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Project GLAD East Bay Teacher Institute

Shaping the Land: Geology and Geography of California Level 4

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I UNIT THEME – Geology affects the Geography of California and the World, and the formation of the earth is a dynamic, ever evolving process. Climate Change is accelerating this process.

Powerful forces have shaped the earth, and continue to transform the land where we live. Climate Change is accelerating the rate which our land transforms through these natural processes. Cross Cultural Theme

Different cultures have stories and legends that explain natural phenomena and answer questions about how Earth was created and changes.

Living things in California and around the world are affected by climate change. Working together, we can help save our planet.

II FOCUS/MOTIVATION Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word Scientist Awards Observation Charts Inquiry Chart Big Book Realia – Rocks and minerals, topographic Map of California and Globe Poetry and Chants Field Trip to Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Oakland Museum of California Science Videos: Bill Nye the Science Guy: Weathering and Erosion and The Earth’s Crust

III CLOSURE/ASSESSMENT Process charts Share Big Books Personal Explorations Student Made Big Book Topographic Map of California with paragraph on different aspect of California region, including landforms found there,

types of rocks present, processes that formed it, and impact of climate change in that region. Ongoing, Formative Assessment: CCD predictions, Team Tasks, Learning Logs and Home-School Connections

IV CONCEPTS - Grade 4 Similarities and differences among landforms Fast and Slow processes Climate Change and its impact on the earth Different cultures use legends and stories to explain these occurrences Calfornia as a unique geography and varied landforms

V. CALIFORNIA SCIENCE STANDARDS – Grade 4 EARTH SCIENCE

4.0 The properties of rocks and minerals reflect the processes that formed them. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know how to differentiate among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks by referring to their properties and methods of formation (the rock cycle) (Exposed to this concept, not the focus). 5.0 Waves, wind, water, and ice shape and reshape Earth's land surface. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know some changes in the earth are due to slow processes, such as erosion, and some changes are due to rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. b. Students know natural processes, including freezing and thawing and the growth of roots, cause rocks to break down into smaller pieces. c. Students know moving water erodes landforms, reshaping the land by taking it away from some places and

depositing it as pebbles, sand, silt, and mud in other places (weathering, transport, and deposition).

Shaping the Land: California Geology and Geography, Level 4, CA 1East Bay Teacher Institute – CSU East Bay - Project G.L.A.D (April 2010)

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Investigation and Experimentation 6.0 Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations.

a. Differentiate observation from inference (interpretation) and know scientists' explanations come partly from what they observe and partly from how they interpret their observations. c. Formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships. f. Follow a set of written instructions for a scientific investigation.

VI. CALIFORNIA HISTORY/ SOCIAL SCIENCE STANDARDS – Grade 44.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the physical and human geographic features that define places and regions in California.

4.1.1 Explain and use the coordinate grid system of latitude and longitude to determine the absolute locations of places in California and on Earth. 4.1.2 Distinguish between the North and South poles; the equator and the prime meridian; the tropics; and the hemispheres using coordinates to plot locations. 4.1.3 Identify the state capital and describe the various regions of California, including how their characteristics and physical environments affect human activity. 4.1.4 Identify the locations of the Pacific Ocean, rivers, valleys, and mountain passes and explain their effects on the growth of towns. 5. Use maps, charts, and pictures to describe how communities in California vary in land use, vegetation, wildlife, climate, population density, architecture, services, and transportation.

VII. CALIFORNIA ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS- Grade 4READING1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development

Word Recognition 1.1 Read narrative and expository text aloud with grade-appropriate fluency and accuracy and with appropriate spacing, intonation, and expression. Vocabulary and Concept Development 1.2 Apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, synonyms, antonyms, and idioms to determine the meaning of words and phrases. 1.3 Use knowledge of root words to determine the meaning of unknown words within a passage. 1.4 Know common roots and affixes derived from Greek and Latin and use this knowledge to analyze the meaning of complex words. 1.5 Use a thesaurus to determine related words and concepts. 1.6 Distinguish and interpret words with multiple meanings.

2.0 Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies as needed.

Structural Features of Informational Materials 2.1 Identify structural patterns found in informational text Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 2.2 Use appropriate strategies when reading for different purposes. 2.3 Make and confirm predictions about text by using prior knowledge and ideas presented in the text itself, including illustrations, titles, topic sentences, important words, and foreshadowing clues.

2.5 Compare and contrast information on the same topic after reading several passages or articles. 2.6 Distinguish between cause and effect and between fact and opinion in expository text. 2.7 Follow multiple-step instructions in a basic technical manual.

3.0 Literary Responses and Analysis: Structural Features of Literature 3.1 Describe the structural differences of various imaginative forms of literature, including fantasies, fables, myths, legends, and fairy tales. Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 3.2 Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions. 3.3 Use knowledge of the situation and setting and of a character’s traits and motivations to determine the causes for the character’s actions.


3.4 Compare and contrast tales from different cultures by tracing the exploits of one character type and develop theories to account for similar tales in diverse cultures. 3.5 Define figurative language and identify its use in literary works.

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WRITING 1.0 Writing Strategies 2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)

2.1 Write narratives 2.2 Write Responses to literature 2.3 Write information reports 2.4 Write summaries that contain the main ideas of the reading selection and the most significant details.

