LESSON PLAN Teacher: Nisa Ali Lesson: 1 out of 5

Subject: Science Unit 2: The Changes to Land Over Time / Grade 2

Objective
SWBAT categorize types of weathering and how they change the shape of land.
Science Standard Math CCLS
ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.A.4
Some events happen very quickly; others occur very Compare two three-digit numbers based on
slowly, over a time period much longer than one can meanings of the hundreds, tens, and ones digits,
observe (2-ESS1-1) using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of
comparisons.
Materials Vocabulary
● Slides Tier 3:
Nisa Ali -- LP 1 Slides ● Mechanical Change – anything that changes
● KWL Chart the shape/size of the material
● Poster Board and Markers ● Chemical Change – anything that forms a
new substance/material
● Carbon Dioxide – gas that has carbon and oxygen
● Atmosphere – layer of gas that’s around Earth
● Organism – any living thing

Tier 2:
● Dissolve – to become part of a liquid
● Process – steps to gain a result
● Appearance – the way something/someone looks
● Properties – traits to describe something you
observe or measure
● Factor – anything that produces a result/outcome
● Contact – when different things get close and affect
each other

Time Connection/Motivation
5 mins. Alright everyone, I’m going to show you two quick “experiments”. I’m holding an
Alka-Seltzer tablet. I’m going to crush it … alright so how did the tablet change? … Right,
it went from being one whole tablet, to tiny pieces. This is called a physical change, because
it’s appearance changed. Physical changes are also known as Mechanical changes. Now,
I’m going to place the tablet in a glass of water… how did the tablet change? … Yes, it
dissolved in the water and is no longer a whole piece! This is called a chemical change
because the dissolving released carbon dioxide!

Just like how the Alka-Seltzer tablet, rocks and other natural materials break down, get
mechanically, and chemically changed due to a process called Weathering.
Mini-lesson
15 mins. Today we will be learning about the two processes of Weathering, Chemical and
Mechanical, and the factors that speed up or slow down the process.

Before we start, I want everyone to fill out the “What I already know (K)” and “What I
want to know (W)” columns in their KWL chart. Add all of your ideas/questions about
Weathering please!

Alright, please write on the last column of the chart as we are going through the
powerpoint. I need everyone’s attention on the Smartboard please.
 Let’s review the definition of “Weathering”. It’s when rocks or other materials break down
when they get in contact with other natural processes. This changes the shape of land. Let’s
dig deeper into what that might be.

Let’s start with Mechanical Weathering. Some factors that affect this process are wind,
rain, ice, temperature changes, and water. These processes cause the rock to physically
change or break down. It’s important to remember that things like high temperature slow
down the Weathering process. But, wind, water, ice, and rain speed up the process. Wind
and water cause the rock to chip into pieces. What do you think happens when water freezes
in tiny cracks of a rock, and turns into ice? … Right! Ice expands the entire rock and then…
BOOM the rock breaks into even more parts. Look at this
picture, the rock is cut in half!

Now, let’s move onto Chemical Weathering. The Carbon

Dioxide Cycle causes the rocks to chemically change. Does
anybody remember what this Cycle does? Yes, it’s when carbon
molecules travel from the atmosphere back to organisms
(people, animals, etc.) over and over again. Now how does this
affect rocks? When the water from raindrops combine with
Carbon Dioxide, it creates an acid that dissolve rocks!
Chemical Weathering takes longer than Mechanical. Let’s look
at this picture – we see that overtime holes began to form in the rock because it’s chemical
properties started to change!

These processes smooths or roughens up the Earth’s landscape when rocks are
continuously worn down or changed.
Independent/Partner/Group Work
18 mins. Alright now, we’re going to split into groups of 4! Two groups will get pictures of a
landscape that was Physically Weathered. The other two groups will get pictures of a
landscape that was Chemically Weathered. With your groups, I want you to decide what
factors caused the change you’re observing. How did it change the landscape? Write down
your thoughts on your Poster Board! We will share when everyone’s done.

Teacher will circulate while students are working with a partner to complete the
assignment. Possible guiding questions that will help further the students thinking:
● Alright, my group that’s analyzing the “Talus Slopes”. What do you think caused
these cracks?
● Now, what do you think caused this gigantic hole in the “Heavenly Pit” of China?
● How did these factors change the landscape of this area?
 Share/Closing
10 mins. Students will present their Posters and explain what factors they believe Chemically or
Physically changed their landscape.

Discussion should lead to something like:

● The “Talus Slopes” were physically changed because we can see the cracks in it.
The cracks might have been caused by ice causing the Slopes to expand and break.
● The “Heavenly Pit” was chemically changed because there’s a huge hole in the
middle. Nothing else around it is broken down or weathered. So we can assume that
acid and rain caused it to dissolve in the middle.

Homework
Think about and list things on Earth, around you, etc. that can be physically or chemically changed. Write 2-3 sentences
under each object you list, explaining your thoughts.