surface Changes and Earth’s Surface Changes Earth’s Surface Changes
How the Earth’s Surface and How the Earth’s and How the Earth’s
Changes Clusters Surface Changes Clusters Surface Changes Clusters
How Landforms Are Created How Landforms Are How Landforms Are Created
1-4, pages 30-33 Created 1-4, pages 30-33 1-4, pages 30-33
Glacial Landforms, page 35 Glacial Landforms, page 35 Fast and Slow Changes,
Effects of Abrasion, page 36 Effects of Abrasion, page 34
Summative Opportunities
page 36 Glacial Landforms, page 35

Unit Assessment Effects of Abrasion, page 36
Landform Letter, page 39
Landform Poster, page 40 Unit Assessment
Landform Poster, page 40
Quick Check Items

Earth’s Surface Changes Earth’s Surface Changes Earth’s Surface Changes
Cluster Cluster Cluster
Pages 42 43: items 1 6 Pages 42 43: items 3 6 Pages 42-43: items 1, 2, 5, 6
How The Earth’s Surface
Changes Cluster
Pages 44 46: items 1, 2, 4,
5, 9, 10
EARTH’S CHANGING SURFACE | CONTENT RUBRICS AND OPPORTUNITIES OVERVIEWS | 17

Rubric 2: Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
(Lessons 6, 9, 11, 13) (Lessons 3-4, 6, 8, 11- (Lessons 2-4, 6-8, 11-
13) 13)
Weathering is a process Erosion is a process by Weathering, erosion,
by which rocks and which rocks and sediment and deposition are the
sediment break down move over the earth’s result of moving water,
over time. surface. Deposition is a ice, and wind.
process by which rocks
and sediment build up the
earth’s surface.
4 - Exceeds Understands at a secure Understands at a secure Understands at a secure
Expectations level (see box below) level (see box below) and level (see box below)
and contemplates a can apply their and further explores
Explores content variety of physical, understanding to new and explains the ways
beyond the level chemical, or biological situations. that moving water, ice
presented in the
processes that and wind have shaped
lessons.
contribute to the earth.
weathering.
3 - Secure Knows how weathering Understands that erosion Understands that
(Meets breaks down rocks and and deposition are the weathering, erosion,
Expectations) sediment over time. processes by which rocks and deposition are the
and sediments can move result of moving water,
Understands over and build up the ice, and wind.
content at the level earth’s surface. Can
presented in the provide examples of
lessons and does erosion and deposition.
not exhibit
misconceptions.
2 - Developing Knows that rocks break Understands that rocks Knows that moving
(Approaches down, but cannot and sediments can move water, ice, or wind can
Expectations) explain how. over, and build up, the shape the earth’s
earth’s surface, but surface, but can not
Shows an increasing cannot apply the correct relate these forces to
competency with terminology for these weathering, erosion, or
lesson content. processes. deposition.
1 - Beginning Does not understand that Does not understand that Does not understand
rocks can break down. rocks and sediment can that moving water, ice
Has no previous
move over, and build up, or wind can contribute
knowledge of lesson
the earth’s surface. to weathering, erosion,
content.
or deposition.
18 | EARTH’S CHANGING SURFACE | CONTENT RUBRICS AND OPPORTUNITIES OVERVIEWS

Opportunities Overview: Weathering, Erosion,
and Deposition
This table highlights opportunities to assess the criteria on Rubric 2:
Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition. It does not include every
assessment opportunity; feel free to select or devise other ways to assess
various criteria.

(Lessons 6, 9, 11, 13) (Lessons 3-4, 6, 8, 11-13) (Lessons 2-4, 6–8, 11-13)
Lesson 6: Lessons 3 and 4: Lesson 2:

- Introductory discussion - Synthesizing discussions - Science notebook pages 4-6
Lesson 9: Lesson 6: Lessons 3 and 4:
Pre and Formative
- Exploration discussion - Introductory discussion - Synthesizing discussions

Opportunities
Lesson 11: Lesson 8: Lesson 6:

