Free Where Did the Mountains Go? | Weathering & Erosion Inquiry Lab

The Description

The Appalachian Mountains once rivaled enormous mountain ranges. Why do their rounded, forested peaks look so different today? Where Did the Mountains Go? puts that mystery at the center of a full Earth-science investigation.

Students collect evidence about how mountains form and wear away. Maps, rock and mineral evidence, passages and modeling tasks help them connect plate-driven uplift with weathering, erosion and landscape change over geologic time.

What Students Will Do

• Develop an initial explanation for the changing Appalachian landscape.

• Examine maps, readings and mineral or rock evidence connected to mountain history.

• Use teacher-guided training and an investigation to distinguish the processes that create and wear down topography.

• Revise an evidence-based explanation for why the Appalachians look different today.

Why This Resource Is Different

Students can define ‘weathering’ and ‘erosion’ and still struggle to explain where a mountain went. I built this investigation around that missing mechanism. The Appalachians give students a real landscape to explain, and the evidence asks them to connect the mountain-building story with the processes that change it over geologic time.

The maps, readings, sample evidence, and training materials aren't disconnected stations. They are pieces of one explanation students must build and revise. The teacher guide supports the questions and decisions that help students move from naming a process to explaining how the evidence fits together.

What's Included?

• 20-page Where Did the Mountains Go? student lab and matching answer-key PDF.

• Map PDF, NY science passages and printable Mineral Samples PDF.

• Training Materials student PDF plus separate teacher key PDF.

• 16-page teacher directions PDF and editable Word guide.

The Details

Audience: High-school Earth & Space Science. Standards listed on the student investigation: HS-ESS2-1, HS-ESS2-2, HS-ESS2-5. Format: Printable PDFs and editable Word directions. Use the included teacher guide for preparation and pacing.