WRITTEN and ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS1.0 Written and Oral English Language Conventions

Sentence Structure 1.1 Use simple and compound sentences in writing and speaking. 1.2 Combine short, related sentences with appositives, participial phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases. Grammar 1.3Identify and use regular and irregular verbs, adverbs, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions in writing and speaking. Punctuation 1.4 Use parentheses, commas in direct quotations, and apostrophes in the possessive case of nouns and in contractions. 1.5 Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to identify titles of documents. Capitalization 1.6 Capitalize names of magazines, newspapers, works of art, musical compositions, organizations, and the first words in quotations when appropriate. Spelling 1.7 Spell correctly roots, inflections, suffixes and prefixes, and syllable constructions.

LISTENING and SPEAKING 1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies Comprehension 1.1 Ask thoughtful questions and respond to relevant questions with appropriate elaboration in oral settings.1.2 Summarize major ideas and supporting evidence presented in spoken messages and formal presentations. 1.3 Identify how language usage reflect regions and cultures. 1.4 Give precise directions and instructions. Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication 1.5 Present effective introductions and conclusions that guide and inform the listener’s understanding of important ideas and evidence. 1.6 Use traditional structures for conveying information. 1.7 Emphasize points in a way that help the listener or viewer to follow important ideas and concepts. 1.8 Use details, examples, anecdotes, or experiences to explain or clarify information. 1.9 Use volume, pitch, phrasing, pace, modulation, and gestures appropriately to enhance meaning. Analysis and Evaluation of Oral Media Communication 1.10 Evaluate the role of the media in focusing attention on events and in forming opinions on issues. 2.0 Speaking Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics) 2.1 Make narrative presentations 2.2 Make informational presentations 2.3 Deliver oral summaries of articles and books that contain the main ideas of the event or article and the most significant details. 2.4 Recite brief poems, soliloquies, or dramatic dialogues, using clear diction, tempo, volume, and phrasing.


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VIII. CALIFORNIA ELD STANDARDS – Grades 3-5

Listening and Speaking (Grades 3-5 ELD Standards)

Comprehension B: Speak with few words/sentences Answer simple questions with one/two word response Retell familiar stories/participate in short conversations/using gestures EI: Ask/answer questions using phrases/simple sentences Restate/execute multi step oral directions I: Ask/answer questions using support elements Identify key details from stories/information EA: Identify main points/support details from content areas A: Identify main points/support details from stories & subject areas Respond to & use idiomatic expressions appropriately Comprehension, Organization & Delivery of Oral Communication B: Uses common social greetings EI: Identify main points of simple conversations/stories Communicate basic needs Recite rhymes/songs/simple stories I: Speak with Standard English grammatical forms/sounds Participate in social conversations by asking/answering questions Retell stories/share school activities using vocabulary, descriptive words / paraphrasing EA: Retell stories including characters, setting, plot, summary, analysis Use Standard English grammatical forms/sounds/intonation/pitch Initiate social conversations by asking & answering questions/restating & soliciting information Appropriate speaking based on purpose, audience, subject matter Ask/answer instructional questions Use figurative language & idiomatic expressions A: Question/restate/paraphrase in social conversations Speak/write based on purpose, audience, & subject matter Identify main idea, point of view, & fact/fiction in broadcast & print media Use Standard English grammatical forms/sounds/intonation/pitch Reading - Word Analysis (Grades 3-5 ELD Standards) Concepts about Print, Phonemic Awareness, Decoding & Word Recognition B: Recognize familiar phonemes Recognize sound/symbol relationships in own writing EI: Read orally recognizing/producing phonemes not in primary language Recognize morphemes in phrases/simple sentences I: Read aloud with correct pronunciation of most phonemes Use common morphemes in oral & silent reading EA: Use knowledge of morphemes to derive meaning from literature/texts in content areas A: Use roots & affixes to derive meaning Reading - Fluency & Systematic Vocabulary Development (Grades 3-5 ELD Standards) Vocabulary & Concept Development B: Read aloud simple words in stories/games Respond to social & academic interactions Demonstrate comprehension of simple vocabulary with action Retell simple stories with drawings, words, phrases Uses phrases/single word to communicate basic needs


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EI: Use content vocabulary in discussions/reading Read simple vocabulary, phrases & sentences independently Use morphemes, phonics, syntax to decode & comprehend words Recognize & correct grammar, usage, word choice in speaking or reading aloud. Read own narrative & expository text aloud with pacing, intonation, expression.

I: Create dictionary of frequently used words Decode/comprehend meaning of unfamiliar words in texts Recognize & correct grammar, usage, word choice in speaking or reading aloud Read grade level narrative/expository text aloud with pacing, intonation, expression Use content vocabulary in discussions/reading Recognize common roots & affixes EA: Use morphemes, phonics, syntax to decode/comprehend words Recognize multiple meaning words in content literature & texts Use common roots & affixes Use standard dictionary to find meanings Recognize analogies & metaphors in content literature & texts Use skills/knowledge to achieve independent reading Use idioms in discussions & reading Read complex narrative & expository texts aloud with pacing, intonation, expression A: Apply common roots & affixes knowledge to vocabulary Recognize multiple meaning words Apply academic & social vocabulary to achieve independent read. Use idioms, analogies & metaphors in discussion & reading Use standard dictionary to find meanings Read narrative & expository text aloud with pacing, intonation

