S5E1: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to identify surface…
Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to identify surface features on the Earth caused by constructive and/or destructive processes. a. Construct an argument supported by scientific evidence to identify surface features (examples could include deltas, sand dunes, mountains, volcanoes) as being caused by constructive and/or destructive processes (examples could include deposition, weathering, erosion, and impact of organisms). b. Develop simple interactive models to collect data that illustrate how changes in surface features are/were caused by constructive and/or destructive processes. c. Ask questions to obtain information on how technology is used to limit and/or predict the impact of constructive and destructive processes.
The Georgia Standards of Excellence, Science outcome S5E1 (Earth and Space Science) for Grade 5 says: “Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to identify surface features on the Earth caused by constructive and/or destructive processes. a. Construct an argument supported by scientific evidence to identify surface features (examples could include deltas, sand dunes, mountains, volcanoes) as being caused by constructive and/or destructive processes (examples could include deposition, weathering, erosion, and impact of organisms). b. Develop simple interactive models to collect data that illustrate how changes in surface features are/were caused by constructive and/or destructive processes. c. Ask questions to obtain information on how technology is used to limit and/or predict the impact of constructive and destructive processes.” These 3 Fieldbook units teach it hands-on, with everyday materials and a printable teacher guide and student sheet for every lesson. Official wording: Georgia Standards of Excellence, Science.
Restless Earth: Fossils, Soils, Volcanoes and Plates Grades 4–7 · partly supports this outcome
Press model fossils and read a cliff of layers, shake a jar of soil and watch it sort itself by grain size, plot real volcanoes and earthquakes on a world map to find the edges of Earth's plates, then move model plates and test a building on a shake table. Four hands-on lessons that build on Rocks and Erosion.
- What do moving plates do, and can a building survive? 80–90 min (easy to split over two periods)
Teams move two foam plates on a tray of syrup to pull them apart and push them together, then slide sandpaper blocks to feel an earthquake build and release. They design and test straw towers on a shake table, compare two designs, and explain how engineers reduce earthquake damage.
Rocks and Erosion: How Land Changes Shape Grade 4 · partly supports this outcome
Why some rocks scratch and some fizz, how a trickle of water carves a canyon, what keeps a hillside in place, and how a boulder ends up as sand. Four hands-on lessons on rocks, weathering and erosion.
- Can water carve a canyon? 50–60 min
Students build a stream table in a foil pan of damp sand, let a steady trickle of 'rain' run down a gentle slope and a steep one, and measure the channel each time. They use the measurements to explain how running water carves valleys and canyons and drops sand where it slows down.
- What protects a hillside from washing away? 55–60 min
Teams build model hillsides of soil in foil pans, some bare, some covered with leaves or mulch and some held together with string 'roots', then make it rain on each one the same way. They measure the runoff and the mud it carries, and recommend the best way to protect a real slope.
Living with Water: Salt, Rice and the Mekong Grades 4–5 · partly supports this outcome
Science and English together, for English learners (CEFR A2–B1). Three investigations from Vietnam: how salt farmers turn the sea into salt, how rice terraces stop a mountain washing away, and how a house in the Mekong Delta stays dry in the flood season.
- How do rice terraces stop a mountain washing away? 60 min, or two 35-minute periods
Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams make model hillsides from soil in trays: a bare slope, a terraced slope and a slope with plant cover. They pour the same storm of rain on each, measure the muddy water that runs off, and use the evidence to advise a mountain village in northern Vietnam.
Printable practice for S5E1
These pages practise a closely related idea; the match to S5E1 is partial.
- Rocks and Erosion: How Land Changes Shape workbook included with the unit
4 readings, 3 English-support pages, 3 practice pages, 1 word wall, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.
- Living with Water: Salt, Rice and the Mekong workbook included with the unit
2 readings, 1 word wall, 1 practice page, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.
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Compared with NGSS: 4-ESS2-1 (partial).
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