Landform Project
Instructions and Rubric
Goal: To create a model of an imaginary continent that features 5 landforms (each labeled),
and a compass rose.
Instructions:
1. Choose 1 type of project from the list to make your continent. Give it a name.
• Poster: students may use poster board to draw, color, or paint
• Diorama: students use a shoebox
Recipe for Paper Mache
•
•
Glue
Simply mix together 1 part
flour to 2 parts water. You will
want it to be the consistency
of thick glue, but you also
want it to be runny and not
thick like paste. Add more
water or flour as necessary.
Mix well to remove any lumps.
Use strips of newspaper to
create a 3D continent!
Modeling clay/salt clay (see recipe)
Paper mache (see recipe)
2. Include 5 landforms.
Label each type of landform (Ex: valley, river, etc…).
3.Include a compass rose
with cardinal and intermediate directions
(north, south, east, west, NE, NW, SW, SE)
Recipe for Salt Clay
1 cup of flour
1 cup of salt
Water
Mix flour and salt and then
add enough water to make a
clay-like substance. Food
coloring can be added to avoid
having to paint afterwards.
4.Continent should be painted or otherwise colored appropriately
(grassy areas- green; snow-covered mountains- white; bodies of water- blue; etc…).
5.Other materials can be used as needed
(toothpicks for label flags, paint, markers, colored paper, etc.).
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to ask students to apply the ideas learned from our
landform and map unit. Extra points are NOT offered for fanciness or store-bought additions!
Possible landforms to include:
Island
Peninsula
Mountain
Volcano
Hill
Ocean
Lake
River
Pond
Valley
Canyon
Plains
Glacier
Note: There are many other landforms that can be used. This is just an example of some
that we learned about in class!
Landform Project Rubric
Item
Description
Points
One
continent
Continent
name
Map shows one
continent
Continent is
labeled with
imaginative name
5 different
landforms are
included AND
labeled for type
(Ex: river,
valley, etc.)
Landforms are
colored or
painted
appropriately
Compass rose
should include 4
cardinal
directions and 4
intermediate
directions
Student’s name
is visible
somewhere on the
front of the
project
10
5
landforms
Landform
colors
Compass
Rose
Student’s
Name
Total
10
25
(5 pts.
each)
10
40
(5 pts.
Each)
5
100
Score