Reading Comprehension B: Answer fact questions using one/two word response Connect simple test read aloud to personal experience Understand & follow one-step directions Sequence events from stories read aloud using key words/phrase Identify main idea using key words/phrases Identify text features: title/table of contents/chapter headings Follow simple two-step directions EI: Use simple sentences to give details from simple stories Connect text to personal experience Identify sequence of text using simple sentences Read & identify main ideas to draw inferences Identify text features: title, table of contents, chapter headings Identify fact/opinion in grade level text read aloud to students I: Orally respond to comprehension questions about written text Read text features: titles, table of contents, headings, diagrams, charts, glossaries, indexes Identify main idea to make predictions & support details Orally describe connections between text & personal experience Follow multi-step directions for classroom activities Identify examples of fact/opinion & cause/effect in literature/content texts EA: Give main idea with supporting detail from grade level text Generate & respond to text-related comprehension questions Describe relationships between text & personal experience Identify function of text features: format/diagrams/charts/glossary Draw conclusions & make inferences using text resources Find examples of fact, opinion, inference, & cause/effect in text Identify organizational patterns in text: sequence, chronology A: Make inferences/generalizations, draw conclusions from grade level text resources Describe main ideas with support detail from text Identify patterns in text: compare/contrast, sequence/ cause/effect


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Writing Strategies and Applications (Grade 3-5 ELD Standards)

Penmanship, Organization & Focus B: Write alphabet Label key parts of common object Create simple sentences/phrases Write brief narratives/stories using few standard grammatical forms EI: Write narratives that include setting and character Respond to literature using simple sentences, drawings, lists, chart Write paragraphs of at least four sentences Write words/simple sentences in content areas Write friendly letter Produce independent writing I: Narrate sequence of events Produce independent writing Use variety of genres in writing Create paragraph developing central idea using grammatical form Use complex vocabulary & sentences in all content areas Write a letter with detailed sentences EA: Write detailed summary of story Arrange compositions with organizational patterns Independently write responses to literature Use complex vocabulary & sentences in all content areas Write a persuasive letter with relevant evidence Write multi-paragraph narrative & expository for content areas A: Write short narrative for all content areas Write persuasive composition Write narratives that describe setting, character, objects, events Write multi-paragraph narrative & expository compositions Independently use all steps of writing process Writing Conventions B: Begin own name and sentences with capital letter Use period at end of sentence EI: Begin proper nouns & sentences with capital letter Use period at end of sentence/use some commas Edit for basic conventions I: Produce independent writing Use standard word order EA: Produce independent writing with correct capitals, punctuation, spelling. Use standard word order Edit for basic conventions A: Use complete sentences and correct order Use correct parts of speech Edit for punctuation, capitalization, spelling Produce writing with command of standard conventions

Reading Literary Response and Analysis (Grades 3-5 ELD Standards)

Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level Appropriate Text B: One/two-word oral responses to factual comprehension questions Word/phrase oral response identifying characters and settings Distinguish between fiction & non-fiction Identify fairy tales, folk tale, myth, legend using lists, charts, tables EI: Orally answer factual questions using simple sentences Orally identify main events in plot Recite simple poems Orally describe setting of literature piece Orally distinguish among poetry, drama, short story Orally describe character of a selection


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I: Paraphrase response to text using expanded vocabulary Apply knowledge of language to derive meaning from text EA: Describe figurative language Distinguish literary connotations from culture to culture Identify motives of characters Describe themes stated directly Identify speaker/narrator in text Identify main problem of plot and how it is resolved Recognize first & third person in literary text A: Describe characteristics of poetry, drama, fiction & non-fiction Evaluate author’s use of techniques to influence reader Describe directly stated & implied themes Compare & contrast motives of characters in work of fiction

IX. MATH/SCIENCE/SOCIAL SCIENCE SKILLSMaps – topographic and regular – reading a map Diagrams – extracting information from a diagram, drawing diagrams to represent information Classify objects Scientific thinking processes: observing, communicating, comparing, ordering, categorizing, relating, inferring, applying Participation and study skills


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X. VOCABULARY

rock mantle magma lava rock cycle igneous

sedimentary metamorphic granite pumice obsidian basalt

sandstone limestone gneiss marble slate

minerals sand dune eroded landscape precipitation snowmelt

erosion faults weathering chemical weathering

physical weathering

sediments

transport deposition exfoliation mass movement

crust volcano

core movement earthquake channel Pangea fossil

marshland transport conservation landforms geography environmental

crystal geologist plate tectonics

geology glacier canyon

dune floodplain eruption soil classify quartzite

seismograph molten glacier desert climate formation

global mountains delta river carbon soil

peat coast valley

XI. RESOURCE LIST

Content Books

Brian Knapp, 2000. Earth Science: Discovering the Secrets of the Earth. Grolier Educational Corporation.

Martin Redfern, 1999. The Kingfisher Young People’s Book of Planet Earth. Kingfisher Publications.

Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch, 2008. How we Know About What we Know About our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids

Explore Global Warming. Dawn Publications.

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, 2000. Shaping the Earth. Clarion Books.

Penelope York, 2002. Earth: Open Your Eyes to a World of Discovery. DK Children.


IDEA PAGES 9

Dr. R.F. Symes, 2000. Eyewitness: Rocks and Minerals. DK Children.

Nick Clifford, 1996. Incredible Earth. DK Publishing Inc.

Gail Gibbons, 1998. Planet Earth/Inside Out. HarperCollins.

