Landforms
Investigation 3
Go With The Flow
R. Beck
Housman Elementary
Go With The Flow
Objectives
Investigate how slope of the land affects
erosion and deposition
Investigate how a flood flow affects
erosion and deposition.
Design and conduct investigations to
discover how changes humans make to
stream channels affect stream processes
Go With The Flow
Objectives (cont.)
Use scientific thinking processes to conduct
investigations and build explanations:
observing, communicating, comparing,
organizing, and relating.
Design and conduct investigations to
discover how changes humans make to
stream channels affect stream processes
Part I Slope
Discussion: What is
a Slope?
Prediction:
In your journal, predict how you think
adding a slope will affect the amount of
erosion and deposition in your stream
table.
Consider the path of the river, any
canyons that may form, any delta and
the amount of deposition and where the
deposition might occur.
How might this prediction be different
from the last stream table experiment?
Adding a Slope?
•Prediction: If I
add a slope to
my stream
table,the river…
Part I Slope
Set Up
The set up for this experiment is
similar to the last one except
that you will add a slope by
propping up the stream table
with a wood angle. Each group
will pour 1 liter of water through
their system.
Part I Slope
Materials Materials
1 tray with earth 1 basin
material
1 standard water 2 hand lenses
source 1 meter tape
1 ruler journal
1 wood angle
duct tape
1 container, 1 liter
water water
Part I Slope
Procedure
The procedure is the same as in
investigation 2.
Materials person get water.
The reporters need to be ready to
keep time.
Bulldoze the earth material so it is
20 cm. wide and even all around.
Part I Slope
Procedure continued:
Place the wood angle under the
stream table at the top of the table.
Be sure that the basin is positioned
properly so it will catch the water.
Position the water source in the middle
of the tray on the ruler.
Begin to pour the water into the
standard water source and keep the
time.
In your Journals:
Part I Slope
In your journal, make two columns. Label one “Slope”
and the other “Standard”
Answer the following questions:
What was the first event that you
observed?
When did water start flowing
downstream?
Did a delta form in the stream
table? When?
Slope and Standard Stream Tables
Stream Table Standard Slope
River, Channel
Path
Size of delta
Amount of
erosion
Valley, Canyon
Slope and Standard Stream
Tables
What similarities and
differences did you notice
between the slope and
standard stream
investigations?
Answer the above questions for each
stream table.
In your Journals:
Part I Slope
Stream Table Map Erosion
Canyon
Earth Material
Deposition
Standard Water
Source
Valley
In your journal, draw a stream table diagram as above. Draw what you
see in your stream table. Make sure to include all the parts of your
slope including the path of the river, the water source, the valley,
canyon, delta, erosion and deposition. Be sure to include a map key as
part of your diagram map. Also, be sure to take measurements of how
far the earth material flows from the canyon down the stream table.
In your Journals:
Word Bank
Slope – the angle or
slant of a stream
channel or land
surface.
Word Bank
Alluvia fan – a fan-shaped
landform deposited at the
end of a steep canyon
where the slope becomes
flatter. Fans are usually found in arid
regions, like Death Valley.
In your Journals:
Content/Inquiry
What differences did
you observe in the
landforms when the
slope increased?
Content/Inquiry
How did a slope affect
the time it took for
landforms to appear?
Part II
Flood
Part II Flood
In your Journals:
In your journals, describe
what a flash flood is.
How do you think we could
investigate the effects of a
flash flood using the stream
table?
Compare the standard water
source and the water source
used for flash flood.
Part II Flood
Procedure:
Each group will be responsible for
designing their own experiment to
test the flash flood effect on their
stream table. Each group must
show:
Complete list of materials
Complete written procedure
describing how the experiment will be
conducted.
Part II Flood
Procedure continued:
Once you have received
approval, collect only the
materials your has listed.
Complete the experiment
using only the procedures
your group has written.
In your Journals:
Part II Flood
Results
Draw your stream table map in your journal
making sure to label all the features of your
stream table (delta, channel, earth material, flood
water source, canyon, deposition, erosion,
valley).
Deposition Map Key
Earth Material
Flood Water source
Valley
Canyon Channel
Erosion Delta
Compare Flood and Slope
In your journals, answer the following
questions:
How were the results of the flood and
slope similar?
How were the results of the flood and
slope different?
What do you think caused the
differences between the slope and
the flood tables?
In your Journals:
Compare Flood and Slope
What do you think happens to flood
waters when they reach another
body of water like a lake?
Where did you see that happen in
your stream table?
What might happen in the Grand
Canyon when there is a flash flood?
Compare Flood and Slope
What might make water flowing through a
stream channel slow down?
What would you expect to see where the
slope changes?
How can you use what you know about
flooding an increased volume of water to
explain why rivers could flow quickly over a
flatter slope as they approach their
mouths?
In your Journals:
Word Bank
Flood – a very heavy flow
of water, which is greater
than the normal flow of
water and goes over the
stream’s normal channel.
Word Bank
Flash Flood – rises and falls
rapidly with little or no advance
warning, usually as a result of very
heavy rainfall over a relatively
small area. Flash floods can be
caused by sudden heavy rainfall,
dam failure, or the thaw of an ice
jam.
In your Journals:
Content/Inquiry
What differences did
you observe in the
landforms when you
used the flood water
source?
Content/Inquiry
What differences did
you notice in how long
it took for features to
form in the standard
and flood steps?
Part III
Designing an
Investigation
Discussion
Designing an
Investigation
• Why would someone want to build a
home next to or near a river?
• What kinds of problems might
someone have who lives near a river?
• What are some of the changes people
make to rivers and streams?
• How could each of these changes to a
river affect erosion and deposition?
Planning the Investigation
Each group will use the stream table
to find out how changes in a stream
change erosion and deposition. You
may use any materials you need.
Before your group may begin, you
must present a written plan including
a map of your stream table showing
buildings, placement of the flood
source and other important items.
Carrying Out Your Investigation
Before you begin your
investigation, your group must
present a written plan with a
step by step procedure and a
complete list of materials
needed. Once it is approved,
you must follow this plan and
may not use any materials that
are not listed on your materials
list.
Map Your Results
You must draw a stream table
map showing the results of
your experiment and labeling
all the landforms that resulted
from the flooding. It should
show where structures ended
up after flooding and show the
path the river took when
traveling to the end.
In your Journals:
Word Bank
levee – is an
embankment along a
stream that protects land
from flooding. Levees
can be natural or
constructed.
Word Bank
dam – is a construction
or wall across a river that
holds back the water
flowing through the river,
creating a reservoir or
lake.
In your Journals:
Word Bank
Floodplain – is the area
around a river that is
covered by water flowing
over the riverbank during
a flood.
Content/Inquiry
What are the different ways
people use to control the flow
of water in a river or stream?
What effects do these
constructions have on the
rivers?