1 of 34

On(line)SC

Forces of Nature

Water

2 of 34

Notes and Facilitation Points

This is the first of four Forces of Nature lessons. They can be taught together or alone but are best taught together. This week we are going to explore forces of nature, the big powerhouses of the natural world. These forces of nature are one of the greatest causes of change on earth.
Stewardship can be promoted along with this lesson as students begin to value the importance of our natural landscapes.
Pre-lesson prep options: colored pens/pencils/markers, blank sheet of paper.

Activity: Deep pan/tub, a cup, scissors, water, and sand or potting soil.

Slide #29 - A suggested activity for your students that will help them better understand the process of erosion.

Key question to use throughout the lesson:

How does water cause major dramatic changes to the earth?

.

3 of 34

Notes and Facilitation Points

Crosscutting Concepts within this lesson

Slide 12 Energy and Matter: What happens to (example) when you put it together with (example).

EX: What happens to the rough rock when you put it together with flowing water that contains soil fragments .

Answer: Over time, the rough rock will be weathered or worn down by the small soil fragments flowing within the water. The rock may even be pushed downstream by the water or by other rocks.

Slide 16 Stability and Change: How might this system be affected by (event described in scenario).

EX: How might the landscape be affected by the flowing river?

Answer: Over time, the water may erode away layers upon layers of rock to creat hills and valleys within the landscape.

Slides 25 Systems and system models: Draw the parts of the system described in this scenario.

EX: Draw the parts of the flood/environment described in this scenario.

Answer: Draw and show the before and after of the landscape, the trees/plants, and the water table height and speed.

Slide 26 Systems and system models: What would happen in this system if you increased (component of the system)? EX: What would happen in this (field,forrest, habitat) if you increased (flooding)?

Answer: Floods can wash away large amounts of natural habitat and cause huge amounts of erosion in a short amount of time. However, floods also leave behind soils that are rich in nutrients. This soil helps create great places for new trees and plants to grow.

4 of 34

On(line)SC

Forces of Nature

Water

5 of 34

Hello Naturalists!

Today we are going to explore a force of nature that has been shaping and reshaping our world for millions of years: Water.

6 of 34

What is Water?

Water is a transparent, odorless, tasteless, and almost colorless chemical substance.

7 of 34

Question

We all interact with water every day; we might be drinking it, swimming in it, or using it to clean our dishes.

Exactly why is water so important to our

planet and us?

8 of 34

Answers

All plants and animals need water to survive
Supports cell functions
Helps regulate our body temperature
Helps regulate Earth’s climate
And much much more

9 of 34

Providing life is not the only special ability water has hidden up its wet sleeves.

Water also plays a huge part in shaping our planet’s landscapes.

Let's look at some ways water helps shape our planet.

10 of 34

Weathering

Weathering is when rocks, soils, and minerals are broken down into smaller pieces.

Can you think of some examples of weathering?

11 of 34

Weathering

For example, when water flowing through a stream flows over rocks, small soil fragments are worn down or weathered.

12 of 34

Question

Imagine you take a large rough rock and throw it in a stream or river. Write down what you think will happen to that rock the longer it stays in the water?

Take a few minutes to think about and discuss this question.

13 of 34

Answer

Over time the rough rock will be weathered or worn down by small soil fragments flowing within the water.

The rock may even be pushed downstream by

the water, debris or by

other rocks.

14 of 34

Erosion

Once rocks, soils, and minerals have been weakened and broken up by weathering, they are ready for erosion.

Erosion happens when rocks and sediments are picked up and carried away to another place, often by water.

15 of 34

Deposition occurs when water movement slows or stops, and suspended sediments are dropped.

Streams can deposit particles as the water’s speed slows around a curve or when the slope changes.

16 of 34

Question

Take a few minutes to think about and discuss

this question.

Let’s imagine a river flowing over a flat rocky landscape. What might this landscape look like in 10 years? In 100 years? In 1,000 years?

17 of 34

Answer

Over time the water may erode away layers upon layers of rock to create hills and valleys within the landscape.

A great example of this is the Ozark Plateau. Over millions of years water eroded away rock and created the landscape we see today.

18 of 34

Let’s watch a video to learn more about

erosion, weathering, and the

shaping of Ozark streams.

19 of 34

20 of 34

The Ozark Landscape

In places like the Ozarks, water can do more than just create mountains

and valleys.

Water also helps create something you might of explored before…..caves!

But how does water create such a fantastic space?

21 of 34

In the Ozarks, you can find a special rock called limestone, which is made up mostly of a mineral called calcium carbonate.

This mineral breaks down in the presence of acids, including rainwater.