- Science notebook page 50 - Science notebook pages - Science notebook page 25
Lesson 13: 32-34 Lesson 7:
- Science notebook pages Lesson 11: - Introductory discussion
59-68 - Science notebook page 50 Lesson 8:
- Science notebook pages 32-34
Lesson 13:
- Science notebook pages 59-68
Performance Tasks
Earth’s Surface Changes Earth’s Surface Changes Earth’s Surface Changes and
and How the Earth’s and How the Earth’s How the Earth’s Surface
Surface Changes Clusters Surface Changes Clusters Changes Clusters
How Landforms Are Created How Landforms Are Created How Landforms Are
1 4, pages 30-33 1 4, pages 30-33 Created 1 4, pages 30-33
Summative Opportunities
Glacial Landforms, page 35 Glacial Landforms, page 35 Fast and Slow Changes,
Effects of Abrasion, page 36 Effects of Abrasion, page 34
page 36 Glacial Landforms, page 35
Movements of the Crust Effects of Abrasion, page 36
Change the Earth’s Surface Unit Assessment
Explaining Mountain Landform Letter, page 39
Formation, page 37
Quick Check Items

How the Earth’s Surface How the Earth’s Surface How the Earth’s Surface
Changes Cluster Changes Cluster Changes Cluster
Pages 46-48: items 9, 10, Pages 45-47: items 3-5, 9, Pages 45-47: items 4, 5, 9 14
15 17 10, 13, 14
EARTH’S CHANGING SURFACE | CONTENT RUBRICS AND OPPORTUNITIES OVERVIEWS | 19

Date:
Directions: As you observe and discuss the photographs of landforms, record the type of land-
form in the first column. In the second column, write your best guess (or guesses) about how it
was created. (Note: Some pictures show more than one landform.)
Type of Landform: My Guess About How It Was Formed:
Looking at Landforms (Lesson 2)

Date:

Date:

Date:
Directions: As you observe and discuss the photographs of landforms, record the type of land-
form in the first column. In the second column, write your best guess (or guesses) about how it
was created. (Note: Some pictures show more than one landform.)

Refer to Teacher Masters 11-19
for descriptions of landforms
students may identify on the
Answers vary.
overhead transparencies.

Date:

Answers vary.

Date:
Answers vary.

Teacher Masters:
Table of Contents
Introductory Letter to Families
Welcome to the Earth’s Changing Surface Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Assessments
Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 1: Landforms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 2: Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 3: Breaking Down Rock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 4: Movements of the Earth’s Crust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 5: Observing and Describing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 6: Interpreting and Using Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Note Recording Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8–9
Teacher Masters
Surface Changes Walk (Lessons 1 and 10). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Landform Information (Lessons 2 and 6). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11–19
Landform–Sensory Memories (Lesson 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Glacial Movements (Lesson 6). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Processes that Shape the Earth’s Surface (Lesson 10). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Surface Change Performance Task (Lesson 10). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Request for Materials (Lesson 11). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Shaping of Bryce Canyon (Lesson 13). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Shaping of Mt. St. Helens (Lesson 13). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26–27
Family Links
Building Sand Castles (Lesson 1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Rock Hunt (Lesson 4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Experiencing the Depression Era Dust Bowl (Lesson 8). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
ISBN 1-59192-294-1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10-P001-17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
2009 Edition. Copyright © 2005 Chicago Science Group. All Rights Reserved.
Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 1: Landforms
As you evaluate students’ discussions and work, determine how well they understand the following:
Assessment Criteria:
A. The earth’s surface B. Landforms are the C. Some changes to the
is constantly changing; result of weathering, earth’s surface happen
landforms result from erosion, deposition, quickly, but most take
those changes. and movements of place over a long period
Students’ Names the earth’s crust. of time.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
Assessment 1: Landforms Earth’s Changing Surface Teacher Master