Melvin & Gilda Berger, 2003. Are Mountains Growing Taller?: Questions and Answers About the Changing Earth. Scholastic Reference.

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, 2008. California Science.

John Farndon, j. Challoner, R. Kerrod, R. Walshaw, 2001. The Illustrated Science Encyclopedia Amazing planet Earth. Anness Publishing Limited.

Steven Gilbar, 1998. A Literary Anthology of California Nature Writing: Natural State. University of California Press, Berkeley.

Allan Schoenherr, 1992. A Natural History of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.

Pat Murphy and Paul Doherty, 1996. The Color of Nature. Chronicle Books, San Francisco.

Dougal Dixon and Raymond Bernor, 1992. The Practical Geologist. Quarto Publishing.

GLAD Research Resources

Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe, 2005. Understanding by Design. Prentice Hall.

Robert J. Marzano, 2004. Building Background Knowledge For Academic Achievement: Research On What Works In Schools. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Deve.

Joan Wink, 2005. Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World. Pearson Education.

Websites

http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/student/gunther2/yosemite.html

http://www.ohranger.com/yosemite/evolution-yosemite-valley

http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/geology_of_yosemite_valley/

http://www.wordsift.com


http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/geology_of_yosemite_valley/

http://www.ohranger.com/yosemite/evolution-yosemite-valley

http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/student/gunther2/yosemite.html

UNIT PLANNING PAGES I. FOCUS/MOTIVATION

• Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word • Big Book• Observation Charts • Inquiry Chart• Realia• Geologist Awards• Personal interaction

II. INPUT• Pictorial – Sierra Nevada • Narrative – How California Was Made (Turtle Narrative)• Graphic Organizer- World and California Map• Read Alouds

III. GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE • T-graph/Team points• Picture File Cards - observe, classify, categorize – Best Example of Landform• Poetry Sentence Patterning Chart (Farmer-in-the-

Dell)• Expert groups • Teams Tasks• Process Grid• Personal interaction

IV. READING/WRITING A. WHOLE CLASS

• Expository group frame Describe, compare and contrast location and features of different California landforms• Coop Strip with responding, revising and editing • Poetry Frame and Flip Chant• Narrative - Story Map• SQ3R - Landforms – 4th Grade Text Sketch and Draw Ear-to-Ear Reading Found Poem

B. FLEXIBLE GROUP • Team Tasks - Team Key -Sentence Patterning Chart and games

-CCD -Process Grid -Pictorial -Graphic Organizers (CA and World)

- Narrative- retell -Flip Chant- Flip Chant -Story Map- Strip Book -Poem -Add to the Walls -Team Important Book Page

• ELD Review• Coop Strip Paragraph • Clunkers and Links• Big Books


• Expert Groups

C. INDIVIDUAL • Learning Logs • Journals• Interactive Journals• All team tasks taken to individual tasks

D. READING/WRITING WORKSHOP • Mini Lesson• Write• Author's Chair • Conference

V. CLOSURE/EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT Portfolio assessment: Teacher and student self-assessment Assessment of skills in Group Frames and Learning Logs Assessment of personal Process Grid Team Exploration Teacher/Student Rubric Personal Exploration Teacher /Student Rubric Team/class social Action Plan – Global Warming and its impact on California landforms Teacher and student made quizzes - landforms, location, description geological forces and

processes(fast, slow), Interesting facts (focus on Global Warming effects) Topographical Map of California with key landforms labeled, and process grid information

included in 1-3 short paragraphs.


SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLANS DAY 1:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION

• Scientist Awards - standards

• Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word - Geologist

• Observation Charts

• Inquiry Chart

Big Book – Have you heard about the Earth?

Portfolios

INPUT

• Graphic Organizer –World Map

• 10/2 lecture with primary language

• Learning Log

ELD Review

• Graphic Organizer- California Map - Landforms and Regions

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE

• T-graph for Social Skills- Team points

• Picture File Cards/Realia

-Free exploration -Classify/Categorize

Exploration Report

Chants and Poetry

INPUT

• Narrative - "Turtle Legend"

Learning Log

• Read Aloud

READING/WRITING


• Writer's Workshop

- mini lesson –Sketch and Write memory of being outside

- Author's Chair- Question/Comment

CLOSURE

• Process charts

• Interactive Journals

• Home/School Connection - #1 – Land where parents grew up


SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLANS

DAY 2:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION

Three standards/ awards

Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word - Subduction

Process Home/School connection•

Review input with word cards – World Map ,

Review Narrative with word cards and conversation bubbles - Chant

Chant- highlight, sketch, add picture file cards

INPUT

Pictorial Input Yosemite Valley - rock cycle, fast/slow processes

10/2 lecture with primary language

Learning Log

ELD review – Rock Cycle, Landforms in Yosemite Valley

Rock Cycle Chant

READING/WRITING

Personal interaction

Think about where you live or have lived. What landforms do you see in the Bay Area and in other places you’ve lived? How do you think they were formed?