When this limestone erodes away, it creates caves and sinkholes.

22 of 34

Karst Topography

The geology of the Ozarks is a Karst system.

Karst topography is a land region that includes limestone or dolostone.

Over time the surface is dissolved by water to create caves, springs, and sinkholes.

23 of 34

Floods

Sometimes water can cause major changes to the environment around us in just hours.

When an area receives too much water or a large amount of water in a short time, it can cause a flood.

24 of 34

Floods

Floods can occur in cities or out in the country, and are not always found near large bodies of water.

Thousands of floods occur around the world every year and they have major effects on nature and humans alike.

25 of 34

Imagination Activity

Imagine you witnessed a flood. Take some time to write down every detail that you remember about the storm.

What was the weather like leading up to it?

Did the area flood slowly, or was it a flash flood where large amounts of flooding happened very quickly?

26 of 34

Imagination Activity

Now that you have your memories of the flood written down take a few minutes to draw a picture of the flood you witnessed.

Include what the landscape looked like during and after the flood. What did the trees/plants look like? How high and fast was the water?

27 of 34

Floods change both the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) parts of an ecosystem.

When you think of the effects of flooding what comes to mind?

Question

28 of 34

Answer

A flood can have both positive and negative effects on nature.

Floods can wash away large amounts of natural habitat and cause huge amounts of erosion in a short time.

29 of 34

Floods

However, floods also leave behind soil that is rich in nutrients. This soil helps create great places for new trees and plants to grow.

30 of 34

Materials needed: Deep pan/tub, a cup, scissors, water, and sand or potting soil.

Steps

Fill the tub halfway with your sand or potting soil.
Make your landscape: Angle the dirt on a slope with more dirt on one side of the pan than the other side.

Make your own Erosion!

31 of 34

Add features into your landscape: Maybe add mountains, hills, a cliff, get creative with it!
Lets see how your landscape erodes: Slowly pour the water from the cup into the side of the pan that has the most dirt or sand. Observe how the water flows through your landscape.

Make your own Erosion!

3.

4.

Steps

32 of 34

How do you know erosion took place in your tub?
How does your landscape look different after you added the water?
Is there more dirt at the bottom of the pan than when you started?
How did the color of the water change after it was added to the landscape?
Can you also see where deposition happened in your tub? Explain.

Questions

Make your own Erosion!

33 of 34

THANK YOU FOR LEARNING ABOUT WATER AS A FORCE OF NATURE WITH US!

Send your stories, drawings, and comments to Socialmedia@ONSC.us.

We love hearing from you!

34 of 34

Works Cited

Slide 5 | Image #1 | "Water ball" by @Doug88888 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Slide 6 | Image #1 | "playing with water 10" by wester is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Slide 7 | Image #1 | "Glen Artney Stream" by Bold Frontiers is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 8 | Image #1 | "Kathleen Lake and Kayak" by kdee64 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Slide 9 | Image #1 | "D7498 Grand Canyon Hermit Road Scenic" by Grand Canyon NPS is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 10 | Image #1 | "river" by barnyz is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Slide 11 | Image #1 | "stream" by Divine in the Daily is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Slide 12 | Image #1 | "rocks" by stebulus is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 13 | Image #1 | "Rocks, Pebbles, Dana Point beach" by Martin LaBar is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Slide 14 | Image #1 | "Streambank Erosion" by SoilScience.info is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 14 | Image #2 | "Gully Erosion (1)" by SoilScience.info is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 15 | Image #1 | "Grand Canyon Flood of 1966 Bright Angel Canyon 0330" by Grand Canyon NPS is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 16 | Image #1 | "Flat River Impoundment Durham NC 598" by bobistraveling is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 17 | Image #1 | "Rolling Ozark hills" by Runcer is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Slide 20 | Image #1 | "Reed Flute Cave - Nature's Art Palace" by Bernt Rostad is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 21 | Image #1 | "Paradise (Thiên Đường) Cave (stalactite cave)" by www.holgersbilderwelt.de is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Slide 22 | Image #1 | “Jenolan Caves - NSW Blue Mountains" by Jack Heywood Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Slide 23| Image #1 | "The animals take control of a flooded road" by wyntuition is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Slide 24 | Image #1 | "Flood waters force emergency road repair on SR 20" by WSDOT is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Slide 25 | Image #1 | "Flash Floods" by ZionNPS is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 26 | Image #1 | "Flash Floods in Utah" by U.S. Geological Survey is marked with CC PDM 1.0

Slide 27 | Image #1 | "Flood water at Coppins Crossing" by Gavin Tapp is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Slide 28 | Image #1 | "Flash Flood" by Bryce Bradford is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0