Students can create models of landforms to demonstrate their knowledge.
Elementary students typically study landforms during a unit on earth science. While students may recall exciting volcano demonstrations from years past in vivid detail, teachers can use hands-on activities to make learning about other landforms equally memorable. Engage students in creating models of landforms to use as a review or as an end-of-unit assessment.
Volcano Demonstration
Allow groups of students to demonstrate a volcanic eruption. Select a group of students to mold clay around an empty 35mm film canister. Instruct different members of the group to add 2 tbsp. baking soda, 1 tbsp. dish soap, five drops of red food coloring and five drops of yellow food coloring into the film canister. To start the eruption, pour 1 oz. vinegar into the canister.
Salt Dough Models
Students can create three-dimensional models of landforms using salt dough. Make salt dough by mixing 2 cups white flour,1 cup salt, 1 cup boiling water and 3 teaspoons vegetable oil. Mix flour and salt, then add water and oil. Stir with a spoon and then knead the dough after is cools. Students can work individually or in groups to mix salt dough and shape it into mountains, hills, valleys or other landforms. After the salt dough dries completely, let students paint the land green and the water blue. Students can add sand, gravel and miniature trees to complete the model.
Globe Toss
Help students understand that the earth contains more water than land. Divide a piece of chart paper into two columns. Label one side Water and the other Land. Toss an inflatable globe to a child. Ask the child to identify if his thumbs touched water or land when he caught the ball. Put a tally mark in the correct column on the chart paper. Continue tossing the globe to all the children in the class and record the results. Students will discover that their fingers touched water more often than land, because water covers more of the earth's surface than land.
Edible Maps
Students can decorate a state or national map with candy to represent landforms. Use large chocolate chips to represent mountains, gumdrops for hills, sprinkles for sand and blue icing for bodies of water. Students can place the candies on top of a paper version of the map in the correct geographic locations. Alternatively, students can mold sugar cookie dough into the shape of a state before baking it. Use icing as glue to hold the candy landforms in place.
Internet-Based Project
Incorporate technology in a group project about landforms. Divide students into groups of approximately five students. Assign each member in the group a landform. Each student must work individually to find and print out at least three pictures of his landform from the Internet. The student must write a paragraph describing features of that landform on an index card. As a group, students must display their pictures and information cards on a piece of poster board or a presentation board. Each group can present their findings to the class.
Tags: activities, landforms, models landforms, salt dough, than land, chart paper, film canister, five drops, flour salt, food coloring, group students, other landforms
