Learning Outcomes:

1. Describe how wind, water, and weather factors contribute to changing Earth's surface.

2. Formulate scientific questions about how natural forces break down and move rocks and sediments.

3. Analyze different landscapes and predict how they might change over time due to erosion and weathering.

4. Compare and contrast different types of landforms and explain the natural processes that shape them.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify and define the processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition and explain how each changes Earth's surface.

2. Distinguish between mechanical and chemical weathering by describing their causes and effects on rocks.

3. Explain how natural agents such as water, wind, temperature changes, and living organisms contribute to breaking down rocks.

4. Analyze examples of weathering to understand how long-term natural processes shape landscapes and produce sediments.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Design and conduct a model investigation to demonstrate the effects of mechanical and chemical weathering on materials.

2. Observe and record the physical changes caused by mechanical and chemical weathering, comparing their effects.

3. Analyze data from weathering models to determine which type produces greater changes and describe similarities between the two.

4. Apply knowledge of weathering processes to identify whether a real-world landform has been shaped primarily by mechanical or chemical weathering.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Explain the process of erosion and describe how weathered rock pieces (sediment) are moved by gravity, wind, and water.

2. Illustrate the erosion process by drawing diagrams showing how sediment travels from one place to another.

3. Define deposition and explain how sediments carried by erosion are eventually laid down in new locations.

4. Describe the connection between erosion and deposition and give examples of landforms created by deposition, such as sandbars and deltas.

5. Analyze real-world examples of erosion and deposition, such as sandstorms, river sediment deposits, and sand dune formation.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Define and differentiate between weathering, erosion, and deposition based on observations of real-world landforms like dunes and river deltas.

2. Analyze images and phenomena to identify evidence of weathering, erosion, and deposition processes.

3. Explain how water and other natural forces contribute to changing Earth's surface by breaking down and transporting rock material.

4. Write a clear scientific explanation answering how wind, water, and other weather factors change Earth’s surface, including a claim, evidence, and reasoning.

5. Apply scientific knowledge to explain everyday observations, such as the disappearance of sandcastles, in terms of earth surface processes.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Describe the process of canyon formation using observations from images and natural evidence.

2. Ask relevant scientific questions about similarities and differences among various canyons.

3. Identify key landforms such as valleys, canyons, dunes, and mountains based on their characteristics.

4. Explain how water movement contributes to shaping landforms, especially canyons.

5. Analyze landscape features to infer the natural processes that created them.

6. Understand how knowledge of landform formation can help predict future changes to Earth's surface.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Predict and identify evidence of weathering, erosion, and deposition in local landscapes through observation and investigation.

2. Create and label a map documenting landscape changes and features caused by natural processes.

3. Compare and analyze evidence of landscape change with others to understand variability in natural environments.

4. Evaluate statements about canyon formation and adjust understanding based on new scientific information.

5. Explain how rivers and streams contribute to canyon and valley formation through erosion over long periods.

6. Describe the factors that influence the shape and size of valleys and canyons, such as rock type and river characteristics.

7. Recognize that canyons are steep-sided valleys formed by fast-moving water erosion.

8. Reflect on how observations and scientific reading shape and improve understanding of natural landforms.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Describe the key differences between canyons and valleys in terms of their physical characteristics and formation processes.

2. Explain how canyons are formed primarily by river erosion over millions of years.

3. Compare and contrast canyons and valleys based on slope steepness, width, and surrounding landforms.

4. Describe the formation of river deltas through the process of sediment deposition.

5. Explain how the slowing of river water speed causes sediment to settle and form deltas.