Poetry – highlighting, sketching pictures (index cards)

Flexible Groups –

Experts

team tasks

T-graph processing

Writer’s Workshop – Mini lesson – mind map-brainstorm-landforms, Author’s chair



• Picture file – classify examples of Fast and Slow Processes

• Groups share one category

CLOSURE

• Process inquiry Chart

• Journals

• Home/School Connection



FOCUS/MOTIVATION

• Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word - Stumper word search

• Home/School Connection

• Big Book

• Review input with word/picture cards –

Review Narrative with Story Map

Read Aloud: Wild Fox


• Poetry

Chant –

Flexible Groups

Expert Group

team tasks

T-graph processing

Sentence Patterning Chart (SPC) - geologist or landforms

Reading/Trading

Flip Chant

Mind map

Process Grid

READING/WRITING

Process Grid

Cooperative Strip Paragraph

- respond

- revise


- edit

• Reading/Writing Workshop

- mini lesson – writing about nature- examples from Salmon Summer

- write

- Author's Chair (start conferencing later)

CLOSURE

Read Aloud - Expository Text

Process inquiry

Interactive Journals

Students develop interview for parents


SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLANSDAY 4

FOCUS/MOTIVATION

Three standards/ award

Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word – Stumper words

Home/School Connection

INPUT

Read Aloud: Endangered Wetlands

Expository reading - ecological current issues- global warming and its impact on the earth

READING/WRITING

• Flexible Group Reading –

Clunkers and Links – (at or above reading)

EL Retell

Team Tasks

oral evaluation

Found Poetry

CLOSURE

Oral book share groups – Team chooses book from research center to share

Turn in Learning Logs for assessment

Home/school Connection

Interactive Journals



FOCUS/MOTIVATION

Cognitive Content Dictionary -self selected vocabulary

Chants/Poetry

read aloud

strip book

READING AND WRITING

Flexible Group Reading

-Struggling/ emergent reading with coop strip paragraph

Team Tasks:

- ELD/Emergent reading

Ear-to-Ear reading with Poetry Booklet

Listen and sketch

Focused reading with personal CCD

DRTA

READING/WRITING WORKSHOP

• Mini Lesson

• Write

• Author's Chair

CLOSURE

• Presentations/publishing

• Letter Home

• Process Inquiry Chart

• Process Week - "What helped you learn?" Shaping the Land: California Geology and Geography, Level 4, CA 19East Bay Teacher Institute – CSU East Bay - Project G.L.A.D (April 2010)

Have you Heard About the Earth?

By: Sera Hernandez

Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Our planet Earth has been around for about 4.6 billion years. In that time, it has dramatically changed from a mass of rocks, to a planet with majestic mountains, golden valleys, endless rivers, and massive oceans. In fact, the Earth’s surface is constantly changing through a variety of slow and fast processes.


Earth’s surface is covered by a layer of rock called the crust. Beneath the crust is the mantle, the thickest layer of the earth. The mantle is so fiery hot that it actually melts rocks. The heat changes the rocks into a thick, heavy liquid called magma. Underneath the mantle is the earth’s core, which is composed of solid rock.


Earth’s crust is made up of 30 huge rocks, called Shaping the Land: California Geology and Geography, Level 4, CA 21East Bay Teacher Institute – CSU East Bay - Project G.L.A.D (April 2010)

tectonic plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. These plates have been moving for millions of years and still drift today. Geologists divide the rocks that make up the Earth’s crust into three groups: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock. These rocks all come from the same original material, which moves around in a big cycle.


There are natural processes that cause rocks to change size and shape. When air, wind, ice, or plants change the shapes of rock, it is called weathering. Sometimes water seeps into cracks in a rock and freezes, taking up more space and ultimately cracking the rock. Trees sometimes speed up rock cracking with their roots. As the roots grow, they creep between cracks and when they thicken, they force the cracks to open wider.


Once rocks are weathered, they are often transported by rain, wind, or flowing water in a process called


erosion. As water rushes from its source, in the highlands, down to the sea, it constantly picks up chunks of rock, sand, and mud along the way. Wind picks up small pieces of rock, sand, and soil and carries it to other places. When weathered rock is picked up and moved by wind or water, it is called deposition. Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Landforms, natural features on Earth’s surface, can change over short or long periods of time. Some landforms, such as valleys and canyons, can take millions of years to form by swiftly running rivers or enormous masses of ice called glaciers. When glaciers melt, they show how much of the Earth has been gorged away, leaving U-shaped valleys behind. Oceans shape the coastlines, which are where oceans meet the land. Ocean waves also pound rocky cliffs, changing their appearance and making them smaller. Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Wind also changes the shape of the Earth’s surface by carrying sand and bits of rock. Strong winds can pick up huge amounts of loose sand and pile it up in heaps Shaping the Land: California Geology and Geography, Level 4, CA 23East Bay Teacher Institute – CSU East Bay - Project G.L.A.D (April 2010)

or hills, called dunes. Unusual rock formations are also a result of wind erosion, where swirling sand attacks cracks in rocks. Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.

Some changes to the Earth’s surface occur quickly, like volcanoes, earthquakes, and landslides. Earthquakes and volcanoes can take place when two plates that run side by side, move against each other. They can also cause landslides, where large amounts of loose rock and soil move rapidly. The force of gravity and storms can also cause landslides. Floods and mudslides can play a role in shaping the land, too.


Earth is always changing. Mountains are building up and wearing down, while continents drift and shift apart. Oceans are getting bigger, while others grow smaller. Volcanoes are erupting and earthquakes are cracking open the earth’s surface. Rivers will dig great canyons, and glaciers will carve new valleys. Have you heard about the earth? Water, wind, and ice shape and reshape its surface.


Big Picture/World Map Pictorial

Background Information (BI)

Earth’s surface is covered by a layer of rock called the crust. Beneath the crust is the mantle, the thickest layer of the earth. The mantle is so fiery hot that it actually melts rocks. The heat changes the rocks into a thick, heavy liquid called magma. Underneath the mantle is the earth’s core, which is composed of solid rock, iron and nickel.

The Earth’s crust consists of the oceanic and continental crust. Earth’s crust is made up of 30 huge rocks, called tectonic plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. These plates have been moving for millions of years and currently drift at rates of about one to four inches each year. As the continents formed, the plates crashed into each other forming mountains, and causing earthquakes and volcanoes. The main seven plates are labeled on this map.

The Subduction zone is an area on Earth where two tectonic plates meet and move towards one another, with one sliding underneath the other and moving down into the mantle (diagram – opposing arrows, one under another), at rates typically measured in centimeters per year. This often involves an oceanic plate sliding beneath a continental plate (though subduction zones can occur at the boundary of oceanic plates) and typically creates an orogenic zone or volcanic arc subject to many earthquakes. In a sense, subduction zones are the opposite of divergent boundaries, areas where material rises up from the mantle and plates are moving apart.

About 250 million years ago, the Earth had one huge supercontinent called Pangaea. There are seven continents today on Earth, which include Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Antarctica.


Big Picture/California Pictorial BI – California Pictorial

(First two paragraphs only used if World map/tectonic plates pictorial is not used – this content is important to understand so we include it in whichever big picture graphic organizer is used for the unit–the California Map or the World Map.)

The Earth’s surface is covered by a layer of rock called the crust. Beneath the crust is the mantle, the thickest layer of the earth. The mantle is so fiery hot that it actually melts rocks. The heat changes the rocks into a thick, heavy liquid called magma. Underneath the mantle is the earth’s core, which is composed of solid rock, iron and nickel.

When Earth was first forming, there was just one continent, a huge land mass called Pangaea. Over time, billions of years, this mass separated into the seven continents we have today. The Earth’s crust consists of the oceanic and continental crust. Earth’s crust is made up of 30 huge rocks, called tectonic plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. These plates have been moving for millions of years and currently drift at rates of about one to four inches each year. As the continents formed, the plates crashed into each other forming mountains, and causing earthquakes and volcanoes.

Twp of these plates meet at the coast of California, and their movement has helped shape the land. California is a state that contains many different types of landforms that were formed through both slow and fast processes. North to South the state is 800miles long. East to West it is about 250 miles wide. Mountain ranges border the coast and form a natural border between California and its neighboring states, Oregon, to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and Mexico to the south. The capitol of California, Sacramento, is located in northern California, in the San Joaquin Valley near the Sacramento/San Joaquin River delta.

The California Coast is one of the most beautiful places in the world, with many different types of landforms: Valleys, Deserts, Mountains, Coast, Delta, and more. Sharp, dramatic cliffs formed by weathering, erosion and deposition, and broad beaches made of sediment and sand.

The San Joaquin Valley, which millions of years ago was an inland sea, is considered the “nation’s salad bowl,” and many types of crops are farmed there. The San Joaquin/Sacramento River delta protects the land from the forces of the ocean, and is home to many types of wildlife,

The Sierra Nevada Mountains are home to famous and beautiful natural landforms like Lake Tahoe, Yosemite Valley and King’s Canyon. Millions of years ago, the range was just 3000 feet tall and the ocean extended over the land, covering an oceanic ridge. Those ancient mountains eroded away into the San Joaquin River Valley. Later volcanoes formed, then glaciers, then the majestic mountains we see today, some rising over 12,000 feet (show Mt. Whitney, tallest mountain).

California has two major deserts: the Mojave Desert, where Death Valley is located and the Anza-Borrego Desert which borders Mexico. The desert is a diverse ecosystem with very little water.

The land was formed through fast processes (earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides), and slow processes (WED – Weathering, Erosion, Deposition). The geography of California changes over time through geological processes in a dynamic duet of cause and effect.


Pictorial Input Chart BI- Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada, which means “snowy mountain range” in Spanish, stretches 400 miles reaching north to south across the state of California. The Sierra Nevada is comprised of numerous landforms, such as Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous U.S at 14,505 feet. The Sierra Nevada mountain range is also the home of the famous Yosemite Valley, and Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America.

The Sierra Nevada has experienced great geological change through a mixture of fast and slow processes. Millions of years ago, volcanoes erupted in the Sierra region. Large igneous deposits covered the area north of Yosemite as a result of the volcanoes. Also, subduction zones, or areas on Earth where two tectonic plates meet and move towards one another, caused many earthquakes in the region. This caused uplift of the Sierras, which in turn increased the speed of stream flow, impacting the formation of V-shaped valleys in the region.

However, glaciation, or the slow movement of large masses of ice, is responsible for the U-shaped Yosemite Valley. Other fast and slow processes also play a role in the formation of the Sierra Nevada region such as landslides, or the down slope movement of rock, and exfoliation, where rocks peel off in sheets. The WED process, composed of weathering, erosion, and deposition, are all slow processes that also change the appearance of the Sierra Nevada.

Unfortunately, because of global warming, the snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada is expected to be reduced by half in the coming decades. This is a problem because California depends on seasonal snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada to provide water to the state. Animals such as the Yosemite toads, Pacific treefrogs, and garter snakes are also threatened by climate change.


