Six events from a word bank drive this three-page 4th grade science sort. Students place each one under Fast Changes (minutes or days) or Slow Changes (thousands or millions of years). The events run from a volcano erupting to a glacier carving a valley out of rock. The work supports NGSS 4-ESS1-1 on how landscapes change over time. A second section shows three pictures of Earth's processes. Under each, students describe what is happening and circle FAST or SLOW.
4-ESS1-1
“Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.”
The Slow Changes column (the river canyon, the sand dunes, and the glacier valley) and the canyon picture, which show a landscape changing over a very long time.
Students place six events, including an earthquake shaking the ground, a river carving a deep canyon, and wind blowing sand into dunes. The answer key puts three in each column.
Three pictures show a volcano erupting, a river carving a canyon, and a landslide. Students write what is happening under each and circle the speed.
Word bank first
Read the six events aloud before students sort. Words such as glacier and dunes may be new, and a quick sketch on the board helps.
Timescale talk
After the sort, compare the two column headings. Minutes or days against thousands or millions of years is a gap worth a class conversation.
Picture warm-up
Show the three Picture This images at the start of the lesson. Students guess fast or slow before they see the word bank.
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