Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 154152
Building up Beaches
In this STEM build, students will use problem solving skills and teamwork to model an effective way of slowing down beach erosion caused by the
ocean. Students also will practice sharing their results through PowerPoint presentations.
Subject(s): Mathematics, Science
Grade Level(s): 4
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter,
Computers for Students, Internet Connection,
Microsoft Office, Computer Media Player, Smart
Phone/Tablet
Instructional Time: 7 Hour(s)
Keywords: Erosion, beach, waves, deposition, , weathering, engineering design process, engineering
Resource Collection: Lake/Sumter MSP K-5
ATTACHMENTS
Building Up Beaches - EDC Student Packet.docx
Building Up Beaches - Client Letter.docx
Building Up Beaches - Pre and Post Tests.docx
Engineering Design Process.pdf
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What will students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will:
design a strategy to slow down coastal erosion of beaches using the engineering design process.
describe the basic differences between weathering and erosion.
use a budget to determine the cost of preventing coastal erosion and try to develop the most cost effective strategy.
add decimals to determine a budget for their erosion strategy.
convert decimals to simple fractions.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should:
have prior knowledge regarding the vocabulary used in this lesson (erosion, weathering, coastal, wave, resource, dependent variable, independent variable).
know how to add and subtract three and four digit numbers.
be able to change decimals to fractions.
already have received some initial instruction on the rock cycle and the difference between weathering and erosion.
know how to conduct an experiment and record their observations.
page 1 of 6 know expectations for group work.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
1. How do waves cause change?
2. What type of change does erosion cause?
3. Who is your client?
4. What do we need to create?
5. What have others done to solve this problem?
6. What are your constraints/limitations?
7. What type of career solves a problem like this?
8. Why is it important to collect data when conducting trials or experiments?
9. Why is it important to share our results with others?
10. What are similarities and differences in weathering and erosion?
11. What are ways that we can investigate real-world problems?
Engage: What object, event, or questions will the teacher use to trigger the students' curiosity and engage them in the concepts?
Day 1
1. Administer the pretest (see attachment). The teacher can use student results from this pretest to drive their instruction for the lesson. The expectation is not that
students know the answer to every question. The purpose of the pretest is to allow the teacher to identify students' strengths and weaknesses on these topics.
2. Introduce/review vocabulary words and have students put them in their Science/Engineering interactive notebooks. A list of the vocabulary words and their
definitions is attached for students to cut and paste into a foldable that can be glued to their notebooks for referencing at any time (page 2 of the attached
EDC Student Packet).
3. Optional: If your students would benefit from a review of weathering and erosion, show the following video and complete a Venn Diagram comparing the two.
Erosion vs. Weathering
4. Display images of beach erosion and erosion managements such as gabions, breakwaters, and rock armour. The attachedEDC Student Packet features a notetaking sheet for this process. You may wish to visit the computer lab for students to conduct their own research on the topic and fill in the attached student sheet, or
you may display each website to the whole group and complete the sheet together (pages 3 and 4 of theEDC Student Packet). You may wish to use the following
resources:
Gabions
Breakwaters
Rock Armour
5. Show students what their “beach” will look like before they test it. It would be a nice visual to add "buildings" such condos or houses to the beach and these can
aid in showing the serious concern for beach erosion as they will most likely move or get washed away during testing. Tiny game board pieces or even math
manipulatives like gram cubes can be used.
6. Explain to students how the test will be performed. If you can use a clear container such as a large tote then the students will be able to see the line where the
sand level starts. Use a permanent marker to trace the slope from the top of the beach to the bottom of the water, this is important as it will offer you a good
reference for building your beach back up after each test. Conduct a trial run of the experiment to demonstrate exactly how you plan for the students to execute it.
