Land and Water
Lesson 10
Rushing Rivers: Exploring Flow
Students will predict and then investigate how water flow rate affects the land. Finally students will reach a conclusion about how they think flow rate affects the land based on their data.
3. Lesson set up and Management
INQB: Scientists plan and conduct different kinds of investigations, depending on the questions they are trying to answer.
INQC: An experiment involves a comparison. For an experiment to be valid and fair, all of the things that can possibly change the outcome of the experiment should be kept the same, if possible.
INQD: Investigations involve systematic collection and recording of relevant observations and data.
INQF: A scientific model is a simplified representation of an object, event, system, or process created to understand some aspect of the natural world.
INQG: Scientific explanations emphasize evidence, have logically consistent arguments, and use known scientific principles, models, and theories.
ES2C: Erosion is the movement of Earth materials by processes such as wind, water, ice, and gravity.
- Students will predict how the speed of the water affects the land.
- Students will observe and record changes to their stream table based on the water’s speed.
- Students will collect fast-moving water sediments and compare these sediments with slow-moving water sediments.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
Students working together
A cylinder of collected soil materials
- When drawing a line approximately ½ to 1 inch from the top of the plastic cup (Preparation 8)
- Measure the height of the cup.
- Subtract ½ to 1 inch from the height.
- Make a pile of books the correct height.
- Hold the marker over the edge of the pile of books and mark each cup.
- Make sure the students label the graduated cylinder with the group's color or number and "Lesson 10." You will need to save these graduated cylinders until Lesson 13.
- Use the same string from Lesson 4.
- If the earth materials are getting too muddy, add more sand or other earth materials to make the soil’s consistency workable for the students.
Student Management:
- Make sure that the students have not seen the materials needed for this investigation before doing Procedure step 1. The large hole in the cup may give away the answer and stop students from exploring different ideas.
- Have the students write an investigation for this lesson in combination with Lesson 4 (individually or as a class).
- EXAMPLE of an INVESTIGATION
- Investigative question: What is the affect of the flow of the water (small hole in Lesson 4, large hole in Investigation 10) on the amount of soil collected in the graduated cylinder?
- Predication: Write a prediction for the investigative question, including the changed variable (small hole, large hole) and measured variable (amount of soil collected in graduated cylinder)
- Materials list:
stream table model
stream table set-up
2 liter bottle with water
cup with large-hole
graduated cylinder
- Procedure:
- Set-up stream table as in lesson 7.
- Pour 2 liter of water into the large-hole cup.
- When most of the water has flowed through the stream table, use a graduated cylinder and collect a water/sediment sample.
- Let the sample settle and record the total volume of sediments in the data table.
- As a class, collect the total amount of soil as the stream tables from each of the groups from Lesson 4 and Lesson 10.
Because of time it may be difficult for each group to do repeated trials. By having each group "share" their sediment totals with the whole class, you'’ll have a time-saving way to get repeated trials. Because the students are using each others’ data, this may be a time to discuss "intellectual honesty" and how important it is to control procedural variables.
- Data:
Flow of the Water
Group 1
(Trial 1)Group 2
(Trial 2)Group 3
(Trial 3)etc
Average
Small-hole (Lesson 4)
Large-holes (Lesson 10)
- Conclusion: Have the students write a conclusion. Make sure the students answer the investigative question, provide data from the small-hole and large-hole scenarios to support their conclusion and explain how the data supports their conclusion.
OR
- Finally, students can finish collecting the data on Record Sheet 4-A and write a conclusion.
- Procedure 2, "writing a prediction." Have the students write a prediction to the following investigative question, "What is the affect of the flow of the water (small hole in Lesson 4, large hole in Investigation 10) on the amount of soil collected in the graduated cylinder?" When students write their prediction they should include the flow of the water (changed variable) and amount of sediment collected (measured variable).
- Also, have the students predict the types of materials found in the graduated cylinders. (Final Activity 3) Have the students write a prediction to the following investigative question, "How does the flow of the water affect the amount of each of the earth materials collected as sediments?" When students write their prediction they should include the flow of water (changed variable) and amount of each earth material (measured variable). Have the students make this prediction prior to doing the investigation. The student can use the data collected to write a conclusion.
- Procedure 4, "measuring the stream." On Record Sheet 4-A, have the students write the name of the group member who collected the "Length of Stream" data, "Width of Stream" data and the "Width of soil dropped at the end of the stream" data. This will help have different students do these tasks in Lesson 4 and Lesson 13.
- Final Activity 2, "writing a conclusion." Have the students write a conclusion using the investigative question, "What is the affect of water flow on the amount of soil collected in the graduated cylinder?" Make sure that the students answer the investigative question, use data from Record Sheet 4-A and explain how the data supports their answer to the question. If you’re having students write a conclusion, you may skip the guiding questions as outlined in the bullets.
- Discuss with the students, "Is the flow of the water greater in Lesson 4 or Lesson 10?" (Lesson 10). "Where did force of the water come from?" (gravity).
- Procedure Step 5 (student sheet Record Sheet 4-A backside, question 1) may need to be done after the students have cleaned up their area and sediments have settled.
- Use a rubric for the photograph assessment.
Writing Support:
- Have the students copy part or all of the class investigation, including the materials list and the procedure.
- Have the students write their predictions to the two investigative questions above in their science notebooks. (See Teacher Tips, bullets 2 & 3)
- Have the students write their conclusion in their science notebooks. (See Teacher Tips, bullet 5)
Reading Support:
- Read-aloud reading opportunity: A True Book: Valleys and Canyons by Larry D. Brimner. Use part of this book (pages 16-15 and pages 35-39) after doing the activities in Lesson 10.
Math Support:
- Make sure that the students record the length and width of the stream in centimeters. Make sure they label the units on Record Sheet 4-A.
- Have the students compare the data from Lesson 4 and Lesson 10 by making a graph or scatter plot. Leave room to add the data for Lesson 13.
- Collect the data from each of the different groups from Record Sheet 4-A. Have the class find the mean "length of steam," mean "width of stream," and mean "width of soil dropped at the end of the stream." Have the students add this information to their graph or scatter plot.
Last updated 07/08/2009