In this unit, students explore sources of water and components of soil. Students construct and use models of mountains to demonstrate that water forms into streams and flows downhill. They also compare models of clay soil and sandy soil to determine which soil can be used to construct buildings.
In this lesson, students develop a model of the earth’s surface and use it to discover an important principle about how rivers work. In the activity, Paper Mountains, students take turns using a spray bottle to make rain fall on paper models of mountains to observe patterns of how water and rivers flow.
We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work alone.
Students will need to cover their workspaces with plastic trash bags or table covers. Alternatively, students can work outside when they are spraying their paper mountains with water.
If students want to keep their models, be sure to give the models time to dry.
In this lesson, students explore a unique building material: mud! The properties of mud depend on the properties of the soil it's made from. In the activity, Mystery Mud, students use models of sand and clay soils to investigate how the properties of soils can differ. They use their observations as evidence to classify each soil model based on whether or not it would make mud that’s good for building.
We suggest students work in pairs. You will need access to water for this activity.
Prepare Dixie Cups
Divide your Dixie cups into three equal piles. Use a marker to write “A” on each cup in one pile, write “B” on each cup in the second pile, and write “C” on each cup in the third pile.
Add 2 teaspoons of cornmeal into each cup that is labeled “A.” This is a model for sandy soil.
Add 2 teaspoons of flour into each cup that is labeled “B.” This is a model for clay soil.
Add 1 teaspoon of flour and 1 teaspoon of cornmeal into each cup that is labeled “C.” Gently shake these cups to mix the cornmeal and flour together. This is a model for a mix of sand and clay soil.
Prepare Water Cups
Fill each Solo cup about a quarter full of water. Each pair of students will only need a few spoonfuls.
Teacher Tip
Making a mud model is very fun, but it can also be distracting! We recommend waiting to distribute the cups of water and spoons until Step 5 of the activity, after students have explored the dry soil models.
Lesson 3: Ocean & Sonar
No materials required.
Lesson 4: Ocean & Habitats
No materials required.
Lesson 5: Minerals & Properties
No materials required.
Lesson 6: Changes in Matter
No materials required.
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