Changes to Land (5.7B)

The student is expected to recognize how landforms such as deltas, canyons, and sand dunes are the result of changes to Earth's surface by wind, water, and ice.

Scholastic StudyJams videos:

• Landforms
• Weathering and Erosion

 Other Links to Check Out: 

• Here is another teacher's website about weathering.
• Here's a really cool slideshow about weathering!  

 

Things to Know:

• Know the three types of rocks and how they are formed.
• Know that sediments are made when any type of rock is weathered. 
• Know what magma is!

Things to Know:

• Know how to identify each- Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition (Remember our saying from class -- "Weathering BREAKS. Erosion TAKES. Deposition DROPS IT.)
• Know the three agents of weathering we talked about: wind, water, and ice.
• Know the difference between physical weathering and chemical weathering. See the notes below! (The StudyJams video also does a great job of explaining this!)

Weathering occurs in two ways.  

1. Physical weathering, also called mechanical weathering, involves the breakdown of rock materials. It simply breaks large pieces into smaller ones. Wind, water, and ice are agents of physical weathering.
2. Chemical weathering involves the decomposition of rocks and sediment. In this case, a chemical change occurs and a new product is created from the material. Example: Acid rain.

Vocabulary:

Landform: Features on the surface of the earth such as mountains, hills, dunes, oceans and rivers

Delta: A triangle-shaped (deposit) landform at the mouth of a river as it empties into another body of water

Canyon: A deep gorge in the surface of the Earth formed by the erosion of moving water and sand

Sand Dune: Hills formed by the wind blowing sand

Weathering: The breakdown of rock into smaller particles from the effects of wind, water and ice

Volcano: Created from the mixture of molten lava, ash and gases from the middle of the Earth that erupts through a crack in the Earth’s surface

Earthquake: A sudden release of energy under the Earth’s surface that makes the ground shake or crack

Deposition: The build up of land by depositing sediment and soil in a new location

Erosion: The movement of weathered material on the Earth’s surface by wind, water or ice