Natural Forces

Scenario

The State of Maryland is researching possible uses of environmental funding. Members of the state government want to know the effects of natural forces on Maryland's environment. In order to best preserve the environment, members of the state government need to protect and fund the right initiatives. Governor Ehrlich has asked fifth grade students to research the destructive forces that impact Maryland and give recommendations to his environmental committee about which forces have the most impact in your area.

Essential Question: How do natural forces shape and reshape the Earth's surface? Which of these forces has the largest impact on the environment in our area?

Task

Research a natural force.

Weathering

Erosion

Deposition

Your team will gather information about how each of the above forces change and affect the surface of the Earth.

	What causes this force?
	What are the effects of this force on the environment?
	Where can the effects be observed?
	When does or has this process occurred?
	Is there anything humans can do to prevent/counteract this natural force?

After completing your research, you will decide which of the forces that you have studied has had the largest impact on our state, and make your recommendations to the committee.

Product

Research your natural force, then,

	Create a computer generated scientific drawing of your force in action to share your findings with your group members.
	Complete your field study by gathering all necessary information about your force.
	Share the results of your research with your group. Use the information presented to compare the results in the form of a chart.
	Using the chart you have created, decide as a group which force has the greatest impact on Maryland's environment.
	Create a PowerPoint presentation to share your finding with the Governor's environmental committee.
	Use this planning checklist to make sure you have completed each step.

Your teacher may decide to assign an alternate type of presentation from the following list:

	Environmental Model - or your teacher may decide that the best way to present your findings is through a KidPix, or Hyperstudio presentation where you explain how the force changes the Earth's surface.
	Multimedia presentation - you teacher may ask you to create a news report to share your finding with members of the community.

Assessments

The following scoring tools will be used to assess both the process of gathering information and your finished product:

	Rubric for Research - html
	Rubric for Scientific Drawing
	Rubric for Chart from Scientific Data
	Rubric for PowerPoint Presentation

You will also be graded on your work in your group using this Group Work Scoring Tool.

Question

Essential Question: How do natural forces shape and reshape the Earth's surface? Which of these forces has had the largest impact on the environment in your area?

Subsidiary questions

How does weathering affect the Earth's surface?

How does erosion affect the Earth's surface?

How does deposition affect the Earth's surface?

What changes has your force made to the Earth's surface?

Is there anything people can do to prevent or minimize the effects of the force?

Is your force ongoing?

Gather and Sort

Each member of your group should complete one of the following note taking/planning sheets for one of the natural forces:

	Notetaking sheet for weathering
	Notetaking sheet for deposition
	Notetaking sheet for erosion

Gather information about from a variety of sources.

Be sure to avoid plagiarism and keep track of your resources for a bibliography.

Organize

Once you've gathered your individual data, meet with your group to organize your findings on one complete chart. Check the chart rubric to be sure you've included all necessary information.

Analyze your completed chart.

Synthesize your findings by answering the following question in BCR format:

Choose one of the forces your group has researched to answer the following question. Which force might have the most impact on Maryland's environment? Use your knowledge of Maryland's environment, details from the information you've gathered, and the information your teammates have gathered to support and explain why you think that force has the most impact.

Evaluate the effectiveness of your research for the task.

	After all work is completed, use the planning checklist again to make sure that you have completed all requirements. If you are missing any information, go back and use the resources to find the missing information.
	Next, meet with your fellow group members to prepare your multimedia presentation of your research.

Conclusion

Reflection and/or Extension Activities:

Are there any other natural forces that affect the environment?

Do these forces occur on other planets?

Last update: July 2004
Created by Jason Feiler and Mary Nevill

BCPS Research Module, Copyright 2004, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD, all rights reserved. This Research Module may be used for educational, non-profit school use only. All other uses, transmissions, and duplications are prohibited unless permission is granted expressly.

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