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Contents

• Introduction
• Kit Topics
• Objectives
• Themes and Concepts
• District Standards
• Assessment

Introduction

The Landforms unit is a Full Option Science System (FOSS) kit created by the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. It is published by Delta Education.

The Landforms Module (5 activities) develops concepts of physical geography and mapping. Students use stream tables to simulate the creation of landforms and make and use topographic maps that describe landforms.

Kit Topics

Activity 1: Schoolyard Models

Part 1: Schoolyard Models

Part 2: Overlay Grid Maps

Part 3: Paper Map Grids

Activity 2: Stream Tables

Part 1: Erosion

Part 2: Deposition

Part 3: Stream Flow

Activity 3: Go with the Flow

Part 1: Slope

Part 2: Flood

Part 3: Design an Investigation

Part 4: The Conference 

Activity 4: Build a Mountain

Part 1: Making a Topographic Map

Part 2: Drawing a Profile

Part 3: Foss Creek Topography

Activity 5: Bird's Eye View

Part 1: Mt. Shasta Topographic Map

Part 2: Mt. Shasta Aerial Photos

Part 3: Death Valley and Grand Canyon Study Stations

Part 4: Drawing a Landform Map

Objectives

Students are expected to:

• gain experience with models and maps.
• gain experience with the concepts of erosion and deposition.
• observe the effect of water on surface features of the land, using a stream table.
• use group processes to plan and conduct stream table investigations.
• relate processes that they observe in the stream table models to processes that created famous landforms.
• become familiar with topographic maps and some of the techniques used to create them.
• gain experience with the concepts of contour and elevation.
• use measurements in the context of science.
• acquire vocabulary associated with landforms and the processes that create landforms.
• gain experiences that contribute to their understanding of several pervasive themes that point out connections among scientific ideas: Pattern, Structure, Interaction, and Change.

Themes and Concepts

Activity 1: Schoolyard Models

Themes:

• Pattern
• Structure

Concepts:

• Models are representations of objects that are very large or processes that occur over long periods of time.
• Models and maps are ways of representing landforms and human structures.
• Maps can be made from models.

Activity 2: Stream Tables

Themes:

• Pattern
• Interaction
• Change

Concepts:

• Water is an important agent in shaping the earth's landforms.
• The wearing away of earth is erosion: the settling of eroded material is deposition.
• Landforms that result from running water include canyons, deltas, and alluvial fans.

Activity 3: Go with the Flow

Themes:

• Pattern
• Interaction
• Change

Concepts:

• The slope of the land over which a river flows has an effect on the processes of erosion and deposition.
• During flood, the rate of erosion and deposition increases.
• Humans affect the processes of erosion and deposition

Activity 4: Build a Mountain

Themes:

• Pattern
• Structure

Concepts:

• Topographic maps are two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional surfaces.
• Topographic maps show contour lines, which represent points of equal elevation.
• Topo maps use symbols and color to represent landforms.

Activity 5: Bird's-Eye View

Themes:

• Pattern
• Structure

Concepts:

• Cartographers use aerial photographs as one tool in constructing topographic mps.
• Landform maps can be generated from aerial photographs.

District Standards

The Landforms kit meets the following State/District Standards:

Standard 1. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. (1.a., 1.b., 1.c., 1.d., 1.e., 1.f., 1.g., 1.h., 1.j.)

Standard 2. Students know and understand common properties, forms, and changes in matter and energy. (2.1.a., 2.3.a., 2.3.b.)

Standard 3. Students know and understand the processes and interactions of earth's systems and the structure and the dynamics of earth and other objects in space. (4.1.c., 4.1.d.)

Standard 5. Students know and understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world. (5.d.)

Standard 6. Students understand that science involves a particular way of knowing and understand common connections among scientific disciplines. (6.a., 6.d., 6.e., 6.f.)

Assessment

The Landforms kit contains a set of assessments which can be used to monitor learning during or at the end of the module. The set contains (1) a Hands-on Assessment that uses materials from the module to assess performance and learning; (2) a Pictorial Assessment that requires the students to apply what was learned and communicate understanding; (3) a Reflective Questions Assessment that requires the student to reflect upon the content, recall information, and use knowledge in a way that is different from the way the information was presented in the activities. Using the assessments to monitor students over the course of the instruction will provide a record of individual progress as well as the overall progress of the class.

This web page is maintained by Joan E. Grant.