Can you form a landform?

Overview/Annotation:
Forming Landforms

The students will create a landform using modeling clay1

in a small group setting.
This lesson was created as part of the 2016 NASA STEM
Standards of Practice Project, a collaboration between
the Alabama State Department of Education and NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center.

Content Standard(s):

ELA2015(2)

29. Participate in collaborative

conversations with diverse partners
about Grade 2 topics and texts with
peers and adults in small and larger
groups. [SL.2.1]

ELA2015(2)

34. Produce complete sentences when

appropriate to task and situation in order
to provide requested detail or
clarification. (See Grade 2 Language
standards 35 and 37 for specific
expectations.) [SL.2.6]

SC2015(2)

9. Create models to identify physical

features of Earth (e.g., mountains,
valleys, plains, deserts, lakes, rivers,
oceans).

Local/National
Standards:
Podcast(s):
Primary Learning
Objective(s):
Additional Learning
Objective(s):

The students will create a landform (mountain, valley,

island, plain, desert, lake, river, ocean) in a group
setting using modeling clay on cardboard pieces.
The students will be able to speak clearly to the class
when describing the landform built.
The students will also write a descriptive paragraph
about the class model.

Approximate Duration

31 to 60 Minutes

of the Lesson:
Materials and
Equipment:

Modeling clay (brown, green, blue, white)

Cardboard pieces (8x12) one per group
Plain paper
crayons
7 index cards- one landform written on a card
(island, river, ocean, lake, plain, desert,
mountain/valley)
paper or writing journal
pencil

Creating Landforms with Modeling Clay

Technology Resources Computer with internet access or tablet
Needed:

Video on landforms - Exploring Landforms and Bodies of

2
Forming Landforms

Creating Landforms with Modeling Clay