Lesson Plan

Mechanical and Chemical Impacts of the Hydrologic and Rock Cycles on Earth's Surface: A Geologic Field Study

Subject Area

Science

Grade(s)

9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

This lesson will begin by introducing students to the impact of the interaction of the hydrologic and rock cycles on Earth's materials. Students will categorize the mechanical and chemical impacts of the hydrologic cycle on Earth's lithosphere using a jot chart. Students will participate in an outdoor geologic field study to locate examples of mechanical and chemical effects of the hydrologic cycle on their school's grounds. Lastly, students will analyze and interpret the data gathered during the geologic field study through the creation of a bar and circle graph.

This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

Science (2015) Grade(s): 09-12 - Earth and Space Science

SC15.ESS.13

Analyze and interpret data of interactions between the hydrologic and rock cycles to explain the mechanical impacts (e.g., stream transportation and deposition, erosion, frost-wedging) and chemical impacts (e.g., oxidation, hydrolysis, carbonation) of Earth materials by water’s properties.

Unpacked Content

UP:SC15.ESS.13

Vocabulary

  • weathering
  • mechanical weathering
  • frost wedging
  • exfoliation
  • chemical weathering
  • oxidation
  • erosion
  • deposition
  • hydrolysis
  • carbonation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Heat capacity of water, density of water in its solid and liquid states, and the polar nature of the water molecule due to its molecular structure are properties of water that affect Earth materials.
  • Transportation, deposition, and erosion are three processes occurring in water that depend on the amount of energy in the water.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Analyze and interpret data showing the connection between the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The abundance of liquid water on Earth's surface and its unique combination of physical and chemical properties are central to the planet's dynamics.
  • Water's exceptional capacity to absorb, store and release large amounts of energy, transmit sunlight, expand upon freezing, dissolve and transport materials, and lower the viscosities and melting points of rocks are due to its physical and chemical properties that are central to the planet's dynamics.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Primary Learning Objectives

  • Students will categorize the interactions between the hydrologic and rock cycles to determine the mechanical and chemical impact on the Earth's materials through note-taking on a jot chart.
  • Students will analyze the interaction between the hydrologic and rock cycles via an outdoor field study. 
  • Students will interpret data obtained during the geologic field study to determine how the hydrologic and rock cycles are interconnected.

Procedures/Activities

Before Strategy/Engage: 25 minutes

1. The teacher should pose the question, "How are the water and rock cycles related on Earth?" Allow several students to share and discuss their answers. Through careful questioning and discussion, the teacher should lead students to the conclusion that water on Earth's surface can change the rocks on Earth's surface in several ways. 

Note: The first slide of the PowerPoint will summarize the ideal answer to this question.

2. The teacher should give each student a copy of the Mechanical and Chemical Impacts of Water on Earth's Materials Jot Chart (see attachments).

3. The teacher can project the Mechanical and Chemical Impacts of Water on Earth's Materials PowerPoint and allow students to take notes on their jot chart (see attachments). If student technological devices are available, the teacher can share the presentation with students via Google Classroom, Edmodo, etc. to allow students to view the presentation on their device and take notes individually or with partners.

4. As students view the PowerPoint presentation, they will take notes on their jot chart, which will include the cause, effect, and a sketch of each type of impact. The teacher should explain to students that these notes will be used during the geologic field study.

Example Entry for Erosion:

-Cause: Running water (such as from a stream or river)

-Effect: Wearing away of rock and breaking it into smaller pieces, abrasion can also occur.

-Sketch: Students could sketch a stream flowing over a rock stream bed. Students can color their sketch if materials are available.

During Strategy/Explore & Explain: 25 minutes

1. The teacher should give each student a copy of the Geologic Field Study Sheet (see attachments). It would be helpful for the students to have a clipboard for this portion of the lesson. If clipboards aren't available, the students can use a book, binder, or folder to support their paper while completing the geologic field study.

2. The teacher will lead students outside and allow them to travel around the school grounds to discover the mechanical and chemical impacts of water on the Earth's materials. As students participate in the field study, they should take notes on the Geologic Field Study Sheet (see attachments). This handout will require students to find at least ten examples of mechanical and chemical impacts detailed in the jot chart. Each example will include a description of the geologic event the student witnessed, the location where the student found this geologic event, the type of impact (mechanical or chemical), and the specific type of impact (erosion, oxidation, etc.). It may be helpful to the students to bring their notes created in the before strategy to the geologic field study activity.

Example Entry:

Description: We saw a rock that looked like it had rust on it.

