Activity 1:  The Ever Changing Crust (GLEs:  1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 63)

CC:  Part B: Erosion
The teacher will ask the students if they have ever seen television programs that showed people walking in sand storms and if they have ever found leaves in their yard that came from a neighbor's tree. Ask them how the leaves got there. Just as the wind carries leaves, it also carries and moves weathered rock. Introduce the term erosion. Explain to the students that weathering and erosion work together to tear down some landforms while forming others in different locations. Use a map of Louisiana to show the Mississippi River Delta and explain to the students how the sediment that forms the delta is carried by the water of the Mississippi River. Ask the students to think of other natural agents of erosion that they may have observed at home. (They may suggest water running down their driveways, rain eroding hills, muddy water in ditches after a rain.)

Using a painter's pan, the students will model a riverbed. Press a layer of soil on the pan and pour or spray water with a spray bottle near the highest part of the pan to mimic rain. Allow students to observe how the water can move weathered material downstream. Ask students what force is pulling the material down the slope. (Gravity)  If the students do not know this, the teacher will introduce the term at this time. The students may question how the incline of the pan affects erosion. Allow students to design an additional investigation. Students should suggest their methods of testing the hypothesis with the group determining the best design. After the students perform the investigation they should repeat the activity changing the incline of the pan to test the effect of gradient and water speed on erosion. The students will record the data in a table, make careful measurements of the incline changes and draw conclusions.

A great website is from the USGS, the United States Geological Survey. This site has wonderful information on many topics related to this activity. Maps of Louisiana's coastline, the Mississippi River, and the Mississippi River Delta are on the site.

http://www.usgs.gov

Unitedstreaming videos

http://www.unitedstreaming.com

Videos on erosion, weathering, Louisiana's coastal erosion, the Mississippi River are among those available for viewing.

On the Gulf: Coastlines in Danger (56:09)

Southeast Region, The: Environment (16:00)

Enviro-Tacklebox: Module 4: Forces in the Environment: Force of Floods (20:12)

CC:  Allow students to design an additional investigation. Students should suggest their methods of testing the hypothesis with the group determining the best design.

A worksheet is attached for the students to use when they design an investigation.

Inspiration Template - "Experimental Design"