Description
Use models to explore destructive Earth processes such as sinkholes, landslides, and glaciers in the classroom. In this series of 3 investigations, students discover mechanisms that cause changes in Earth’s features. They observe different landscapes and think about the forces that may have caused them, model sinkholes and identify the conditions necessary for their formation, explore how glaciers affect the surface of Earth, and collect data on the formation of landslides.
Curriculum Connection
While designed for a stand-alone earth science course, this series of activities could be incorporated into a high school physics course.
Time Requirements
Teacher prep, 60 minutes. Completing the activities, approximately 1 week (195 minutes).
Digital Resources
Includes 1-year access to digital resources that support 3-dimensional instruction for NGSS. Digital resources may include digital teacher manual and student guide, pre-lab activities and setup videos, simulations, and post-lab analysis and assessments.
Performance Expectations
HS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to illustrate how Earth’s internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features.
Crosscutting Concepts
Stability and Change
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems
ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions
Science and Engineering Practices
Developing and Using Models
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
Students should be familiar with Earth’s structure, have a basic understanding that water impacts its surface features, and understand that humans have an impact on Earth’s systems.