Washed Away

Heidi Harper-Wamser

Math & Science Methods

Due: 3.29.99

Cooperative Learning
(Daily Lesson Plan)

Teacher Information
- Title of Lesson: Washed Away
- Standards:
Science (Product-environmental erosion;
Process-creating an example of water erosion)
Math (Product-measurement, subtraction;
Process-problem solving what happens during erosion)
- Learning Styles: Gardner (interpersonal and intra-personal,
visual-spatial, logical-mathematical, naturalistic)
- Objectives:
1. Academic -- The student will create an example of water erosion on a manufactured diagram of a hill by using the products given to them by the teacher. The students will be required to illustrate their findings on a given worksheet. The students will complete the project in a 25-minute time frame.
2. Social -- The students will learn to cooperate in a group setting and with their peers.
- Student Level -- 4th grade
- Time -- one 25-minute period
- Background Information -- Definition of Erosion: it is the wearing away of a land surface by various natural forces (i.e. rain water). The most important causes of erosion are wind, water, and ice. Erosion can be controlled if slopes are covered with vegetation or terraced.
  The type of soil and the soil's compaction determines the rate at which water will soak into the soil. Soil that is very porous will readily accept water. Soil that has been compacted will not absorb water easily and much of the water will either run off or evaporate. Hard packed soils composed of clay allow very little water percolation. Soils that are already saturated do not easily absorb more water and the excess water is lost to run off or evaporation.
- Prerequisite Information -- The students will know that erosion is when rock and soil is worn away by the physical action of rivers, oceans, wind, ice, or humans. Erosion includes the removal of loose material from the area.
Wind erosion is where the wind picks up grains of sand and pebbles and blasts them against walls and rock and causes them to wear away. Wind erosion can happen anywhere where the wind is powerful enough to pick up sand and pebbles. It occurs very often in places which are hot and dry like the outback of Australia and the Sahara Desert.
- Materials -- (Per Group) cookie sheet or shallow baking pan, 1-1 _ " thick book covered in plastic, 300 ml of mixed dirt and sand in a plastic bag, one Styrofoam cup, tape, centimeter ruler, crayons or pencil, worksheet
- Group Size -- five groups of five students each [25 students in the class]
- Roles -- supplies, illustrator, recorder, creator, clean-up

Teaching Procedures

Introduction of Lesson -- The teacher will have the students close their eyes and visualize their house on the side of a hill and then a huge rainstorm creating a large amount of water rushing down the side of the hill. What do you think would happen to the house? What do you think would happen if there were nothing on the hill to slow the water down?
Explanation of Lesson -- Explain to the students that they will be learning about erosion by creating their own hills and rainfall. Discuss with the students the definition of erosion (wearing away of land surface by various forces).
Development of Concept (Procedure) --

*Give the students an opportunity to choose their "jobs".
*The cooperative teams will form a hill out of sand and dirt at one end of the pan. They can use the cup as a form for the hill or create their own. Elevate the pan so that the hill is at the higher end. Be sure to use an object to elevate it that will not be damaged by water.
*Draw a picture of the hill in the pan marked "BEFORE" on the activity sheet.
*Poke three holes in the bottom of the Styrofoam cup using only the very sharp point of a pencil. Cover the holes with tape.
*Fill the cup with 200 ml of water.
*Hold the cup about 12 centimeters above the hill. Pull the tape from under the cup and allow the "rain" to fall.
*Once all 200 ml has fallen, draw what the pan and hill look like on the activity sheet labeled "After the 1st rain". Illustrate where the dirt is, what the hill looks like and where the water is located.
*Do not rebuild the hill. Repeat steps four and five. Draw the results on the activity sheet labeled "After the 2nd rain".
*Feel the dirt at the bottom of the pan and the dirt at the base of the hill. Is there a difference? Why?
*Pour water from the pan into the measuring cup. Record the amount of runoff on the data table.
*Compute the difference (subtract) between the original 400-ml of rainwater and the total amount of run off.
Positive Interdependence -- Even though each student in the group has their own individual role, they are still working cooperatively to - complete the project.
Individual Accountability -- The teacher will randomly call on students while she/he asks the students questions about erosion and the discussion questions. Those questions could be:
*What happens to the dirt when rain falls?

*How could the dirt be kept on the hill during a rain?

*Why would it be better to keep the dirt on the hill?

*Where did most of the dirt settle, at the base, midway down the hill, or all the way down?

*Why do you think it dropped where it did?

*What if it had rained harder and therefore faster? What would have happened to the dirt?

*Where do you think the missing water went?

Criteria for Success -- The students will have the activity worksheet completed and will have created a hill to demonstrate the erosion process in their cooperative groups.

Expected Behavior -- The students will learn to cooperate with one another in a small, cooperative group setting to complete the lesson. Monitoring -- The teacher will walk around the room observing each group, while being readily available to answer any questions from the students. The teacher will need to make note of the students that are off task. Processing -- The students need to be prepared to discuss with the teacher what they have learned while working in their cooperative groups, by being able to answer the individual accountability questions. Conclusion -- The cooperative groups will share their findings with the other groups and then be assigned their homework. (Try this experiment at home, on your own, with different soils.) Evaluation -- (Scale of 1-5, with 1 being the least and 5 being the most) The students and the teacher will complete a rubric by answering the following questions:

*Did the student/Did I work well with the members of my cooperative group?

*Did everyone/Did I take responsibility of their/my individual roles/role?

*Did the groups/Did my group successfully and correctly demonstrate the erosion process?

*Did the students/Did I utilize the given class time to complete the assigned task?

*Did the students/Did I correctly present their/my final project in a neat and attractive manner?

Extensions

Try doing the same experiment with a variety of soil types.
Try elevating the pan at varying levels to observe the differences of run-off from the excess rainwater.

Resources

http://schoolsite.edex.net.uk/192/text/enveros1.htm
http://schoolsite.edex.net.uk/192/text/envhome.htm
Water, Precious Water, Book A; 1988 AIMS Education Foundation

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