Earth’s Changing Surface Assessment 2:
Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
As you evaluate students’ discussions and work, determine how well they understand the following:
Assessment Criteria:
A. Weathering B. Erosion is a C. Deposition is a D. Weathering,
is a process by process by which process by which erosion, and depo-
which rocks and rock and sediment rock and sediment sition are the result
sediment break move over the build up the earth’s of moving water,
Students’ Names down over time. earth’s surface. surface. ice, and wind.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
Assessment 2: Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition Earth’s Changing Surface Teacher Master
Landform Information
The following table describes the overhead transparencies displayed in Lesson 2
and subsequent lessons. Use the notes provided to help guide students to observe
carefully, name particular landforms, and explain and record their ideas about how
the landforms were created. If you saw examples of similar landforms on the Surface
Changes Walk, ask students to point out those similarities.
Teacher Note: You don’t need to share all the information provided. It is more important to encourage
students to make their own guess about how the landforms were created. As you teach the lessons, you can
return to the transparencies to help students apply their new understanding to explain these features.
Landform 1 Stream on Mt. Alyeska, Alaska

Landform(s) Stream: A body of flowing water that empties into an ocean, valley,
displayed: lake, or river. Usually has less water than a river.
Questions for • Is the water moving? How can they tell?
students: • Is it fast or slow moving? Why might this matter?
• Will this streambed always look the same?
• What might change its shape?
How the Water runs down the slope of the mountainside, eroding rock
landform and sediment and depositing this material.
was created:
Special details To provide a sense of scale, point out the smaller rocks and
and features: patches of melting snow.
Landform 2 Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee
and North Carolina
Landform(s) • River: A body of flowing water that empties into an ocean,
displayed: valley, lake, or another river.
• Students may also notice the mountainside in the background.
Questions for • Other than water and trees, what natural substance makes up
students: a large portion of this photograph? (Rocks.)
• Were the rocks always there? If not, how did they move there?
• Does this river always look the same? What would change it?
• Can they guess where the water comes from?
How the This river was formed by the erosion of material, and deposition of
landform rocks, boulders, and sediment after heavy floods. The mountains
was created: in the background are the original source of the rock.
Landform Information (Lessons 2 and 6), page 1 of 9 Earth’s Changing Surface Teacher Master 11
Landform 3 Aerial View of the Innoko River, Alaska
Landform(s) • River
displayed: • Riverbank: The sides of a river.
Questions for • How fast is the water flowing? How can you tell?
students: • How does this compare to the stream in “Landform 1”?
• Does the water move faster or slower?
• Is the slope steep or flat?
How the This meandering river was created by water flowing at a slower
landform rate through an almost flat plain. The path is determined by the
was created: slope of the landscape.
Landform 4 Rio Grande River and Santa Elena Canyon, Texas
Landform(s) • Canyon: A deep valley with steep sides shaped by water.
displayed: • River
Questions for • What can they tell about the rock? (Note the layers.)
students: • Why are the canyon walls so steep?
• Why is the river water brown? (It carries sediment.)
How the This canyon was formed over a long time by weathering of
landform rock, and erosion by the river’s water.
was created:
Landform 5 Red Canyon (with Grand Valley in the distance), Colorado
Landform(s) • Canyon
displayed: • Valley: The low land that lies between mountains or hills.
Questions for • What shaped this canyon?
students: • Where is the water? Where could it come from?
How the This canyon was formed by the weathering of rock and the
landform erosion of material by infrequent, seasonal rains. (There is no
was created: permanent stream in this arid region.)
Special details You might explain that this photo is taken from the top of a
and features: large mesa cut by the canyon. (A mesa is a flat, elevated area
of land surrounded by steep sides.)
Landform 6 Goblin Valley, Utah
Landform(s) • Hoodoo: A strangely-shaped rock formation, usually sculpted
displayed: by wind erosion.
• Mushroom rock: A rock formation that has a narrow base and
a wide top.
• Rock pillar: A tall column of rock. (A mushroom rock is a
special type of rock pillar.)
Questions for • Is the rock pillar solid rock? (Yes.)
students: • What might have shaped this pillar? (Water and wind.)
• How does the round rock on top of the pillar affect the rest of
the mushroom rock’s shape? (For now, encourage students to
guess; they discover the answer during the exploration in Lesson 7.)
How the Rock pillars form when water and wind wear away rock and
landform then transport the sediment until all that remains is a ragged
was created: rock column. Sometimes a hard cap as a kind of protective
“hat” for the pillar, shielding the underlying layers of sediment
from seasonal rains.
Special details Some students might notice that this formation is located in a
and features: canyon and that there are rock pillars in the middle distance.
Landform 7 Cunningham Creek, San Juan Mountains, Colorado
Landform(s) • Creek: A small stream. Streams and rivers often have many
displayed: tributary (side) creeks.
• Mountain: A part of the earth’s crust that has been raised
high (at least 300 meters [985 feet]) above the surrounding
lowlands.
• U-shaped valley: A lowland area that was carved by a glacier
and has a distinct rounded shape.
Questions for • What is running down the middle of the valley?
students: (A creek and a road.)
• Does the creek appear to carry as much water as some of the
rivers and streams in the previous pictures?
• What else might have shaped this valley?
• What caused the sides of this valley to be so round
and smooth?
• Why is the mountainside in the background so rocky?
(High elevation and steep sides make this a challenging habitat
for trees.)
How the The valley in the foreground was originally carved by a
landform glacier. The creek does not carry enough water to have
was created: eroded the valley much since the glacier melted.
Special details Note the road was created by human activity, but may have
and features: once been a track used by animals.
Landform 8 Mount Le Conte and Emerts Cove, Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina
Landform(s) • Mountains, river, and a valley
displayed:
Questions for • What is running down the middle of the valley?
students: (A creek and a road.)
• Does the creek appear to carry as much water as some of the
rivers and streams in the previous pictures?
• What else might have shaped this valley? (Human activity has
leveled the valley to make fields for crops.)
