Florida SC.6.E.6.1

Science6th GradeEarth Structures

The Standard

Describe and give examples of ways in which Earth's surface is built up and torn down by physical and chemical weathering, erosion, and deposition.

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify physical weathering, chemical weathering, erosion, and deposition in specific examples. They explain which processes break down land and which build new surface features.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can label each step in a sequence, such as rock cracking, sediment moving downstream, and sand forming a delta. They support each label with visible evidence.
Common Misconceptions: Students often confuse weathering, which breaks material apart, with erosion, which moves it. They may think chemical weathering requires manufactured chemicals. They may also overlook deposition as a process that builds land.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Roots split a rock, rainwater reacts with limestone, a stream carries sediment, and sand collects at its mouth. Label each process and identify where land is built up or torn down.

Lesson moves

Pour water down a tilted tray of soil and gravel, then mark where sediment erodes and where it collects.
Show photos of a canyon and river delta, then ask students to explain how each feature formed.
Give teams process cards and scenario cards to match, then have them justify each match in one sentence.
Examine a local beach, riverbank, or roadside photo and identify evidence of weathering, erosion, and deposition.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SC.6.E.6.1, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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