7. Produce a set of 20 waves by placing a flat object like a a plastic protractor in the water at the back of the ocean and bring it forward while still in the water to
produce one wave. Remove the protractor from the water and repeat the process of putting it in at the back of the tub and drawing it forward. You will want to
establish a precise distance to bring your protractor forward and make sure that during the testing phase you don't allow students to put their builds in your wave
maker zone. I would suggest roughly five to six inches (this may vary according to the size of your container). This can also be marked on the side of the container
with a permanent marker to ensure this is consistent for each test.
8. After each set of 20 waves, stop and allow students to take notes in the corresponding locations on the student packet attachments (page 5 of the EDC Student
Packet). Doing so will help the students see exactly what happens to the beach in order to try and slow or stop the process erosion with their strategy. Repeat the
sets of 20 waves until your beach starts losing buildings and large amounts of beach. This will give groups a baseline to try to beat with their erosion management
strategies. The total number of waves used to form your baseline will be the number of waves you should produce for each test. Use a different color marker to
trace where the sand is at the point where your beach is destroyed. You may wish to use a type of marker such as a Vis-a-Vis marker that can be wiped off. This
will allow you to reuse the tubs (when we did the base line test it took us 200 waves). Try to be consistent with your wave speed and the power you pull the
protractor forward with. I found that having the kids count the waves out loud gave me a cadence to follow with my waves and kept me more consistent.
Explore: What will the students do to explore the concepts and skills being developed through the lesson?
Day 2
1. Background Statement/Real World Scenario:
Florida is defined by its beaches. They are arguably our most important natural resource. But our beaches are losing more and more sand each year as a result
of inlets and jetties, hurricanes, and slowly rising sea levels. The maintenance of beach nourishment, which means to refill sand where it has been eroded, is
very expensive and an engineering solution must be developed to prevent further damage.
2. Hand out the client letter (see attachment) asking for help designing a cost effective solution to prevent beach erosion in their city. Read the letter over with
page 2 of 6 students and then present the following Challenge Statement:
Design a way to slow down the process of erosion without damaging the coastal ecosystem or tourism (meaning you cannot significantly block the view of the
ocean or prevent beach access).
3. Ask students what information they would need to know in order to complete this challenge. Sample questions include:
Who is your client?
What do we need to create?
What have others done to solve this problem?
What are your constraints/ limitations?
What type of career solves a problem like this?
Imagine:
1. Brainstorm as a class before you introduce the materials. What possible solutions exist to this challenge? What other strategies or techniques have been tried on the
Atlantic Coast to prevent erosion? You may wish to conduct research as a class or have the team conduct research to share depending on time.
Design:
1. Explain the Engineer Design Process (attached).
2. Divide students into teams of four.
3. Introduce materials to students. Explain that they cannot use any other materials. Show students the attached budget sheet (page 7 of the attached EDC Student
Packet). Each material purchase will cost their team money. While there is not a cap to how much they can spend, remind student teams that the most efficient
strategy for preventing erosion will be the one that stops the most erosion and costs the least amount of money.
4. Students will be given 10 minutes to brainstorm and plan a design to prevent beach erosion. At this point students should be recording a solution independently.
They may look at any of the materials to help them plan, but they may not purchase any items yet. They are to consider their options for materials and the budget
as they brainstorm. During this time they should complete page 6 of the attached EDC Student Packet.
5. Inform students that you will be acting as the Project Manager for their engineering firm. As Project Manager you require that each engineering team submit their
blueprint design before they can request any materials.
6. Give students about ten minutes to create and label a scale drawing of their team product. Remind students that they must estimate how much of each material
they need in order to avoid wasting materials. Student teams will only be able to shop one time during their initial design and once during their re-design. Students
should be completing page 7 and 8 of the student packet at this time.
7. Formative assessment check - The next step requires you to have the teams present their designs to you before you release them to build. This will allow you to
check for understanding as well as a chance to offer thought provoking questions that alter their perception.
8. Sign off on design blueprints before students are able to create their initial product.
Day 3
Create:
1. Review the design challenge.
2. Explain that students must develop their own working erosion blocking process/product from everyday items that will prevent erosion after each set of wave activity.
3. Remind students that their process should not disrupt the ecosystem which would include eliminating feeding patterns, introducing new animals, or excess
pollutants.
4. This design challenge has several constraints:
Every test should have a beach that is built as close to the original line you traced onto the tub as possible.
1.5 - 2 inches of water in the tub will be used as the ocean. This number can be altered as long as you use the same depth for each test. It may also differ due
to the size of your container. Your ocean should be roughly 1/3 the height of the highest part of the beach.
All waves will be created by the teacher for each test. The teacher will use a protractor to move water from the ocean side of the pan towards the beach. This
motion should start at the furthest point from the beach and with the protractor touching the bottom of the pan. The teacher will then slide the protractor
forward around 5 inches from the starting point (against the wall) and then pick the protractor up out of the water and repeat the sliding forward five inches
and pulling it out a total of 20 times for each set.
5. Assign a team leader to every group. Ask the team leader to assign a job to each member of the group. Teachers may wish to handle this differently depending on
their particular students. These jobs may be lead engineer or technology engineer (the person in charge of operating the computer while making the PowerPoint)
but remind the teams that everyone should participate in all parts of the build and presentation regardless of their job title.
6. Ask one member of each group to bring their design blueprint to the material store. Give students the amount of each materials requested. Remind them that they
can only shop once for their initial design and it is their job to ensure they have gather the correct number of materials.
7. Give students 20 minutes to create their prototype.
8. Label each completed product with a team name or number for identification during testing. This will also help in sorting pictures if they are taken during testing.
9. Ensure students have completed the building notes on page 9 of the EDC Student Packet before proceeding. Encourage thorough and complete sentences for this
task.
Day 4
Test:
1. Make sure that the students have their student packets ready to record the results. Teachers may have students make their own charts or print the provided chart
which the students can then cut and paste it into their science notebooks.
2. Students will now conduct a guided inquiry as a class to test the effectiveness of each of their products. Encourage students to use the scientific process.
3. Ask students to formulate a hypothesis (page 10 of the EDC Student Packet). This is a class inquiry so students will choose which group's product they believe will
perform the best when compared to the other products in the class. They should complete the following statement: "If Florida chooses Product _______ to reduce
coastal erosion, then it will be the most efficient because________________.”
4. Identify variables. What are we measuring? What is changing? What is remaining constant?
5. Due to the nature of this inquiry, it is difficult to have real measurable data because controlling variables like consistent speed and force of the waves cannot be
done. Instead students need to use their observational skills in order to write detailed summaries of each set (20 waves). Another very helpful tool for determining
which team designs the most effective strategy is to take pictures between each set. Try and take a picture from a side angle (if using a clear container) and an
aerial shot as well. When the test is completed side by side comparison can easily be made.
6. Have students write a conclusion from the observations that were recorded. It is also encouraged to have a class discussions throughout the testing and analyzing
page 3 of 6 of results. This should be a professional and scientific talk using vocabulary. This will give you a great idea of who is still struggling with the concepts and provide
another informal formative assessment opportunity. Students should complete page 10 and the first part of page 11 of the EDC Student Packet at this stage.
Explain: What will the students and teacher do so students have opportunities to clarify their ideas, reach a conclusion or
generalization, and communicate what they know to others?
Day 5
Re-Design:
1. Remind students that they can re-design their product to make it better and that this represented only their first trial. The first trial in engineering is like a first draft
in writing, and it can be adapted to meet the needs of your audience/client.
2. Ask students what they would improve. Have students work in their engineering groups for ten minutes to re-design their product. They should not start over but
adapt their current design.
3. After their discussions have each team explain their re-design to you just as they did with their initial designs. Require them to get their re-designs approved by the
teacher prior to them shopping for additional resources. The remaining portion of page 11 of the EDC Student Packet should be completed before moving on.