• What caused the mountaintops to be almost round?
• Why might it be easier for trees to grow on these mountains?
(Lower elevation and less steep sides make this a good habitat
for trees.)
How the Like the rest of the Appalachian range, these mountains are
landform “old.” Their round shape is due to millions of years of weathering
was created: and erosion of rock material.
Special details Trees grow because it is at a low elevation and the rounded
and features: slopes can hold a lot of soil and small plants that build even
more soil.
Landform 9 Aerial view of Mt. St. Helens, Washington, after the
May 18, 1980 eruption
Landform(s) • Volcanic mountain: A mountain formed by the deposition and
displayed: accumulation of volcanic materials over time.
Questions for • What feature is at the top of the mountain? (A crater.)
students: • What can they see that shows that there was a sudden,
dramatic change? (Students may notice the barren landscape
and mudslides [lahars] in the lower foreground of the photo.)
• What might this mountain have looked like before the
eruption?
How the This volcano built up until internal earth forces caused an
landform eruption in 1980.
was created:
Special details For web sites with detailed information about the spectacular
and features: eruption in 1980, as well as the current status of Mt. St. Helens,
visit our web site: www.sciencecompanion.com/links/.
Landform 10 Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Landform(s) • Glaciers: Large, long-lasting masses of moving ice and snow.
displayed: Glaciers move downhill or outward in all directions as a result of
gravity and their immense weight.
• Mountains, river, and a U-shaped valley
Questions for • What created the steep slope of the mountainsides? (The
students: slopes are one side of a U-shaped valley carved by a glacier
that melted.)
• Where is the source of the river’s water?
• Why does the riverbed seem so broad and wide when there is
so little water? (During spring floods more water flows, eroding
material and changing the river’s course over this relatively flat
valley floor.)
How the This broad, U-shaped valley lies alongside a mountain range
landform created by internal earth forces. Because of the high latitude,
was created: snow does not melt in summer and glaciers form on the
mountaintops, providing the river’s water. During the last Ice
Age, the valley itself would have been filled by a large glacier.
Landform 11 Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii
Landform(s) • Beach: Land at the edge of a body of water, usually marked
displayed: by sand or gravel that has been deposited by waves.
• Cliff: A high, steep surface of rock.
Questions for • What is the water in this photo doing?
students: • How did the beach form?
• What details can they see in the cliff? (Layers of rock.)
• What caused these layers?
• How did the cliff form?
How the The layers of rock were deposited by many eruptions of a
landform volcano. The cliff was created as water from rain and waves
was created: weathered and eroded the rock. The beach was formed from
sediment deposited by waves.
Special details Point out the layers in the cliff formations and compare these to
and features: the layers in the canyon shown on Teacher Master “Landform 4.”
Landform 12 Sand ripples on the shoreline of a lake below Spencer
Glacier, Alaska
Landform(s) • Sand ripples: Wave-like patterns that form on the surface of
displayed: sand. The patterns move and shift due to changing water or
wind currents.
Questions for • Other than sand, what can they see in the photo? (Plant roots
students: and rocks.)
• Where could this sand have come from?
How the As water advances and retreats over the sand, small dunes
landform are deposited by the waves. The sand originated from rock
was created: weathered by glaciers and water.
Special details Compare the tiny dunes in this photo with the large dunes in
and features: the next one.
Landform 13 Namib Desert Dunes, Namibia, Africa
Landform(s) • Sand dune: A hill or ridge of loose sand formed by the wind.
displayed:
Questions for • What is this formation made of? (Sand.)
students: • Where could the sand come from? (Weathered rock.)
• How did it get here? (It was moved by wind.)
• What might shape the dune? (Wind, and if water is
present, rain.)
• How might the plants affect the way a dune changes
over time?
How the Sediment broken down in the southern African highlands
landform washes down the Orange River and into the Atlantic Ocean.
was created: Currents carry the sediment north, where it is deposited along
beaches. The prevailing winds carry the sand inland and create
a vast area of huge dunes.
Special details Point out the sand ripples in the foreground (bottom of photo)
and features: of the dune. Compare these to the ones in the previous photo
and have students think about the different forces (water and
wind) that created them.
Landform 14 View from space of the Great Lakes, North America
Landform(s) • Lake: A body of fresh water.
displayed:
Questions for • What can they see in the photo? (Land, lakes, pack ice,
students: and snow.)
• Are these landforms? (The lakes and surrounding land are
landforms; the pack ice and snow are not.)
• What will happen to the snow and pack ice when summer
comes? (They will melt.)
• How might this impact the surface of the earth? (Water
impacts the earth’s surface in many ways that students will
learn about in future lessons.)
• Why did we need to use a satellite photo to show these
landforms? (Some landforms are so large that they can only
be distinguished in their entirety from a great distance.)
How the The Great Lakes were formed as glaciers scraped the earth’s
landform surface during the last Ice Age. At its greatest extent, 18,000
was created: years ago, the ice sheet was up to 4 km (2.5 miles) thick. As the
ice melted and receded starting about 14,000 years ago, the
lakes began to form from the glacial meltwater.
Special details • The lakes depicted, from top to bottom (east to west),
and features: are: Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan,
and Lake Superior.
• This image was taken by NASA’s Aqua satellite, in orbit
around the Earth. According to NASA, the red dots on the
photo indicate the location of thermal activity, such as
a fire or other human activity, detected by the satellite’s
instruments.
• If you have one available, refer to a map of North America
to provide context for students to place these features and
comprehend their size.
• Point out the smaller Finger Lakes of western New York
State, just below and to the right of the title. (These were also
created by glaciers.)
Name: Date:
Landform—Sensory Memories
To help you describe your landform with more details, close your eyes and think
about the setting of your poem, legend, or story. Then open your eyes and jot down
notes in the proper places below. Use these details when you write.
What the place looked like:
What it smelled like:
What sounds I heard:
What I touched or tasted:
What did those things feel or taste like?
How I felt about this place and experience:
Landform—Sensory Memories (Lesson 2) Earth’s Changing Surface Teacher Master 20

