Weathering & Rate of Erosion Activities for 4th Grade Science

Help students understand how water, ice, wind, and plants shape rocks and influence the speed of erosion with this engaging 5E lesson. Designed for elementary students, this comprehensive unit integrates hands-on activities, reading passages, research tasks, and video discussions to support diverse learners. A differentiated station lab encourages interactive exploration through categorization exercises, writing prompts, illustrations, and assessments, with an additional challenge station for early finishers. Explanation resources include editable presentations, interactive notebooks in English and Spanish, and structured note-taking templates. Students deepen their understanding through choice projects, while STAAR 2.0-aligned assessments, review questions, and worksheets reinforce learning. Aligned with NGSS 4-ESS2-1 and Texas TEKS, this flexible lesson supports both in-class and virtual learning. The resources below will give students a comprehensive understanding of weathering and the rate of erosion. All of the following materials are also included in the Kesler Science Membership.

The Kesler Science Weathering and Rate of Erosion 5E Lesson is a comprehensive, student-led Earth science unit designed for elementary students. This engaging, low-prep lesson includes editable presentations, worksheets, choice projects, and assessments, all differentiated to support diverse learners. It aligns with NGSS 4-ESS2-1 and Texas TEKS standards.

Students explore how water, ice, wind, and plants affect rocks and what factors influence the speed of erosion. The lesson follows the 5E Model, integrating multimodal learning through hands-on activities, reading passages, research tasks, and video discussions. A differentiated station lab offers various ways to engage with the material, including categorization exercises, open-ended writing prompts, illustrations, and assessments. An additional challenge station extends learning for early finishers.

Explanation resources include editable PowerPoints, interactive notebooks in English and Spanish, and structured note-taking templates. Students further apply their knowledge through choice projects in the elaboration phase. Evaluation includes STAAR 2.0-aligned assessments, review questions, and worksheets for reinforcement.

This lesson is flexible for both in-class and virtual learning, ensuring accessibility for all students while fostering an in-depth understanding of weathering and erosion.

Engage your 4th-grade students with this student-led station lab on Weathering and the Rate of Erosion. Designed for in-class or virtual learning, this interactive lesson allows students to explore the effects of weathering and erosion through independent and small-group activities, promoting hands-on discovery and critical thinking.

Students will engage in nine differentiated stations, each offering unique ways to learn and demonstrate their understanding. Input stations provide opportunities to explore concepts through hands-on demonstrations, research, reading passages (available in English and Spanish), and videos. Output stations encourage students to apply their knowledge by organizing information, illustrating models, writing responses, and completing assessments. A bonus challenge station offers extension activities for early finishers.

With ready-to-use signage, task cards, and resources, this low-prep, high-engagement lab supports active learning and differentiation while reinforcing key earth science concepts.

The Weathering and Rate of Erosion Student Choice Projects allow fourth-grade students to select a project that suits their preferred learning style. A project page outlines six student-led options and a “design your own” project, with an editable rubric for teacher, peer, or self-assessment.

These flexible, multimodal projects offer creative ways for students to demonstrate their understanding. Two versions of the project page support differentiation, with modified options for students needing remediation and challenge options for advanced learners. Teachers can adjust the rubric to fit grading needs.

The projects use standard classroom supplies such as paper, markers, and scissors, with many options available for digital completion. Some crafting supplies may be helpful for building models.

The Weathering and the Rate of Erosion science writing activity engages 4th grade students in a creative songwriting exercise to reinforce their earth science knowledge. Aligned with NGSS 4-ESS2-1, this print-or-digital activity encourages students to explore weathering and erosion through writing, enhancing their science reasoning and understanding. Designed for both in-person and virtual learning, this low-prep resource is student-centered and adaptable.

This resource includes teacher directions with an answer guide, project ideas, and rubrics, as well as projection and print handouts in full-sized and half-sheet formats. A digital interactive version is available in PowerPoint and can be used in Google Slides. Ideal for cross-curricular activities, pre-test assessments, student choice projects, or enrichment for early finishers, this writing prompt fosters engagement and creativity in the science classroom.

The WIKI Tickets© Earth/Space Science Set provides 33 engaging formative assessments for 3rd–5th grade science. Each topic includes five format options: a full-screen projection version, three printable handout sizes, and an interactive digital version compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides.

Aligned with NGSS and TEKS standards, these assessments cover key earth, space, and weather science topics such as the water cycle, reducing the impacts of earth processes, landscape changes over time, patterns of Earth's features, and weathering and rate of erosion. Some topics have multiple tickets, ensuring comprehensive coverage of all standards. A bonus table of contents file is included for easy alignment reference.

WIKI Tickets© can be used in both in-person and virtual learning environments. Students can respond on paper, interact digitally, or complete assignments remotely. These assessments work as exit tickets, bellringers, or quick checks, helping you gauge student understanding in a flexible and engaging way.

Year-Round Resources

These year-round activities will increase your students' understanding of many middle school science topics. All of these activities are also included in the Kesler Science Membership.

Visual Data & Graphing

You're not alone if your students struggle with understanding graphs, charts, and tables. It's a skill that takes an enormous amount of practice. This resource will help students build a strong foundation in analyzing data and creating their own data visualizations.

Learn More

Bell Ringers and Warm-Ups

These middle school science bell ringers are an excellent way to engage your students as soon as they walk into your classroom. This comprehensive FULL YEAR resource includes everything you need to start off each science class with an interesting warm-up activity.

Learn More

Review Board Games

Each game board has been carefully designed to keep students engaged. There are 10 different action spaces on each board and dozens of question cards. All of the actions are related to science concepts and keep the students motivated throughout the game.

Each game is ready to play. Simply print out the board and the cards and let the students enjoy reviewing nine different units.

Learn More

Essential Questions and Standards

Below are the essential questions and standards associated with the lessons and activities included in the weathering and rate of erosion unit. This topic is only one of more than 100 middle school science topics included in the Kesler Science Membership.

Essential Questions

What effect do water, ice, wind, and plants have on rock?
What factors can make erosion happen faster or slower?

Standards

NGSS - 4-ESS2-1 Weathering & Rate of Erosion