Rivers and Streams
There are rivers and streams all around us, and evidence shows how they shape the landscape through weathering and erosion.
Location
Runnells, Iowa
Driving Question
- How do rivers and streams shape the landscape of the earth?
Probing Questions
- Looking at the photograph, what do you notice?
- How might rivers or streams have been created?
- How could weathering and erosion form a river or stream?
- How might the speed or amount of water affect the weathering and erosion of a stream or river?
Classroom Suggestions
Students could:
- Take a nature walk to a local river or creek and make observations about what they notice.
- Create a stream table in your classroom using a foil pan, soil, sand, rocks and water. Then make a prediction about what will happen before the water is poured into the pan and as the water creates a stream by eroding the materials.
Relevant Related Resources
Weathering and Erosion | Generation Genius: Weathering and erosion videos for kids.
Will a Mountain Last Forever? | Mystery Science: A lesson exploring how solid rock can break into smaller pieces by weathering.
The Forces that Shape Rocks | ReadWorks: An article on weathering and erosion.
Iowa Core Alignment
4-ESS2-1:Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation
Credit Info
Phenomena submitted by Paige Petzenhauser.
Funding for Iowa Science Phenomena provided by:
