MS - ESS2.C (E) - Weathering and Erosion - FINAL (CLF 2/4/2014)

Module: Weathering and Erosion

DCI: ESS2.C (E) Water’s movements – both on the land and underground – cause weathering and erosion, which change the land’s surface features and create underground formations.

PE: MS-ESS2-2 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time and spatial scales.

 [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how processes change Earth’s surface at time and spatial scales that can be large (such as slow plate motions or the uplift of large mountain ranges) or small (such as rapid landslides or microscopic geochemical reactions), and how many geoscience processes (such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and meteor impacts) usually behave gradually but are punctuated by catastrophic events. Examples of geoscience processes include surface weathering and deposition by the movements of water, ice, and wind. Emphasis is on geoscience processes that shape local geographic features, where appropriate.]

The ideas we see in this standard are: 

- the movement of water on land causes weathering and erosion

- the movement of water underground causes weathering and erosion

- weathering and erosion can change the land's surface features

-weathering and erosion can create underground formations 

We have had other batches aligned to this PE, and we handled those by asking kids to tell us which of a group of options would have occurred on the greatest time and spatial scale, or least, etc.  This one, can align in the same way, but we need to keep the focus on weathering and erosion done by water, instead of wind or other forces. 

Possible Question Starters: 

"Which of the following surface features could be caused by moving water over a very long period of time?"

correct answer - smoothing and rounding out of rocks 

incorrect answer - positions of sand dunes, shape of a volcano, etc. 

"Stalagmites are structures found in caves that are formed when dissolved minerals crystalize.  Stalagmites provide evidence for the movement of water in which of the following ways?"

Correct answer - water that drips slowly can leave minerals behind

incorrect answer- water, as it freezes, will turn into minerals 

We could also ask about larger formations (canyons?).

We should try to ask about evidence. One example might be something like...
Which of the following observations would provide evidence for the claim that the sediments in a delta are the weathered material of a nearby mountain?
correct answer - the sediments in the delta are made of the same rock types as the mountain
incorrect answers should mention the delta and the mountain - the mountain is at a high elevation while the delta is at sea level
etc.

Students wish to conduct an investigation to find evidence to support the claim that caves are formed when the flow of underground water acts to form empty spaces in limestone. Which of the following investigations would provide partial support for this claim?
correct answer - samples of limestone were easily dissolved by water in the lab
incorrect answer - limestone samples soaked in water were heavier than dry samples
?