The purpose of this lesson is to provide students with experience creating models of landforms and bodies of water. Before students begin by playing an active game to review the types of characteristics of basic landforms and bodies of water, they look at some images of Earth taken from space. Next they take notes on some key characteristics for classifying landforms and learn how scientists use models. They use paper mache or play dough to create models of landforms and bodies of water in a guided activity. The lesson finishes with small groups of students studying maps of different continents and using either play dough or paper mache to create their group model of the landforms and bodies of water on their part of the world. Students do a gallery walk of the models and provide constructive feedback on the models of their peers.  While this is intended to be the second of two lessons (see the first lesson, “Models of Land and Water- Identifying Landforms and Bodies of Water on a Map”)

The students will:

• Increase their understanding of the use of models in science 
• Identify the patterns that scientists use to classify landforms and bodies of water
• Create models of landforms and bodies of water 

Download Resources:

• Models Presentation (.ppt)
• Teachers Guide (.pdf)
• Student Capture Sheet 1 (.pdf)
• Student Capture Sheet 2 (.pdf)
• Region Maps TR1 (.pdf)
• Landform Pictures TR2 (.pdf)