Land and Water Lesson III

What: Students have been studying the water cycle and looking at how in different
places in the world, water is found in different forms. The third lesson of the unit is
about erosion, runoff, and rain. Erosion is defined as the wearing away and movement of
weathered materials like soil, and runoff is the movement of water, and the substances it
is carrying from the surface of land. Erosion and runoff are difficult subjects to
understand without actually seeing them occur. Students will use rain simulation to view
how the landmass in their stream table is being eroded and will catch the runoff from the
erosion in a bucket to observe how the water has changed.
How: Students have created a land mass in the prior experiment and will reuse it to help
make the transition to this experiment smoother. Students will continue to work in
groups of 5 or 6 and all have an essential part in making sure the experiment runs and we
will discuss as a class why we work in teams. Students already have experience in taking
observations from the prior lesson, so that will be a quick review. Student directions will
either be posted on the board or read aloud for everyone to hear as we move step by step
through the experiment. Students will have a graphic organizer to help them organize
their thoughts and observations.
Why: Philadelphia is one of the most forward thinking cities in terms of controlling
runoff. Students will learn the background science knowledge behind runoff and erosion.
The next step will be applying this knowledge to where they live and why they should
think about how runoff affects them. Students really enjoyed working with the stream
tables in prior lessons and have repeatedly asked if they are going to get to use them
again. This helps keep the students engaged and excited about science, as they get to use
their hands and actually make a model of real world scenarios.
Goals/Objectives:
Students will be able to discuss and write about rains affect on land, including runoff and
erosion.
Standards:
Practices: Developing and Using Models
Cross-Cutting Concepts:
- Systems and system models
- Stability and change
Disciplinary Core Ideas: Physical Science
Materials and preparation:
4 Stream tables
4 .5 liter bottles
4 large absorbent pad
4 plastic plaster spreader
4 catch buckets
4 sprinkler heads

For each group: 1500 ml of sand, 500 ml of humus, 500 ml of gravel, 250 ml of
clay
Water
Masking tape
4 catch buckets
Clean up supplies
Electrical tape
Science notebooks
Graduated beaker

Classroom arrangement and management issues:

The classroom is already separated into 4 groups with 5 or 6 students in each group, these
will be the groups that the students will remain in for the lesson. Two students have their
desks separated from any of the groups but they know which table they belong to during
group work. Students will remain at their desks for the entirety of the lesson, as Nick and
I will pass out the materials and be walking around to look at students answers. There
should not be any issues, students know the classroom expectations and will be reminded
of them before the lesson begins. Clean-up will be modeled by Nick and I or a student,
then rest of the students will be expected to follow the same protocols.
Plan:
Introduction (15 minutes):
1. Remind students of expectations for the class and the experiment
2. Refer back to lesson 1, 2, and SNAPs as well as water cycle lesson in class to
introduce the experiment, show students the completed teacher model.
3. Discuss why scientists work in teams? How that could help them? collect more
observations and information, and draw conclusions
4. Show students the sprinkler head and ask, what is the sprinkler head going to
model?
5. Key terms for teacher to keep in mind, erosion and runoff, while walking around
interacting and assisting students, if it comes up tell students the words.
Erosion wearing away and movement of weathered materials like soil
Runoff the movement of water, and substances its carrying, from the surface of land
6. Put directions up on the board go over student directions
Body (30 Minutes):
A. Student A, B, C, and D from Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4, come and get two absorbent pads.
Place one on top of your desk, place the other on the ground closest to where the hole
in the model is.
B. Stream Tables will then be distributed by Mr. G and Mr. L
C. You will now see that you have a only one piece of tape on the outside of your model.
D. Mix the soil up and push it away from the hole, like last experiment
E. Make the soil much more flat than last time, like a block of soil, then make it a ramp
with the side farthest from the whole the highest, and have it end abruptly two inches
before the hole

Not part of student directions! - Teacher move: Talk about why the land should be
about the same in all the stream tables ex. In a race people have to run the same
distance or else it isnt fair
F. Move the stream table to the edge of the table so that the hole is at the end of the table
G. Remove the tape from your model, and Student A, B, C, and D hold the buckets
underneath the hole.
H. Mr. G or Mr. L will model how to pour the water onto the soil
I. Pour all the water out of the bottle, you will take turns switching every 15 seconds
when Mr. G tells you to
J. Once you start pouring the water, do not touch the soil and remember to rotate
having someone hold the bucket under the hole
K. After all of the water has been poured in, and the water has stopped draining out of
the hole, we will return to our seats and take notes on the graphic organizer on your
groups steam table
L. Mr. G or Mr. L will then switch the stream tables between tables 1 and 2, and 3 and 4.
M. You will do a quick sketch of the other tables model
N. We will all clean up, then return to our seats.
Discussion (15 Minutes):
7. Discuss with students
i. What happened to the land as it rained? Why?
ii. Where did the water go?
iii.
Compare the water in the bucket to the water you rained on the land with.
How are they different? Can you explain why?
- Students will answer this question in their science journals, then they will discuss what
they wrote in a partner pair and share, and finally we will have a full group discussion.
iv. In what ways might heavy or light rain affect land differently?
8. Collect graphic organizer. Return to Learned section of KWL and write down
what they have learned.
9. Next lesson we will be looking at streams
10. Clean-Up
Assessment:
Students will be writing in their Learned section of their KWL charts in their
notebooks, and will have been completing their graphic organizer during the lesson. We
will also be having a full class discussion, as well as a partner pair and share where the
teacher can listen to students thinking.