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Hands-on Activity

Let's Get Carried Away!

Fun Forces
Summary
In this activity, students use a stream table to model the processes of erosion and streambed formation. The students make changes to the stream environment and make predictions about how these changes will affect the stream. They then study and sketch the resulting streams.
Overview
Topic: Stream Formation
Real World Science Topics:
  • An exploration of how erosion and stream formation are related.
  • An exploration of the speed of water flow changes the shape of a stream.
  • An exploration of how erosion and sedimentation can affect the landscape.
Objective
Students will gain an understanding of the value of using a scale model and the effect of water speed on erosion rate and stream formation.

Activity Difficulty Rating: 5 Each hands-on science activity has been ranked based on difficulty of set up and how difficult they are to perform. The rating scale is from 1 to 5, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the most complicated.