Formation of a stream valley

This is a class of 12 Learning Disabled students taking Earth Science. It is a sophomore class. There are two attention deficit students. They all are good readers but have trouble with comprehension of science vocabulary.

A lesson plan for grades 9–12 Science

By Mark Clinkscales and Carrie Palmer

Learn more

Related pages

• Pollution plume: The students will simulate a plume to illustrate point source and non-point source pollution.
• Getting down & dirty with soils: In this lesson, we will explore different kinds of soil (humus, sand, clay). The students will plant seeds in the different soils as part of further exploration.
• Soil and erosion unit: Section 2: This unit will involve descriptive information on North Carolina soil types and how the presence of plants affects soil erosion. This section should be begun only after completion of Soil and erosion unit: Section 1.

Related topics

• Learn more about environmental science, erosion, hands-on, labs, science, stream valleys, and topography.

Help

Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.

Legal

Learning outcomes

The following objectives will emphasize comprehension of the vocabulary.

• Formation of stream channels with respect to the work being done by the stream.
• Each stage, youth, maturity and old age, has its own characteristic topography.
• Students will participate in a lab activity making three stream valleys.
• All students will pass the oral quiz with a seventy-five percent grade out of one-hundred percent. The homework assigned will be a quiz grade at the beginning of the next class. It will be collected and then discussed using the lab models as examples. At this point, higher order questions will be asked. When they are looking at the lab models they will be able to summarize each model by comparing each model and use the correct terminology.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

90 minutes

Materials/resources

• Written material taken from Geology, Rocks and Minerals, by Edward. Ortleb and Richard Cadice. Published by Milliken Publishing Co. It is stated: “Permission to reproduce pages extends only to the individual classroom use, not to exceed in any event more than one copy per pupil in a course.”
• make a transparency of Formation of a Stream Valley
• print 15 copies of the “Formation of a Stream Valley” worksheet which will be used as the assessment for this class
• Homemade play dough that will dry (any of the recipes will work)
• You will need baggies to place 7 hunks (about 1 cup each) of brown, blue and green play dough for EACH of the three labs.
• 2 plastic spoons, nine cardboard pieces, and sheets of wax paper 8 x 12 inches. Extra preparations of materials would also be helpful.

Technology resources

• Overhead projector and transparencies

Pre-activities

• Students will have had a lesson on the impact of wind in the process of erosion. Each student turned in a sheet on ways wind causes erosion.
• Place brown, blue and green play dough, two plastic spoons, nine cardboard pieces, sheets of eight-by-twelve inch wax paper, and paper towels on six lab tables in the back of the room. Have the towels cover the lab.

Activities

Discussion of new lesson

(5 minutes)
Put your name on the paper and title it WATER.
Briefly review the role of wind in erosion. Remind them of the meaning of erosion. (erosion is the wearing away of the land) Ask who can think of a way that water might cause erosion? (running water is said to be the greatest of all erosive actions) Examples might be: small ditches made in lawns during a heavy rain fall, flooding and the mud found in houses. Where did that mud come from?

Word Comprehension

(15 minutes)
Put on transparency of Formation of a Stream Valley. Take a blank sheet and cover up all but the title. On the title cover all but the word Formation. Have students copy the word Formation on their paper. Explain meaning then do the same with stream,valley,less steep,meander, and flood plain. Use real life examples. Encourage questions.

Draw and label the three formations

(10 minutes)
Show the youth transparency but cover the bottom two. Discuss the meaning of the word ‘YOUTH” Write down: Valley is steep, and v shaped. Point it out on the overhead. Have students draw it. Make sure that this drawing has a V shape at the end.

Do the same procedure with maturity and old age and add the vocabulary on the transparency. (teacher must be circulating among students, if you use examples from their region and life it will help keep them on task.

Oral quiz

(5 minutes)
This is part of the assessment. It is a participation grade,1-10 points. If they try to add to the answers they gain points.

Verbally answer questions at end of the overhead.

• Does a stream valley become wider or narrower as it becomes older? (answer: wider) Why would that happen? (answer; build up of sediment and flood plains)
• Which stage has the most rapidly flowing water? (answer:Youth) Who can thing of the reason? (answer: higher elevation and velocity)
• Which stage would be the most fun to live near? Give three reasons.

Lab

(45 minutes)
Directions for the lab:

A reminder of class rules in lab and the consequences. Be very strict, give clear directions and remind them of the time limit. Keep overhead transparency on the screen. Encourage them to look at the screen. Assign two to a table. Separate the attention deficit students. Each group of two will be making all three formations.

Make a youth stream valley

1. Assign two to a table. Separate the attention deficit students.
2. Put cardboard down first, wax paper on top, cover with brown play dough. Spread out using hands or spoons so you have a hill on one end and thin at the other end.
3. Take the blue play dough and form the stream. Remember the valley is V-shaped and steep.

Make a maturity stream valley

Follow same directions but this time make sure you can see the bank and the bed. The valley is less steep and begins to meander. (not a straight line) Use brown, blue and green play dough.

Make an old age stream valley

Follow same directions but this time make sure you can see the flood plain and the stream meanders. Notice the grass is at the end of the flood plain. (tell them to use up all their play dough, watch to make sure they do)

Clean up and oral

(10 minutes)

Questions:

1. Hold up three models, one at a time and ask them which stage.
2. Ask the meaning of: bank, flood plain and river bed.
3. If you were going in a canoe and wanted to go fast, which one would you choose?

There won’t be much to clean up as all material should be used. Leave the lab on the tables. It is important here to move the class immediately to their desks. This transition is important to keep them on task.

The study sheets for homework should be placed on their desk waiting for them. Discuss the A, B and C answers with them as a group for review. Questions 1-6 is homework. There are 16 points on the homework sheet which will be a quiz grade, due at the start of the next class. It is very important for Learning Disabled students with comprehension problems to have the very same vocabulary as they learned in the lab. When they master the definitions then higher order questions are the next step.

Assessment

Previously downloaded worksheet used as homework.(wkshtvalley.jpg)

Supplemental information

This is additional information, extensions and answers to the assessment study sheet.

If you think the students will mix the clay together before they actually make the stream form, hand clay out separately. Stand between the two tables with the attention deficit students as much as possible.

Comments

This plan can be changed in many ways to fit the situation. This is a hands on lab that students of all levels enjoy. There are many variations and spin offs of this lesson.