Unit Plan 23 (Grade 5 Science): Earth Materials & Weathering

Focus: Investigate earth materials, weathering, erosion, and soil formation to see how the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere interact.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Science (Earth & Space Science — Earth’s Systems)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students act as Earth surface scientists, exploring how rock, water, air, and living things work together to shape land. Through hands-on models (trays, stream tables, soil jars) and local observations, they investigate how weathering breaks rock into smaller pieces, how erosion moves those pieces, and how soil forms with help from plants and decomposers. Students then build models and diagrams showing how the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere interact in everyday examples like hillsides, riverbanks, and schoolyard soils.

Essential Questions

• How do weathering, erosion, and deposition change the geosphere over time?
• In what ways do water, air, and living things (plants, animals, decomposers) interact with rock and soil?
• How can we use models to show interactions among the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere in one place?
• Why is soil an important Earth material for both ecosystems and people?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Observe and describe different Earth materials (rocks, sediments, soil) and identify which Earth system(s) they belong to.
2. Conduct simple weathering and erosion investigations using water, slope, and/or “rain” models, and record how Earth materials move.
3. Explain how plants, roots, and decomposers (biosphere) interact with rock and soil (geosphere), water (hydrosphere), and air (atmosphere) to help form and hold soil.
4. Develop and label a model (diagram or 3D representation) showing at least one example of interactions among two or more of the four Earth systems.
5. Create an Earth Materials & Weathering Interaction Model (poster or 3D model) that clearly shows weathering/erosion and labels which parts belong to the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere.

Standards Alignment — 5th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 5-ESS2-1 — Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can observe and describe different Earth materials such as rocks, sediments, and soil.
• I can model how water and gravity cause weathering and erosion on Earth’s surface.
• I can explain how plants and decomposers help create and hold soil, connecting the biosphere to the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
• I can build or draw a model that labels geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere and shows how they interact in one place.
• I can use correct vocabulary like weathering, erosion, soil, and Earth systems to explain my model.