Location: We found this rock on the PE field.

Type of Impact: Chemical

Specific Impact: Oxidation

Note: The teacher should ensure that students are safe during the outdoor portion of this lesson. Depending on the students' experience and abilities, the teacher may allow students to travel freely, to travel within a particular confined space (as directed by the teacher), or travel as a class through a particular path around the school's grounds. The students may work individually, in partners, or in small groups (3-4 students) for this portion of the lesson.

After Strategy-Explain & Elaborate-50 minutes

1. The teacher should give each student a copy of the Data Interpretation and Analysis Sheet (see attachments). This handout will require students to create a bar and a circle graph to represent the data gathered during the field study. Each graph will depict the number of mechanical and chemical impacts each student found, as well as the specific type of impact (erosion, oxidation, etc.). After creating the graphical representations of the data, students will analyze the interactions between the hydrologic and rock cycles by answering three questions. 

Note: The Data Interpretation and Analysis Sheet requires students to infer why they may have found more mechanical or chemical impacts of water during the geologic field study. These findings will be related to the location's climate: warmer, wetter climates produce more chemical impacts, while colder, drier climates produce more mechanical impacts.

Assessment Strategies

Formative Assessment

The students will be informally assessed during the class discussion during the before strategy. The teacher should assess the accuracy and completeness of students' note-taking by reviewing each student's jot chart. The teacher should informally assess students' participation in the geologic field study by reviewing each student's Geologic Field Study Sheet.

Summative Assessment

The teacher should formally assess students' understanding of the primary learning standard by reviewing each student's Data Interpretation and Analysis Sheet completed in the after strategy of the lesson.

Acceleration

Students who require acceleration strategies could be required to find more examples of the mechanical and chemical impacts during the geologic field study (for example, twenty examples rather than ten). After creating the required bar and circle graphs, students requiring acceleration could self-asses their hand-drawn graphs using the following website: http://www.chartgo.com/.

(i.e., How closely does the student's hand-created graph match the computer-generated graph?)

Intervention

The teacher should provide additional scaffolding and assistance to students requiring intervention during the before strategy of the lesson. The teacher should ensure these students are partnered or grouped with a helpful peer during the geological field study. The number of examples the student is required to find during the geologic field study could be reduced (for example, from ten to five). The teacher may wish to provide additional scaffolding and assistance to students requiring intervention during the after strategy of the lesson.

The following website offers a simple online graph creator that may be helpful for students who are struggling during the after strategy: https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/.

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

91 to 120 Minutes

Background and Preparation

Background/Preparation

The students need to have a basic understanding of the water and rock cycles. This lesson will require students to take notes, participate in an outdoor geologic field study, and create graphs to analyze data. If students do not have experience in these skills, the teacher may wish to provide students with the opportunity to practice these activities before beginning the lesson.

The teacher should also have a basic understanding of the water and rock cycles. The teacher can preview the Mechanical and Chemical Impacts of Water on Earth's Materials PowerPoint for detailed information about how the hydrologic and rock cycles are interconnected and how these cycles affect the materials in Earth's lithosphere (see attachments). The last slide of the PowerPoint contains a bibliography that teachers can utilize to gain additional information about the lesson's content.

The during strategy includes a geologic field study that will take place outdoors around the school's grounds. The teacher should preview the weather forecast and plan the field study on a day with pleasant weather.

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

Student Materials (per student)

Pencil 

Colored pencils, crayons, or markers (if available)

Clipboard

Graph paper (printable graph paper can be found on this website: Print Free Graph Paper)

An internet-capable device to view the Mechanical and Chemical Impacts of Water on Earth's Materials PowerPoint (if available)

Mechanical and Chemical Impacts of Water on Earth's Materials Jot Chart (see attachments)

Geologic Field Study Sheet (see attachments)

Note: The sheet was adapted from "Weathering Walk" by mjksciteachingideas.com

Data Interpretation and Analysis Sheet (see attachments)

Website for Acceleration Activity

http://www.chartgo.com/

Website for Intervention Strategy

https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/

Teacher  Resources

Teacher computer with ability to project 

Mechanical and Chemical Impacts of Water on Earth's Materials PowerPoint (see attachments)

Note: Bibliography is included on the last slide of the PowerPoint.

Technology Resources Needed

Student Technology Resources

An internet capable device to view Mechanical and Chemical Impacts of Water on Earth's Materials PowerPoint (if available)

Teacher Technology Resources

Teacher computer with ability to project

Approved Date

2016-12-06
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