Weathering and Erosion
Aligned to 4-ESS2 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Earth's surface is shaped slowly over time. Weathering breaks rock into smaller pieces; erosion moves those pieces by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Deposition drops them in new places.
Worked example
A river weathers rock into pebbles and sand, then erodes them downstream and deposits them as a sandbar — building new land over years.
Practice questions
- Explain the difference between weathering and erosion.
- How does ice break apart rock?
- Predict how a riverbank changes after years of flowing water.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Meteorización y erosión
La superficie de la Tierra se moldea lentamente con el tiempo. La meteorización rompe las rocas en pedazos más pequeños; la erosión mueve esos pedazos mediante el agua, el viento, el hielo o la gravedad. La depositación los coloca en nuevos lugares.
Ejemplo: Un río meteoriza las rocas convirtiéndolas en guijarros y arena, luego los erosiona aguas abajo y los deposita formando un banco de arena — creando nueva tierra a lo largo de los años.
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