Learning Goals and EPE Table

Name: Carly Lagerstrom

Unit Topic: Geology - How the Earths Surface Changes
Grade Level: 4th
NGSS Performance Expectation(s):

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.

Science/Engineering Practice:
1. Planning and carrying out investigations.
2. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering).

Cross-Cutting Concept: Highlight your cross-cutting concept in the list below. You can use the one that is
embedded in your performance expectation, or you can choose another, if you prefer.
1. Cause and effect: mechanism and explanation

Sources Used:

TCI Science

The Grand Canyon: The Widest Canyon by Aileen Weintraub, 2001

Erosion by Cherie Winner, 1999

Describe your anchoring Phenomena: The Earths surface changes through the movement of water,
soil, living things, ice or wind.
What is the How or Why Driving Question Students will work to answer about the anchoring
phenomena? How can we see that the Earths surface is changing?

Experienc
es

WHAT STUDENTS
DO: DATA
COLLECTION
Opportunities to
collect observations,
examples or
measurable data
about phenomena in
the world through
shared classroom
experiences

Patterns

WHAT STUDENTS
LEARN FROM
WHAT STUDENTS
EXPERIENCES AND EDO: DATA
>P: EXPECTED
REPRESENTATION
RESULTS OF DATA
AND ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS
Discussions/Activit
Patterns, laws,
ies to Support
categories, relationships
Student Senseand generalizations
making for
across lesson
patterns
experiences which clarify
Sharing, organizing,
and represent what
representing and
happened
analyzing data
and/or observations
to find patterns

Explanatio
ns

WHAT STUDENTS DO:

WHAT STUDENTS
ARGUMENTATION/EVID
LEARN FROM
ENCE-BASED
PATTERNS AND P
REASONING
->E: EXPLANATIONS
Discussions/Activities Grade-level appropriate
to Support Student
explanations, scientific
Sense-making for
models, scientific
explanations
theories which
Making generalizations
generalize beyond
from patterns about the
specific
specific phenomena in
objects/experiences
the experience to
described in the
explaining how and/or
patterns to answer
why this happens across
questions about how
other contexts in the
or why phenomena
world
occur in the natural
world

Experiences
checklist:

E P checklist:

Patterns checklist:

Have a
discussion about
what they think
has happened to
this land and how
they see
evidence that the
Earths surface
changed.
Talk about how
the Colorado
River formed
parts of the
Grand Canyon.
Along with
erosion, discuss
how deposition is
when the rock or
soil stops
moving, we can
also say deposits.

Water can change the

Earths surface.
Changes in the
Earths surface can
be observed
Different rock layers
show evidence of the
Earths surface
changing
When rock changes
shape, this is called
weathering.
Erosion can happen
from water, wind, ice
or rain.
Deposition is when
the particles stay in a
new place.

Observe the
picture of the
Grand Canyon as
a class
Read parts of the
Grand Canyon
book to them
Look at parts of

the Erosion book

with them and
make the book
available for them
to look at on their

own. Go through
to make sure they
see many
different
photograph
examples.
As a class, do
Mystery Activity A.
Have students
share ideas while
modeling my
thought
processes.
Have students
complete Mystery
Activity B with a
partner while
presenting it to

P E checklist:

Summative

assessment: have
students write a
paragraph using the
words weathering,
erosion and deposition
of how the Earths

surface changed in
the picture on the
board.

Explanation
checklist:
Erosion is the
process when
pieces of rock or
soil are loosened
and moved.
Deposition is the
settling of eroded
material in a new
place.
Weathering is the
natural process of
breaking down rock.
Water, wind, and
living things can all
cause weathering.

 Have students work

through Mystery
Activity E alone and
turn in response as
a formative
assessment.
Have students work
in groups of 4-5 to
do the erosion
investigation

APPLY EXPLANATION TO NEW PHENOMENA:

Students will be able to observe a photo and describe why they think the Earths surface has changed as well as
what processes happened. This response should include the vocabulary words weathering, erosion and
deposition. They will also be able to identify that these changes were caused by wind, living things or water.

Grading Criteria: