Georgia S6E5.d

Science6th GradeEarth and Space Science

The Standard

Ask questions to identify types of weathering, agents of erosion and transportation, and environments of deposition.

Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science · Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to show how Earth's surface is formed.

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students use observations to distinguish mechanical weathering, chemical weathering, erosion, transport, and deposition. They ask focused questions to determine what moved sediment, how it moved, and where it settled.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students correctly identify water, wind, ice, and gravity as agents that move sediment. They use evidence such as rounded rocks, sediment layers, or cracked surfaces to explain the likely process and environment.
Common Misconceptions: Students often treat weathering and erosion as the same process. They may think deposition only occurs on land or that moving water always erodes material instead of sometimes depositing it.
How to Assess It: Show a photo of a river delta and ask: What agent moved this sediment, why was it deposited here, and what evidence supports your answer?

Lesson moves

Pour water over a sloped tray of sand, then mark where erosion, transport, and deposition occur.
Compare a cracked sidewalk and a sandbar, then write two questions that would help identify the process behind each feature.
Sort photo cards into mechanical weathering, chemical weathering, erosion, transport, and deposition, then defend one disputed choice.
Use a local creek, roadside ditch, or construction site photo to identify where sediment moves and where it collects.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to S6E5.d, 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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