Topsoil Wind Erosion

Topsoil is shown being blown out of newly graded construction to demonstrate how wind can change the landscape quickly.

• How can we keep wind and water from changing the land?

• How do slow changes in the environment change the land?
• How do quick changes in the environment change the land?

Students could:

• Use straws to blow on a small mound or hill of sand to observe the effect. As each child takes a turn, the other students record their detailed observations that will later be used to draw conclusions.
• Use an erosion table to explore how water runoff changes the land.
• Build a model to show run-off erosion and test ways to change the erosion system to slow or stop erosion to understand how people can apply these solutions in the real world.
• Make a claim about how quickly or slowly an environmental event will change the landscape using evidence.
• Use materials to stop the spread of soil in a container by wind or water.

• PBS Learning Media | K-2 Collection: Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms: Wind and Water Change Earth’s Surface: Short slideshows with photos and video that demonstrate how wind and water can change the landscape.
• PBS LearningMedia | K-2 Collection: Brining the Universe to America's Classrooms: Fast and Slow Changes on Earth’s Surface: Slideshow with video and images to compare landscapes before and after a natural event.
• Crash Course Kids | Weathering and Erosion: Three-minute video describing how weathering and erosion change the surface of the Earth over time.