Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 60 minutes
Weathering, erosion or deposition?
Earth and rocks
CCSS NGSS.4-ESS2-1England: KS2 Y3 RocksEngland: KS3 Chemistry: Earth and atmosphere (rock cycle)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Weathering, erosion or deposition?.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Weathering and erosion
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Rock samples, Hand lenses, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 6 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Weathering and erosion). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which type of weathering is this: acid rain dissolving limestone? (physical weathering / chemical weathering / biological weathering) → chemical weatheringPrompt: Is it caused by temperature and ice, by a chemical reaction, or by living things?
- Which happens quickly rather than over a long time? (a river valley widening / a canyon forming / a mountain wearing down / a landslide) → a landslidePrompt: Some changes to Earth take seconds; others take millions of years.
- Which type of weathering is this: water freezing and expanding in cracks? (physical weathering / chemical weathering / biological weathering) → physical weatheringPrompt: Is it caused by temperature and ice, by a chemical reaction, or by living things?
Hook · 6 min
- Pass round different rocks and ask how each one might have formed.
- Share the objective: Weathering, erosion or deposition?. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 12 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Which process is this: tree roots growing into a rock?
- Step 1: Weathering breaks rock into smaller pieces where it is.
- Step 2: So the answer is: weathering (rock breaks down in place)
- Answer: weathering (rock breaks down in place)
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 12 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Which process is this: waves dragging pebbles off a beach? (weathering (rock breaks down in place) / erosion (pieces are carried away) / deposition (pieces are dropped)) → erosion (pieces are carried away)Prompt: Breaking, moving or dropping?
- Three of these are examples of deposition. Which one is NOT? (a river carrying sand downstream / a river dropping mud at its mouth to make a delta / sand piling up into a dune / pebbles settling at the bottom of a lake) → a river carrying sand downstreamPrompt: Is the rock being broken, carried, or dropped?
You do: independent practice · 17 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 7 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Why do roads get more potholes after a cold winter? (Cars are heavier in winter. / Water seeps into cracks, freezes, expands and breaks the surface. / Snow eats the road. / Cold makes the road melt.) → Water seeps into cracks, freezes, expands and breaks the surface.Prompt: What happens to water's size when it freezes?
- Which process is this: a river dropping mud at its mouth to make a delta? (weathering (rock breaks down in place) / erosion (pieces are carried away) / deposition (pieces are dropped)) → deposition (pieces are dropped)Prompt: Breaking, moving or dropping?
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Weathering and erosion.
- Use concrete materials: rock samples.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder