The MTV of Glaciers:
Learning how glaciers work
Author
Grade Level
Duration
National Geography
Standards
Physical Systems
#7: The Physical
Processes that
Shape the Patterns
of Earth’s Surface.
Dennis Rees
3
2 class periods
Arizona Geography
Concept
Concept 1: The World in
Spatial Terms
Grade 3
PO 6: Recognize
characteristics of human and
physical features
PO 7: Locate physical and
human features using maps,
illustrations, images or
globes.
Arizona Science Standards
Overview
Objectives
Glaciers have a profound impact on the
landscape they cover. Since not all states have
glaciers in the current landscape, students may
be unaware of how glaciers have impacted
America. This lesson will help students
understand glaciers and how they create a
landscape.
The student will be able to
h Define glacier, till, tarn, moraine, and ushaped valley.
h Tell how a glacier forms.
h Draw a picture of a glacier, tarn, till,
moraine, and U-shaped valley.
Purpose
In this lesson, students will learn what a glacier
is, how it forms, and how it sculpts a landscape.
Materials
h Copy of Glacier Information Sheet (for
teacher use)
h 9”x 12” construction paper
h 4”x 6” index cards (five per student)
h Make transparencies of the attached
photos of glacier, till, tarn, moraine, and
U-shaped valley.
Procedures
Prerequisite skills: there are no prerequisites for
this lesson.
Class Period One
1. Using the construction paper, have
students fold it hamburger style to make
a booklet. Then have students write the
word “Glacier” and their name on the
cover.
2. On the inside cover, students will write
“What is a glacier?” at the top, and “How
do glaciers form?” half way down the
page
The MTV of Glaciers: Learning how glaciers work
3. Using the Glacier Information Sheet,
Sources
Explain to students what a glacier is and
have them record the definition in their
booklet. Show pictures of glaciers so
they have a visual of what one looks
like. Then explain how a glacier forms
and have students record this
information in their booklet.
4. On the inside back cover, have students
write “How do glaciers create a
landscape?” at the top. Using the
Glacier Information Sheet, discuss the
terms till, tarn, moraine, and u-shaped
valley. Students will write the words and
definitions in their booklet. Be sure to
show pictures of each term as you
discuss them.
5. Show additional pictures of glaciers, till,
tarns, moraines, and u-shaped valleys
and ask students to identify which of the
terms it each picture represents.
Class Period Two
Have students complete the assessment for
the lesson.
Assessment
Give each student 5 index cards. Explain that
they are to draw a picture of each of the five
terms (glacier, till, tarn, moraine, u-shaped
valley) on one side and write the term and its
definition on the back. Scoring will be 1 point
for each accurate drawing and 1 point for each
correct definition for a total of 10 points.
Mastery will be considered 8 out of 10 points.
Students may refer to their booklets to do this.
Extensions
Show photos of Antarctica that you can find on
the Internet. Discuss how ice caps like
Antarctica used to cover much of Canada and
northern Europe.
USGS website (http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov),
Key Word Search, use the 5 terms as keywords
to do a search for pictures.
The MTV of Glaciers: Learning how glaciers work
The MTV of Glaciers: TRANSPARENCIES
Glacier: ice
that flows
downhill
Till: a mix of
boulders,
gravel, sand,
and clay
deposited by
glaciers
The MTV of Glaciers: Learning how glaciers work
Moraine: a
ridge of till
[photo shows
moraine on a
glacier]
Moraine: a
ridge of till
[photo shows
moraine after
glacier has
melted away]
The MTV of Glaciers: Learning how glaciers work
V-shaped
valley: rivers
erode valleys
with a Vshape
U-shaped
valley:
glaciers
erode valleys
with a Ushape
The MTV of Glaciers: Learning how glaciers work
Tarn: a rock
basin once
eroded by a
glacier, but
now
occupied by
a lake
The MTV of Glaciers: Learning how glaciers work
Glacier Information Sheet
What is a glacier?
A glacier is a frozen river of ice and snow that moves down a
mountain.
How does a glacier form?
High up on a mountain, large amounts of snow and ice begin to
collect. As it collects, the pressure of its weight presses it together
forming a large solid mass. This mass of solid snow and ice then
begins to slowly move down the mountain like a river. It will continue
to grow and move as long as it is cold enough for snow and ice to
form.
How does a glacier create a landscape?
Till: This is the dirt and rocks a glacier picks up when it moves. Till is
found along the sides of a glacier and underneath it. When the glacier
melts, this dirt and rock is left behind.
Tarn: This is a lake formed by a glacier. As the glacier moves, it
picks up till and leaves areas of bare rock. Sometimes it will make
large bowl shapes in the rock. When the glacier melts, these stone
bowls fill with water and become a lake.
Moraine: This is a ridge or long hill made by a glacier. As the glacier
moves down a mountain, rocks and dirt (till) collect along the sides.
When the glacier melts, this till piles up forming long hills.
U-shaped valley: As a glacier moves down a mountain valley, it
changes the shape of that valley. Because the glacier is so wide and
tall, it smoothes and rounds the bottom and sides of the valley as it
goes down. When the glacier melts, the valley it leaves has a shape
like the letter U.