Floods! Erosion by Water
Provided by: Illinois Math and Science Academy|Published on: May 6, 2025
Grades: 3, 4, 5
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Science
Authors: Peg Steffen
Region: Chicagoland IL
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This lesson was designed by Illinois Math and Science Academy to educate fourth-grade students on the changes in Earth's surface, particularly in relation to flooding.
- Students will examine water flow in rivers and design a solution to prevent riverbed flooding and erosion.
- Local streams will be investigated using a stream gauge or via the National Weather Service website.
- Background information is provided on historic flooding in Illinois.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This lesson is full of opportunities for hands-on exploration and use of NGSS Science and Engineering Practices.
- Many ready-made resources to easily implement this lesson are included.
Prerequisites
- Prior knowledge about erosion and weathering is necessary.
- Students should have experience with the following NGSS Science and Engineering Practices: designing and developing models, and designing solutions for an engineering problem.
- Students will need a device to access websites to collect data.
- The Bill Nye video linked in this lesson is broken, and the Tribune News link takes you to the daily local news and no longer to the video it describes.
- Some of the extension links are no longer functional.
- Lesson plans, student worksheets, and presentation slides can be found here.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After this lesson, students can extend the connection between flooding and climate change by examining changes in stream levels and precipitation over periods of time.
- This lesson can be used with 3rd or 5th grade as well by making small changes or extensions.
- Students can be arranged in groups to facilitate varying levels of learners to collaborate.
- Opportunities are outlined for students to design a solution to flooding that could be applicable to their local streams.
- Students can practice descriptive writing by designing a brochure or developing a descriptive text describing their solution to flooding.
- Flooding in other parts of the country can be examined and compared to Illinois flood risks in this lesson.
- A variety of extensions and videos for review are included in this lesson.
This resource introduces students to river erosion by means of a sandbox model. The instructions are clear, and many primary data sources are included. The text does mention changes in extreme events, but fails to tie these changes to anthropogenic climate change. Despite this, this resource guides students in understanding flooding and how communities can adapt. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
