TechQuest Title: Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition

Author(s): Tim Bennett, Tanya Baumgardner, Patricia Lucia

Part I: Teacher Guide

  1. Specific Content standards
  • Students know water running downhill is the dominant process in shaping the landscape, including California's landscape
  • Students know rivers and streams are dynamic systems that erode, transport sediment, change course, and flood their banks in natural and recurring patterns
  1. Key science concepts addressed by the lesson:

Definitions, relationships and differences between weathering, erosion, and deposition

  1. Steps to carry out the activities

* Engage: Teachers present video clip showing the undermining of a road with runoff from a storm: lib/11392072393338870/The_Need_for_a_Good_Foundation.wmv

* Explore: Students will find information from the resource links (included) to develop a concept map working in pairs. They will use a worksheet to record their findings.

* Explain: Direct students to bubbl.us site to create concept maps.

Evaluate: the student’s concept maps must have clear definitions of the three terms and good examples of each term.

*Extend: upload their bubbl.us concept map to the class website or print their final draft to share and respond to the student work. Another idea is to have the students write about the relationships between these terms.

  1. Teacher Notes (recommendations from teachers who have taught the module)

This lesson is difficult to fit into a short (45 minute) class period. We decided to stretch the lesson into a 2-day lesson – gathering information on day 1, refining the information and creating the mind map on day 2. Front loading expectations (curricular, behavioral, use of computers) is also very helpful.

  1. Assessment plan (or student product)

Grade the mind maps – check for correct and clear definitions and appropriate examples will define exemplary work. With the relationships between these concepts being the goal, it is important that the students are able to link the ideas visually and verbally.

  1. Technology resources used in the lesson (software, Web sites)

Video, Web links, bubbl.us (Web 2.0 tool), class website and laptops or other computers

Part II: Learning Object

  1. Describe Learning object or tool used in lesson

TechQuest – directions and links posted on a Web site to help students glean information to use on their mind maps. a Web 2.0 tool for creating concept map or organizer using interconnected “bubbles.”

8.Student Activity Handouts or Directions

Planning worksheet and Bubbl.us directions

9. Special directions for use of learning objects:

Set up bubbl.us accounts prior to use to avoid wasted time. Accounts are free but take time to set up. Students can work in pairs or individually – it is difficult to keep the students on task if there is too much waiting time. Work can be submitted as pairs or individually, depending on how grading is intended to be done. If there are computer glitches, Science textbooks serve as a backup information resource. With an example or two of the mind maps printed from the bubbl.us website, the students were able to hand draw their mind maps either to prepare for their time on the computers or, if Internet problems occurred during the lesson.

TechQuest Resources – Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition

Choose one of these links for Weathering:
Weathering from University of Kentucky
Weathering and Erosion Video from Discovery
Choose one of these links for Erosion:
Erosion from University of Kentucky
Erosion from Teachers' Domain
Choose one of these links for Deposition:
Windows to the Universe

Grading Guide by Tim Bennett

Exemplary / Very good / Fair / Poor
Weathering / Clearly defined, examples given / Defined, some examples / Attempted definition or possible examples / No definition or no examples
Erosion / Clearly defined, examples given / Defined, some examples / Attempted definition or possible examples / No definition or no examples
Deposition / Clearly defined, examples given / Defined, some examples / Attempted definition or possible examples / No definition or no examples
Layout / Clear and makes sense / Almost there / Attempted / Not in evidence
Connections / Tied together in an appropriate fashion / Fairly well tied together / Not well tied together / Not tied together

Sample rubric for grading bubbl.us graphic organizers

If this is a 25 point assignment, each exemplary check would be worth 5 points. Very good can be valued at 4 points, and so on.

Student Product Sample (Exemplary on left; Very Good on right)