How Glaciers Shape the Land (Part 1)

Materials / Preparation

• A list of materials and steps for preparation are provided at Prairies in the Prairie State : How Glaciers Shape the Land
• Note that the activity requires that you prepare a “glacier” for each student group by freezing water in a pan, adding more water, and re-freezing a second time. This requires beginning preparation several days in advance.
• The activity suggests that you use a flat limestone rock, but this can be substituted with a block of modeling or partially dried sculpting clay instead.

Grouping

The activity instructions suggest groups of five; however we suggest smaller groups of about three.

Teacher tips

The activity suggests leaving their glaciers outside to melt. This can also be done in the classroom in an appropriate container.

Procedure

1. Ask students what they learned during the previous day's lesson on continental ice melt vs. sea ice melt.
   a. Ask "Where do we see continental ice today?" Ask them what they might see if that ice were to melt.
   b. "Do you think that glaciers last forever? If not, what happens to them? Do you think there have been glaciers in the past in areas that no longer have ice? How would we know? What would we look for?" Record their ideas on board or poster.
   c. Inform students that they will be investigating some of the clues glaciers leave behind when they melt in order to determine if large scale glacial melting has occurred in the past.
2. Guide students in the activity found at Prairies in the Prairie State : How Glaciers Shape the Land, beginning with step two.
3. Conclude by discussing the findings as a class and asking students to write down what they learned about how glaciers affect rocks in their notebooks. See suggestions in the answer portion of the above website.

Resources used

Prairies in the Prairie State : How Glaciers Shape the Land
http://www.teachingboxes.org/catalog.jsp?id=DLESE-000-000-008-845