Curriculum

How Can We Keep Land From Washing Away?

How Can We Keep Land From Washing Away?

How Can We Keep Land from Washing Away? is part of Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, a curriculum series by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. It is designed to address a bundle of grade 2 engineering and earth and space science standards. In this module, students:

  • Gather information to better understand a land-change situation and define a problem to solve
  • Make observations to provide evidence to explain if wind and water can change the shape of the land
  • Obtain additional evidence from a construction site and from a nonfiction text to support their explanation of land change over different time scales
  • Test and compare models of four methods used to prevent or reduce erosion
  • Apply their understanding of wind- and water-induced erosion to a new engineering problem related to land change at a beach setting

Below are digital resources that support teaching of this module.

Lesson 1: Late to School

Family Letter 
Before starting How Can We Keep Land from Washing Away?, share the Family Letter with students’ caregivers. Indicate how they should submit responses to the letter.
Download the Family Letter PDF

Ada Asks Introduction (2:22)
Ada inspires a discussion about making observations and introduces students to a problem-filled situation that just occurred near her school. Closed captioning is available in the YouTube version by clicking the “CC” icon.
Suggested pause:
“Looking is one way I make observations.” (0:29)

or Download the Ada Asks Introduction Video

Researching Land 
In the extension activity Science: Rock Research, students review tools used to study Earth and changes to Earth.
Download the Researching Land PDF

Lesson 3: Surface Erosion (A Little Off the Top)

Land Change Artwork 
In the extension activity Art and Science: Depicting Land and Predicting Change, students review Smithsonian Institution landscape artwork and discuss how wind and/or water might change the land shown.
Download the Land Change Artwork PDF

Lesson 4: Construction Site Woes

Construction Time 
This file is used to guide student discussions.
Download the Construction Time PDF

Lesson 7: Holding Back the Land

Solution Research 
This file is used to support students during their research about erosion prevention and reduction methods.
Download the Solution Research PDF

Lesson 8: Test and Compare

Testing Solutions 
This file is used to guide student discussions.
Download the Testing Solutions PDF

Lesson 9: Beach Erosion Problems Part 1

Ada Asks Design Challenge (1:45)
Ada introduces students to the situation that inspires the design challenge.  Closed captioning is available in the YouTube version by clicking the “CC” icon.
Suggested pauses:
What were your ideas about how that happened? (0:13)
What do you think they should do to keep the land from changing when they are done building? (0:43)

Watch Ada Asks Design Challenge on YouTube

or Download the Ada Asks Design Challenge Video

Castle Shapes 
In the extension activity Mathematics: Castle Shapes, students analyze the three-dimensional shapes present in castle designs depicted in artwork from the Smithsonian Institution collections.
Download the Castle Shapes PDF

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