Did you know that all landforms are made up of rock?
Students in Mrs. Smith’s classroom at Coal City Elementary School are currently learning about landforms and the various ways erosion can cause Earth’s surfaces to change shape. The class recently took part in an experiment in which they had to work as teams in order to stop erosion caused by water. The lesson was led by student teacher, Miss Pavey.
Miss Pavey began by showing students a few videos of erosion in action and asked students to identify what was causing the catastrophic events. Students were then shown a video of different ways to prevent water erosion(i.e. levees, dikes, vegetation, and ground cover).
The next step involved students being put into teams of five. Each team was given a tray filled with a large mound of sand (to simulate a mountain), seven popsicle sticks, a handful of rocks, and some fake trees. Together, they had to formulate a written plan and sketch a picture of how they would place the items to slow down or stop the water from eroding their mountain. Once students finished their written plan, Miss Pavey gave them the green light to begin placing their items onto their mountains. The experiment culminated with Miss Pavey pouring water down each mountain as students anxiously held their breath waiting to see if their plan was successful in stopping the erosion.