1. Discuss various landforms found on earth.
2. Compare and contrast the distinguishing qualities of landforms.
3. Create a topographic model of a landform.

Directions

DAY 1

Step 1: Begin this lesson by taking students outside. Tell them to look up and tell you what they see (the sky). Tell them to look down and tell you what they see (the Earth). Accept all answers and encourage elaboration. Inform them that this month they are going to be talking about Earth and Sky.

Step 2: Bring students back inside and gather them together in a circle. Show them the topographic globe (if you do not have one, borrow one from an upper grade teacher). Pass the globe around and encourage them to feel the surface, using their sense of touch and notice the land with their sense of sight. Ask what they notice. Ask why they think some parts of the land are bumpy. Tell them that the land takes many forms on the earth. Ask students to name any that they know.

Step 3: Show students the chart of the traditional song, “She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain.” Invite those students who know the song to sing with you and help teach the others.

Step 4: Ask students if they heard a landform in the song. Show students one picture of each landform: mountains, hills, valleys, plateaus, canyons, islands, and plains. Ask them to tell you what they notice about a particular landform. How are some landforms different than others? Which might be easier on which to walk or on which to build a house?

Step 5: Distribute the landform pictures randomly to the students. Ask them to look for someone who has the same landform as they have, and stand with them.

Step 6: Ask each group to come up and glue their picture on the landform chart.

DAY 2

Step 1: Refer students to the chart of landforms they created. Sing the first verse of “She’ll be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain,” replacing a different landform for “mountain” and showing the picture each time. Tell them that today they will get a chance to make a topographic model of one or more landforms of their choosing.

Step 2: Show students the charted baker’s dough recipe. Make one recipe of the baker’s dough with a few volunteers helping to add the ingredients and everyone taking a turn at mixing. You can also make multiple recipes in small groups so more students have a chance to make the recipe.

Step 3: Cover the desks with old newspaper this is going to be messy! Sprinkle flour on the paper so the students can flour their hands and ensure the dough is dry enough. Distribute a cardboard base and a pre-made bag of baker’s dough to each student. Have students write their name on the back of their base. Ask them to first explore the baker’s dough using their sense of touch and smell (they can taste it, but it will be salty). Have lots of extra flour on hand as the dough will become stickier as they handle it.

Step 4: Tell the students to create one or more landforms on their cardboard. As you circulate around the room, ask them to describe the landform(s) they are making. When students are finished, they can leave their creations on the desk for you to move to a safe place to dry for about a week. Usually they will stick to the cardboard. If they do not after they have dried, use glue to affix them to the base.

DAY 3 After landforms have dried…

Step 1: Set out newspapers on desks and paint cups for each pair of students. Distribute topographic models to the students.

Step 2: Show students the topographic globe again. Indicate the use of color: brown for land, green for vegetation, and blue for water. Tell students that they can use green paint to show where there are forests or jungles. Brown can be used for places with no plants or trees, such as in deserts or rocky areas. Blue can show different water forms: oceans, streams, rivers, lakes.

Step 3: Ask students to paint their landforms.

Supporting All Learners

Pair students heterogeneously.

Lesson Extensions

Have students write or dictate what they notice about their landform. Type up their statements on cards and post by the model in a class museum.

Home Connection

Ask students to find pictures of different landforms in magazines and newspapers and make a landform collage with their parents.

Assignments

1. Make a topographic landform model.
2. Create a class landform classification chart.
3. Write or dictate observations about a landform.

Evaluation

1. Did students use new vocabulary?
2. Were they able to create a topographic model to represent a landform?
3. Were they engaged and on task the entire time?
4. How might you do this lesson differently next time?