Looking At Water: A Walking Field trip
Denise E. Salsbury
Quail Run Elementary School
Lawrence, Kansas
Overview:
A walking field trip around their school neighborhood shows students how water soil formations. Sketches of the erosion examples are drawn by students during the field trip. Previous lessons should focus on the water cycle, soil conservation methods, land forms, and water forms.
 
Grade Level:
4th grade (adaptable for other grades)
 
Time Needed:
1-2 class periods
 
Geographic Themes:
Location, Place, *Human/Environment, Movement, Region
 
Kansas Social Studies Standards For Benchmarks:
The student will be able to explore the ways in which the earth’s physical features have changed over time in the local region and beyond and how these changes may be connected to one another.
The student will be able to identify important problems to be solved and decisions to be made.
 
National Geography Standards:
 #4 The geographically informed person knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places. 
 #7 The geographically informed person knows and understands the physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth’s surface. 
 #14 The geographically informed person knows and understands how human actions modify the physical environment. 
 
Performance Objective:
  1. Students will compare and contrast the effects of water on the soil.
  2. Students will identify and draw sketches of water erosion and conservation practices.
Vocabulary:
erosion  runoff 
flow  stream 
ground water  terracing 
watershed  precipitation 
absorb  condensation 
conservation  evaporation 
flooding  clues 
evidence   

Materials Needed:
 
Procedures:
 1.
Review with students the possible effects water can have on soil as well as the Water Cycle. Include the vocabulary words during the review to familiarize students with terms to be used during the walking field trip.
Discuss Walking Field trip objective: To find evidence/clues as to whether erosion has occurred.
Assignment: Each student will need to:
 a. find 6 or more examples of water/soil erosion. 
 b. draw a sketch of each erosion example. 
 c. label each erosion example with a sentence describing what they see. 
 2. Student partners should be assigned. This will give students the opportunity to use the vocabulary as they search for evidence of erosion. Much of the comparing and contrasting happens naturally during partner discussions as they work. 
 3.
Hand out a piece of white paper in half lengthwise. Open the paper, and then fold it in half width wise (there are now 4 panels). Without opening paper, fold it in half again. Now open the paper flat. There should be 8 panels outlined by the folds.
  • Have students put their name, date, etc. in the upper right-hand panel.
  • Students will draw one erosion sketch in each panel.
    If students want to draw more examples, they should use the back of the page.
  • Remember to leave room in the panel for the descriptive sentence. 
 4.
Begin Walking Field trip. Partners should be together. Set a time limit to the trip. Teacher should lead the group to teacher-previewed areas of the school yard to specific exhibitions of erosion. Examples include:
  • by sidewalk edges --down slopes/hills
  • by black tops/parking areas --playground equipment
    --tree roots --under building overhangs
Teacher should mingle among the partners pointing out conservative methods, erosion examples, and encouraging discussion with related vocabulary.
IF there is time, students might find it interesting to walk around the surrounding school neighborhood to look for evidence of erosion as will as conservation practices by home owners. 
 5. Return from Walking Field trip. Students may want time to refine their sketches and descriptive sentences. 
 6. Allow time for partners to share at least one example of erosion or a conservation method. Collect papers. 
 7. Have students draw a map of the Walking Field trip for a bulletin board. Then the panels” drawn during the trip could be attached to the map to show specific locations. 
 
 
Assessment:
  1. Students could explain the impact of water erosion on the soil, and how the erosion has changed a particular area. Use the explanation to write play showing how to change to and use conservation methods.
  2. Many people’s jobs depend on soil and water. Choose a point of view to write how conservation methods could improve or create problems for a particular job.
  3. Students may choose one panel example to create a Water of Soil Conservation Awareness Poster.
Extensions:
  1. Students examine their own neighborhoods for evidence of water and soil erosion as well as conservation methods.
  2. Natural Resources Conservation Districts have speakers and special programs available free for all grade levels.
Resources:

Douglas County Soil Conservation District
U.S. Geological Survey Office
Kansas Geological Survey Office

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FHSU Geoscience | Kansas Geographic Alliance
National Geographic Society | Kansas Water Office
Fort Hays State University | Kansas State University
e-mail: pphillip@fhsu.edu