Weathering & Erosion – Earth Materials & Systems, Biogeology BUNDLE

Weathering & Earth Materials & Systems, Biogeology Fourth Grade Next Generation Science Standards include 12 different science stations where students deepen their understanding of how the weathering and erosion change the Earth’s surface.

Weathering & Erosion Stations Include

• Vocabulary Cards in two formats with and without pictures.
• Watch – Students watch one of two videos and then answer questions about the videos. Videos include: weathering and erosion and the formation of the Grand Canyon.
• Play – Students play a video game and learn about the role of weathering and erosion in creating and changing rock and land formations. Students answer questions to reinforce new learning.
• Investigate – Students read about river erosion and deposition. They will experiment with different variables affecting erosion and deposition. Students then answer questions to reinforce the concepts learned.
• Investigate – Students read about how animals weather rocks. They create an animal burrow in order to investigate this. The answer questions in order to reinforce what they have learned.
• Diagram – Students read about the effect of vegetation on soil erosion and draw a diagram. They then answer questions in order to reinforce what they have learned.
• Read a Passage – Students read about weathering and erosion that can be observed in many National Parks. They answer questions in order to reinforce what they have learned.
• Read a Passage – Students read about how animals and plants cause weathering in rocks. They answer questions in order to reinforce what they have learned.
• Model – Students read about how glaciers play a role in weathering and erosion of mountains and valleys. They answer questions in order to reinforce what they have learned.
• Model – Students read about how beavers affect erosion and deposition. They model this by damming a stream and then installing a pipe to reduce flooding. They answer questions in order to reinforce what they have learned.
• Explore Students read about physical and chemical weathering and explore how rocks on Earth change over time. They then answer questions about the exploration.
• Explore Students read about and how plants weather rocks in order to explore weathering. They answer questions in order to reinforce what they have learned.
• Sort – Students read about forces that cause changes on Earth, such as weathering, erosion, and deposition. They sort pictures into categories based on the natural forces that caused these changes. Students then answer questions in order to reinforce what they have learned.

Google Classroom™️ Components Include:

• Google Form™️ with Reading Passage & Differentiated Questions (for Watch, Investigate, Diagram, Read, Model, Explore and Sort)
• Google Slides™️ with Activity Directions & Worksheets (for Investigate, Diagram, Model, Explore, Sort)

Each station is designed to last about 15-20 minutes. Students may do one a day for eight days, two a day for four days, or any format that works for your classroom. Because there are additional activities for the Watch and Play stations, you can offer those as a choice within that station or offer them as an early finisher station, as well.

The focus is on 4-ESS1.A and 4-ESS2.E. Concepts include weathering, erosion, how landforms are created, rock formations, river erosion and deposition, the effect of vegetation on soil erosion, glaciers, physical and chemical weathering, forces that cause changes on earth as well as animals and plants that weather the Earth.

By working through this set of mega-stations, students will gain a robust understanding of weathering and erosion and how it has changed our Earth over time. Every Station in this set meets the Crosscutting Concept: Cause and Effect. “Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change.” Each Station addresses how weathering and/or erosion cause the Earth to change.

In Fourth Grade, students are expected to “Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.” (4-ESS2-2). This correlates with the DCI 4-ESS2.A, which states, “Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around.” This DCI covers weathering and erosion in general. The Performance Expectation also correlates with the DCI 4-ESS2.E, which states, “Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions.” This DCI covers weathering and erosion caused specifically by living things. Since both DCIs cover weathering and erosion, we decided to combine them into one mega-station pack. All stations in this set meet the DCI, helping students gain an understanding of how weathering and erosion affect the Earth. The Investigate, Diagram, Model, and Explore stations go into more detail and help students use identify cause and effect relationships, changing variables in order to go into greater depth of this.