A park ranger has dropped her science flashcards, and 4th grade students sort all twelve into Weathering (breaking down) and Erosion (carrying away). The four pages link to NGSS 4-ESS1-1, 4-ESS2-1, and 4-ESS2-2. After the sort, students name the trickiest card and add examples of their own. The Rate of Change section has them order three events from slowest to fastest. They then suggest a measurement that would show how fast one of them happens.
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 river carving a deep canyon out of solid rock in question 3, the slowest change on the sheet.
4-ESS2-1
“Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.”
The twelve-card sort, plus question 4, where the key suggests measuring a sidewalk crack with a ruler once a month.
Twelve cards include roots splitting rocks, rain dissolving limestone, a glacier pushing rocks, and lichen crumbling stone. The key splits them six and six.
Students name the trickiest flashcard and explain why. They then write one new example of weathering and one of erosion that are not in the word bank.
Students number three events from 1 (slowest) to 3 (fastest): a river carving a canyon, a flash flood washing out a dirt path, and tree roots cracking a sidewalk. Question 4 asks what a scientist could observe or measure to prove the rate.
Card sort
Cut the twelve flashcards apart and let pairs sort them on the desk. They copy the final sort into the table once they agree.
Tricky cards
Spend time on question 1. The key names sand scratching boulders and a glacier pushing rocks as cards that fit both groups.
Schoolyard walk
Take the class outside to look for a cracked sidewalk or bare soil. Students use what they find as their own examples for question 2.
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