Unit Visuals:
Table of Contents
Overhead Transparencies
Landform 1 (Lessons 2, 4, and 5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Landform 2 (Lessons 2 and 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Landform 6 (Lesson 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Landform 8 (Lesson 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Landform 9 (Lessons 2 and 12). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Landform 10 (Lessons 2, 4, and 6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Landform 11 (Lesson 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Landform 12 (Lesson 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Landform 13 (Lesson 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Landform 14 (Lessons 2 and 6). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Parts of a River (Lessons 3 and 5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Erosion Features: Close Up and Far Away (Lesson 5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Deposition: Deltas from Space (Lesson 5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Glaciers (Lesson 6). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Glacial Location During the Last Ice Age (Lesson 6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Rock Arch and Rock Pillar (Lesson 7). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Mushroom Rocks (Lesson 7). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Landforms Deposited by Wind (Lesson 8). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Layers of the Earth (Lesson 11). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Volcano Before Eruption (Lesson 12). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Parts of a Volcanic Mountain (Lesson 12). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Photo Cards
Bryce Canyon (Lesson 13). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26–28
Mt. St. Helens (Lesson 13). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29–33
ISBN 1-59192-295-X
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10-P001-17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
2009 Edition. Copyright © 2005 Chicago Science Group. All Rights Reserved.
Landform 1
Stream on Mt. Alyeska, Alaska. Photo: Lance Campbell
Overhead Transparency: Landform 1 (Lessons 2, 4, and 5)

