Global Ups & Downs
Sea Level Change (6-12)
Overview of the box
Concepts and Standards
Lessons:
1 Consequences
of global warming
2 Experimenting
with ice melt
3 Glacial evidence
Activities:
1 How glaciers shape land-1
2 How glaciers shape land-2
3 North American glaciation
4 Fossil evidence
5 Impacts of topography
6 Impacts on ecosystems
Online resources
Student Web Page
Teaching Boxes Home
Lesson 3: Glacial Evidence

Activity 2

How Glaciers Shape the Land (Part 2)

Materials / Preparation

Computers with internet access for each pair of students

Grouping

Groups of two

Teacher tips

If computer access is limited, the teacher can demonstrate the first website (step 2 below) and make a transparency of the photos from the Glacier Lesson Worksheet to facilitate discussion.

An answer sheet for the Glacier Lesson Worksheet is provided.

Procedure

  1. Direct students to the melted “glacier” from the previous day’s lesson, and ask them to make observations about what the glacier left behind. Remind them that this is one way that glaciers can affect rock, and tell them that in today’s lesson they will find more ways that rock is affected by glaciers and thus more evidence to support the idea that glaciers existed and melted in the past.
  2. Direct students to the Glossary of Glacier Terminology and ask them to explore the photos on the site on their own for a short time (using both the “Types of Glaciers” and the glossary). Their goal is to try to find answers to the question “How do glaciers affect rock?” Ask them to record their answers in their notebooks. The goal of this exploration is to allow students to see multiple photos of glacial activity so that they become familiar with types of glaciers and their effects on the landscape.
  3. After giving them some time to just explore the above site, ask students to specifically look at the photographs and definitions of the following terms: erratic, glacial grooves, moraine, striations, till, terminus, hanging glacier, valley glacier, fjord, and u-shaped valley. They should take notes in their notebooks.
  4. Have students visit the online version of the Glacier Lesson Worksheet and ask them to use what they have learned to determine the evidence of past glaciation in each of the photos. Ask students to answer the 5 questions in their notebooks or on a separate piece of paper and to make a quick sketch of the photo, so that they can go back and use their answers as a review later.
    If students are having trouble, use the hints from the answer key to lead them in the right direction. They can look up the hint words at the website used in step 2.
    For talented students, direct them to answer the Extra Brain Teaser question. Discuss and compare final answers as a class.
  5. Ask students how the photos provide us with evidence to support the hypothesis that continental ice was present at one time and now has melted. Record their responses.

Resources used

Glossary of Glacier Terminology
http://www.teachingboxes.org/catalog.jsp?id=DLESE-000-000-008-844