B. Pictures:

Geological Time Story Timeline – From “Geology of the Sierra Nevada” by Mary Hill

1. Underwater mountains

2. Earth’s Layers- molten granite – Realia- piece of granite

3. Hot rock rising towards surface/Layers of sediment – Sierra Nevada fotthills

4. Blob of old rock in Sierra Nevada foothills- high peak/ Mineral deposits-gold vein

5. Gently rising mountains from a shallow sea

6. Forces of Erosion – WED/Central Valley – Before/After

7. Mountain-rivers-lagoon-margined sea-broad valleys

8. Volcanic range, erupting volcanoes/mud floes

9. Sierra Range/Glacial Moraine

10. Layers of the Earth


Narrative Input (Background- a California Scene of Mountains, rivers, ocean and Valleys)

How California was Made – A Native American Legend by the Gabrielino Native people, Southern California Tribe1. Long, long ago, before there were people, there was hardly anything in the world but water. One day, Great Spirit looked down from heaven. He decided to make a beautiful land. “But where could he begin?” he said aloud. All he saw was water. 2. Then he spotted a giant turtle. “Turtle come,” he beckoned and turtle came to the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit decided to make the beautiful land on the turtle’s back. But one turtle was not big enough. The land that the Great Spirit wanted to make was very large. So he called out, "Turtle, hurry and find your six brothers." 3. Turtle swam away to find them. It took her a whole day to find the first. It took another day to find the next. After six days, Turtle had found her six brothers. "Come," she said. "The Great Spirit wants us." 4. Great Spirit called down. "Turtles! Form a line, all of you -- head to tail, north to south. Umm -- you have three on the south, please move a little to the east. Hmmm. Yes, that’s just right. What a beautiful land you turtles will make! Now listen! It is a great honor to carry this beautiful land on your backs. So you must not move!" 5. The turtles stayed very still. Great Spirit took some straw from his supply in the sky. He spread it out on the turtle’s backs. Then he took some soil and patted it down on top of the straw. 6. Great Spirit cleaned his hands on a fluffy white cloud. Then he went to work, shaping mountains and valleys and lakes and rivers. When he was finished, he looked at the beautiful land he had made. Great Spirit was very pleased. But soon trouble began. The giant turtles grew restless. They wanted to stretch their legs. 7. "I want to swim east," said one. "I want to swim west, with the setting sun," said another. 8. The turtles began to argue. They could not agree which way to move. One day, four of the turtles began to swim east. The others began to swim west. The Earth shook! It cracked with a loud noise. 9. But after a minute, the shaking stopped. The turtles had to stop moving because the land on their backs was so heavy. They had only been able to swim a little way from each other. When they saw that they could not swim away, they stopped arguing and were at peace again. 10. Every once in a while, though, the turtles argue again. Each time they do, the Earth shakes!


Sierra Nevada Narrative Input

By Anne Ginnold

Adapted from Chapter 1 of “Geology of the Sierra Nevada” by Mary Hill. (copyright permission to reprint granted by Anne Ginnold)

1. Although the Sierra Nevada seems old to us, in geologic time it’s just been in existence for 440 million years, one-tenth of the Earth’s 4 Billion year history.

2. From looking at the layers of rock in today’s Sierra Nevada foothills, we know that the Sierra Nevada began its life under the sea, and remained underwater for 240 million years.

3. Then deep within the earth, bodies of molten granite began to cool into rock, a process that took 130 million years to complete!

4. The hot rock began to rise towards the surface, disrupting the layers of sediment in the sea, pushing them aside, melting others. Today, these layers can be seen in the foothills.

5. In the High Sierra, blobs of the old rock, caught up in the younger granite, are found near the high peaks, remnants of a vanished sea that have not yet eroded away. Valuable mineral deposits formed where old rocks and granite met. Gold and other metals were left in veins and fissures as the last of the Granite cooled.

6. Over time the forces of erosion then began to attack the new mountain range, tearing rock from the mountainside to wash down rivers into a shallow, subtropical, lagoon-margined sea. Sierran rivers, not all where they are today, ran in broad valleys flanked by hills rising gently eastward. Altogether 9 vertical miles of rock was eroded over the next 25 million years, filling the shallow sea with sediment, and forming the Central Valley.

7. About 30 million years ago, volcanoes began to erupt. Violent explosions blanketed the northern Sierra with hot ash. The ash was followed by mud flows, leaving only a few projected peaks. Shortly after this, the Sierra began to rise rapidly.

8. By whatever means-earthquakes certainly had a part - the Sierra was lifted high enough for glaciers to form.

9. The earth grew colder, glaciers formed, changing the shape of the peaks and valleys. The years of the great glaciers – sculptors with ice and snow – had begun.

10. From looking at the layers of rocks we can learn about the processes that formed the mountains, eroded them away, and reformed them into the majestic mountains of today. We can see fossils of animals long dead or extinct and plants they used to eat. By looking at the land and how it was formed, we can deduce what types of landforms existed in the past. The Sierra Nevada is a young range. The seas are gone, the volcanoes are presently quiet, and even the earthquakes are not strong enough to move mountains. But over time, over millions of years, the land will continue to change through fast and slow processes. Who knows what California will look like in a million years!


The Geology and Geographyof California

Poetry Booklet

Name______________________________________


W.E.D. Bugaloo

I’m a geologist and here to say, I study how the land is shaped everyday. Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces, Which changes the shape and it’s size decreases. Freezing, thawing, plants, wind, and pressure Add on to the weathering measure.