4. Students can request additional materials and spend ten minutes re-creating/adapting their product.
5. Students should re-conduct the test as a class following the same procedures as before.
6. Take more pictures and compare results. You can compare results from trial one and trial two for each team individually and as a whole.
7. Ask students to discuss why some experiments were more successful than others.
Elaborate: What will the students do to apply their conceptual understanding and skills to solve a problem, make a decision,
perform a task, or make sense of new knowledge?
Day 6
Review Content:
1. After students have completed the design challenge, build on what they have just observed to tie it to content. Remind students that they have been learning about
erosion and our ability to prevent it.
2. Remind students that erosion is the process of moving weathered materials and that the accumulation of the weathered and eroded materials is called deposition.
3. Ensure students complete pages 12 and 13 of the student packet.
4. Ask students the following questions:
How did the results of this design challenge compare between the groups in class?
How would severe weather effect coastal erosion?
What if the waves were much stronger during some sets and weaker during others?
Is coastal erosion dependent upon location?
Day 7
Vocabulary:
1. Now that students have completed the activity and made content connections it is time to connect it the vocabulary.
2. Make certain that you associate each word to a different aspect of the design challenge that the students undertook.
3. Ask students if we saw erosion and weathering at work in this design challenge.
4. Discuss and define. Where else might you see erosion and weathering at work in our community?
5. Review the terms:
erosion
weathering
coastal
environmental engineer
wave
dependent variable
independent variable
6. Introduce the PowerPoint presentation assignment (pages 14 and 15 of the EDC Student Packet). For this assignment students will create a presentation explaining
their design strategy and results. This product may be used as an optional summative assessment.
Summative Assessment
Teachers should read students' responses to the following questions:
How did the results of this design challenge compare to the results from the other investigations in this unit?
How would severe weather effect coastal erosion?
Is coastal erosion dependent upon location?
Ask students why the engineering design process is a cycle.
Compare and contrast with the engineering design process with the scientific method.
Students should:
Cite evidence to support their claims and point to observational notes when explaining the effectiveness of the erosion buster.
Use the science vocabulary words from the lesson in their explanations.
Use the attached PowerPoint outline and rubric to assess students final products. This may be taken as an optional summative assessment grade if time permits.
Formative Assessment
The teacher can use the attached pre- and pos-tests to assess student understanding prior to beginning the lesson.
Teachers may also conduct informal assessments throughout the lesson.
page 4 of 6 Feedback to Students
As students are brainstorming their designs for an erosion buster, ask them:
What part of the wave are you trying to interrupt or stop?
How will your solution help control it?
As students bring you their initial plans and test results (during the Engineering Challenge portion) ask:
Does your design or modification make sense in terms of what you know about beach erosion?
Have you considered viable solutions to all possible issues discovered during the initial testing of your design? How have you addressed or fixed these?
Teachers may also conduct informal assessments throughout the lesson. These points for checking student understanding are listed in the plan.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
Roles/tasks can be assigned to each student in the group based on individual strengths.
Science vocabulary can be provided with picture and definition for ELL learners.
In place of a PowerPoint, students can create a poster or a written summary.
Provide a template for the PowerPoint presentations.
Extensions:
Once students have completed their build and have conclusive results, have the students compile their Student Packet information and the pictures taken during
testing into a Power Point presentation. An easy to follow rubric can be found in the attachments.
Give the rubric to each group prior to them starting the build so they are aware of needed pictures and possible videos that will need to be taken during the lesson.
Students can explore the effects of severe weather, such as rain (using a flowerpot) and wind (using a fan), on beach erosion. They can make additional
improvements to their design to address these effects.
Students could write a letter to their "client" explaining their design and their recommendations, including the cost of the design and how effective it was on
reducing erosion. This could be used in place of or in addition to the PowerPoint.
