RockLicker · Grade 5 · Lesson 2 of 5

Sediment on the Move

Use model observations to compare transport and deposition without assuming one cause controls everything.

  • Grade 5
  • 45 minutes
  • Worksheet + teacher guidance
Back to Grade 5

What you will learn

Flow can transport sediment and deposit it when conditions change. Grain size, density, shape and flow behavior interact; larger grains do not always travel a fixed shorter distance.

Words to use

  • transport: movement of material
  • deposit: material left at rest
  • pattern: a repeated relationship

Evidence for this lesson

Illustrative counts, ten deposited grains per zone: Near zone: coarse 7, medium 2, fine 1. Middle: coarse 2, medium 6, fine 2. Far: coarse 1, medium 2, fine 7. Flow slows downstream; grain composition is similar.

Use the supplied record as written; do not invent missing results.

Work through the activity

  1. 5 min · Read conditionsAll particles in this model have similar composition. Flow becomes slower downstream. Mark the start and the three collection zones.
  2. 15 min · Organize countsMake a three-column table for coarse, medium and fine particles. Copy the counts for each zone and check that each row totals ten.
  3. 15 min · InterpretIdentify the most common size at each zone. Connect the pattern to the slowing flow, while noting that the experiment does not isolate every factor.
  4. 10 min · Challenge the claimEvaluate “All large grains always settle first.” Rewrite it as a statement limited to these model observations.
RockLicker
GRADE 5 · LESSON 2

Sediment on the Move

Draw on the printed sheet or write, type or dictate your response.
Draw on the printed sheet or write, type or dictate your response.
Draw on the printed sheet or write, type or dictate your response.
Draw on the printed sheet or write, type or dictate your response.

Responses stay in this open page only. Print before closing or changing pages; no student record is stored online.

Check your understanding

What do these data support?

Teacher & family guide · answers and assessment

Grade 5 · Sediment on the Move

Learning goal: Use model observations to compare transport and deposition without assuming one cause controls everything.

Expected responses

  1. Near: 7/2/1; middle: 2/6/2; far: 1/2/7; each totals ten.
  2. Coarse near, medium in the middle, fine far.
  3. The slowing-flow model shows sorting, with finer material more common farther away.
  4. Particle density, shape, flow and other settings can change transport behavior.

Understanding check: A sorting pattern in this model. The observations support a model-specific pattern; real transport depends on more variables.

Watch for this misconception

These counts are illustrative; they are not a universal river rule or field prediction.

Assess the evidence

Look for the observations, calculation or explanation named in the learning goal. Accept accurate drawings and dictated responses. Use the expected responses to discuss reasoning; a correct guess without explanation is a starting point for another conversation.

Adapt and extend

Read prompts aloud, enlarge print or let a partner record the learner’s explanation. Make a bar chart of one zone, then compare it with another.