Saturday, December 7, 2013

Landform Maps!

Before Thanksgiving break my class learned all about landforms. This is one of my favorite units to teach, because landforms are all around us! My amazing student teacher (shout out to Miss Nelson!) did a great job teaching this unit to the students. 

First, we assessed prior knowledge with a slideshow of different types of landforms: 


Then, after learning the characteristics of each type of landform, we made our own landform maps out of homemade clay. 

***Homemade clay recipe can be found at the bottom of the post.***

First, they planned out their maps and shaped the landforms: 


Next, they painted their maps according to the characteristics of each type of landform: 



Finally, students labeled each type of landform on their maps when they were dry: 


My students loved how fun and engaging it was to make the landform maps!

Homemade Clay Recipe
(Perfected by my wonderful teacher's aide who mixes 
it together for my class every year!)
  • Mix together one 5-pound bag of flour with 5 canisters of table salt. 
  • Add water until your dough reaches the desired consistency. It will be sticky! 
Enjoy! 

Heather