Across the Landscape

1. Talk about some of the Earth's landforms such as deserts, mountains, plateaus, coastlines, glaciers, volcanos, and others. What are some of their attributes? How were they formed?
2. Divide into small teams and have each team create a poster or bulletin board portraying some of Earth's landforms. Use materials such as pieces of recycled corrugated cardboard, aluminum foil, sandpaper, cotton balls, and other items to create the landforms, then illustrate the scene using colored pencils or markers or both. Identify each form with a written tag and glue it in place.
3. Have each team present their poster and talk about what they learned about the Earth's landforms.

LA: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

SCI: Convey designs through sketches, detailed drawings, or physical models to communicate ideas and solutions.

SCI: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information based on evidence.

Students research a particular landform such as desert or glacier and the climate in the surrounding land. Students also research what plants and animals inhabit the landform and discover how these life forms are able to thrive in this location. Students can create a diorama of the landform and represent each of the life forms that exist there, labeling the flora, fauna, and animals. Older students can write a three-paragraph essay and younger students can focus on vocabulary and a brief written summary to accompany the diorama.

Students can research global warming and its effects on landforms in their community, state, or country. They can also draft a news release reporting on the causes of global warming and their effects on local landmarks.