If you plan on using "buildings" on your beach, give each building a value. One way to do this could be if you use blocks such as Legos, give each Lego a value
(example $1.23 million) have the students build condos or apartment buildings to place on the beach. Each Lego or "condo" is worth the same amount. have them
find the total amount of the buildings (this would be the number of blocks x the price per block). Once your tests are completed you can have students add up the
amount of damage to the buildings caused by erosion.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Computers for Students, Internet Connection, Microsoft Office, Computer Media Player, Smart Phone/Tablet
Special Materials Needed:
A Sterilite or Rubbermade style clear tote is the best choice for a container to build the beach and ocean in because it allows for a side view of the beach.
Sand (roughly 5 pounds should be enough for the beach)
Gravel - these should be larger maybe 10 - 20x the diameter of a grain of sand
Pebbles - these should be larger maybe 10 - 20x the diameter of a piece of gravel
Nylon socks or nylon stockings or mesh laundry/swim bag
Modeling clay (works well in water and doesn't dry when left out)
Protractor (two protractors + ruler and duct tape for larger wave maker)
Pan balance - use for measuring materials being purchased
Grams cubes - use for pan balance and or hotels/condos on the beach
Further Recommendations:
Depending on the container you choose to build your beach and ocean in, you may find that a protractor is too small or too large to create waves. I happened to
find that my container was a bit to large and the protractor caused for uneven wave generation. The solution I came up with on the spot was to take two
protractors and a ruler and duct taped them together, and I even added a second ruler that came straight up from the middle as a handle. This reassembles a
masquerade mask when it was completed.
In order to assure a consistent measure of clay, gravel, and pebbles for each team, I used a simple balance to measure the exact amounts. I also highly
recommend you measure some of this ahead of time. However, it is fairly simple to scoop rocks onto the balance and measure the exact amount requested for
each group. Note that students may not have a great concept of how much rock they are actually buying. Giving the students a sample of each product, such as 1
ton of rocks (40 grams), to see and hold may help these estimations.
Another material that can be substituted quite easily is the "rip rap" or mesh material used to create the gabions. Nylon socks (like the ones for trying on shoes in
the store) or even a pair of women's nylons would work very easily to fill with rocks and be able to be tied off and cut to length. One "Queen Size" set of hose could
easily be used for multiple groups. A second idea would be mesh bags used for holding swim gear or the small white bags used in washing machines to keep
delicate items safe.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Joseph Newton
Name of Author/Source: Joseph Newton, Alyson Gray
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Lake, Lake
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
page 5 of 6 Related Standards
Name
SC.4.E.6.4:
Description
Describe the basic differences between physical weathering (breaking down of rock by wind, water, ice, temperature
change, and plants) and erosion (movement of rock by gravity, wind, water, and ice).
Remarks/Examples:
Annually assessed on Grade 5 Science FCAT 2.0.
Raise questions about the natural world, use appropriate reference materials that support understanding to obtain
information (identifying the source), conduct both individual and team investigations through free exploration and
systematic investigations, and generate appropriate explanations based on those explorations.
SC.4.N.1.1:
Remarks/Examples:
Florida Standards Connections: LAFS.4.RI.1.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical,
scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
Florida Standards Connections: MAFS.K12.MP.1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them and,
MAFS.K12.MP.3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Compare the observations made by different groups using multiple tools and seek reasons to explain the differences
across groups.
SC.4.N.1.2:
Remarks/Examples:
Florida Standards Connections: LAFS.4.SL.1.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse
partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Florida Standards Connections: MAFS.K12.MP.4: Model with mathematics and, MAFS.K12.MP.5: Use appropriate
tools strategically.
MAFS.4.MD.1.2:
Use the four operations to solve word problems1 involving distances, intervals of time, and money, including problems
involving simple fractions or decimals2. Represent fractional quantities of distance and intervals of time using linear
models. (1See glossary Table 1 and Table 2) (2Computational fluency with fractions and decimals is not the goal for
students at this grade level.)
page 6 of 6