2009 Edition. Copyright ©
Earth’s Changing Surface Visual 1 2005 Chicago Science Group.
All Rights Reserved.
www.sc encecompanion.com
Landform 2
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and

North Carolina.
Photo: W.B. Hamilton, U.S. Geological Survey
Overhead Transparency: Landform 2 (Lessons 2 and 4)

Landform 3
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Aerial view of the Innoko River, Alaska.

Landform 4
Rio Grande River and Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend

National Park, Texas.
Photo: R.L. Brown, U.S. Geological Survey

Landform 5
Red Canyon with Grand Valley in the distance. Colorado

National Monument, Colorado.
Photo: S.W. Lohman, U.S. Geological Survey

Landform 6

Goblin Valley, Emery County, Utah.
Overhead Transparency: Landform 6 (Lesson 2)

Landform 7
Photo: P. Carrara, U.S. Geological Survey

Cunningham Creek, San Juan Mountains, Colorado.

Landform 8
Mount Le Conte and Emerts Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
Tennessee and North Carolina.

Landform 9
Aerial view of Mt. St. Helens, Washington, after the May 18, 1980
Photo: Harry Glicken, U.S. Geological Survey

eruption.

Landform 10

Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.
Overhead Transparency: Landform 10 (Lessons 2, 4, and 6)

Landform 11
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii.


Landform 12
Sand ripples on the shoreline of a lake below Spencer

Glacier, Alaska.
Photo: Lance Campbell

Landform 13
Photo: E.T. Nichols, U.S. Geological Survey

Sand Dunes, Namib Desert, Namibia.

Landform 14
View from space of the Great Lakes, North America. April 10, 2003.
Photo: Visible Earth Collection, NASA.


Science Companion Earth&#39;s Changing Surface Virtual Field Trip

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Science Field Trip

The Hawaiian Islands

But there are actually many more

Both the big and small islands

Sometimes lava (rock so hot it’s liquid) makes

Pedagogy and Content Advisors

Book Design and Production

Copyright © 2005 Chicago Science Group.

All Rights Reserved

Landscapes and Landforms Surround Us

Just like a jigsaw puzzle, landscapes are made up of many

Since the parts of a landscape can take many forms, these

Think About It!

Humans change the landscape in many ways.

Landscapes Change over Time

But most changes to the land happen gradually, over a very

computers or TVs, and very few telephones and cars—can

It’s Only a Rock. So What?

• Where did the rock come from? How was it made?

• Why is the rock shaped the way it is?

• Does the rock contain valuable materials, like diamonds

Geologists Study the Planet

Geologists share their knowledge of the earth to help build

T Think About It!

• Everything we eat and

• Geologic hazards, like

Geologists use different tools and work in many places.

History of Science and Technology

Coal and Canals: Geology 200 Years Ago

William Smith: An Early Geologist Makes a Discovery

What did he observe that was so important? First, by care-

Layers of soil and rock

Second, by looking closely at the rocks in those layers, he

By comparing that spot with ammonites from other spots,

For many years Smith traveled the English countryside collect-

Today, geologists still draw maps of the rocks on the surface of

People Doing Science

Ethelred Bennett, who once gave William Smith a piece of fossil-

Another woman, Mary Anning, learned about fossil collecting

Earth’s Changing Surface

Preparing for the Unit

 | Earth’s Changing Surface | Table of Contents

Teacher Background Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Standards and Benchmarks

Teacher Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Earth’s Changing Surface | Table of Contents | 

The goal of the Science Companion curriculum is to respond to

Each Science Companion lesson incorporates interesting and

Seeking answers through exploration and investigation

Pursuing ideas in depth

 | Earth’s Changing Surface | Philosophy