Weathering, Erosion, Deposition, too Doing the W.E.D. bugaloo!

Weathering and erosion work together. Erosion carries rocks that have been weathered. Flowing water is the biggest cause of erosion. It transports sediments into streams, rivers, and oceans.

Weathering, Erosion, Deposition, too Doing the W.E.D. bugaloo!

When sediments settle in a new place, Deposition is the name in this case. Flowing water deposits pieces day by day, But wind picks up and settles them miles away.

Weather, Erosion, Deposition too Doing the W.E.D. bugaloo!

Nelly Marquez 12/08


Yes, Ma’am

Is this a landform? Yes, Ma’am Is this a landform? Yes, Ma’am How do you know? It has natural features. How do you know? They’re on the earth’s surface.

Give me some examples. Hills and valleys. Give me more examples. Mountains and plains. Is this a mountain? Yes, Ma’am Is it part of a range? Yes, Ma’am How is it formed? Plates press and lift. Give me some examples. The Himalayas and the Andes.

Is this a valley? Yes, Ma’am Is it between hills or mountains? Yes, Ma’am How is it formed? Water or ice erosion. Give me an example. Central Valley. Give me another example. Grand Canyon.

Is this a delta? Yes, Ma’am Is it at the mouth of a river? Yes, Ma’am How is it formed? Sediment deposition. Give me an example. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Give me another example. Mississippi Delta.

Is this a desert? Yes, Ma’am Is it hot and arid? Yes, Ma’am How is it formed? Mountains block precipitation. Give me some examples. Mojave and Death Valley. Is this a coast? Yes, Ma’am Is it adjoining near an ocean? Yes, Ma’am How is it formed? Waves erode and deposit. Give me an example. Pacific Coast. Give me another example. Atlantic Coast.

Nelly Marquez 12/09


Rock Cycle Chant (Three Blind Mice)

The rock cycle Occurs over time. Earth’s surface is changed By the rock cycle. It’s composed of three types of rock Classified as igneous, Sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks The rock cycle.

Igneous rock, Means “made from fire”. Born from a volcano. Molten magma melting, Will cool and solidify. Granite and basalt are a couple types. Have you ever seen such a sight? As igneous rock.

Sedimentary rock, Means “made from sediments”. Formed under pressure. Found near bodies of water. Weathering and erosion play a role Helping to make these rocks whole Two examples are limestone and coal. Sedimentary rock.

Metamorphic rock, Means “change of form”. The process occurs Through heat or pressure. Transformation happens over time Of the texture or minerals inside. Marble, slate, quartzite, and gneiss Metamorphic rock.

The rock cycle Occurs over time. Earth’s surface is changed By the rock cycle. It’s composed of three types of rock Classified as igneous, Sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks The rock cycle

Sera Hernandez 12/08


I’m an Earthquake

I’m an earthquake on a fault Holding energy to shake things up. Earth’s tectonic plates try to slide,

But instead friction makes them grind.

I’m an earthquake I’m an earthquake

Tectonic plates begin to move Releasing energy triggering a quake.

My waves are under construction Causing violent shaking and destruction.


My S and P-waves travel through the ground Shifting buildings, moving them up and down.

The epicenter is where I start to shake Above this point is where things break.


N. Marquez 12/08


Mountains

By Anne Ginnold & Nelly Marquez

Mountains here, mountains there.

Mountains, mountains everywhere.

Stratified mountains eroding slowly,

Fiery mountains erupting quickly,

Snowy mountains melting gradually,

And tall mountains forming.

Mountains in the Sierra Nevada,

Mountains under the ocean,

Mountains along the coast,

And mountains across the world.

Mountains here, mountains there.

Mountains, mountains everywhere.

Mountains! Mountains! Mountains!


Geologists

Geologists here, geologists there.

Geologists, geologists, everywhere.

Scientific geologists digging bravely,

Thoughtful geologists reading quietly,

Academic geologists explaining slowly,

And intelligent geologists examining carefully.

Geologists at the library,

Geologists in caves,

Geologists along the mountain,

Geologists across the earth.

Geologists here, geologists there.

Geologists, geologists everywhere.

Geologists! Geologists! Geologists!

By: Sera Hernandez


HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTIONS

ENGLISH-SPANISH


Project GLADShaping of the Land

Home-School Connection #1

Ask your family to share what the land looked like in the place where they grew up. Sketch and write what they share with you.

Adult Signature x_____________________________________________

Name ______________________________________ Date_______________




Tell a family member about the narrative you heard in class today. Ask them to tell you a story about the shaping of the land that they remember from their childhood. Sketch and write what they share with you.

Adult Signature x_______________________________________

Name ______________________________________ Date_______________




Share with your family fast and slow changes that occur in the earth. Ask them to share if they have had an experience with an earthquake, volcano, or landslide. Sketch and write what they share with you.

Adult Signature x_____________________________________________

Name: __________________________________Date:________________


Project GLAD Shaping of the Land


Talk to a family member about the rock cycle and how these types of rocks are formed: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic. Sketch and write important facts about the rock cycle.

Adult Signature x____________________________________________

Name ______________________________________ Date_______________


Project GLAD Shaping of the Land


Talk to your family about global warming. Write and sketch some things that that you and your family can do to help stop global warming.

Adult Signature x____________________________________________

Nombre ____________________________________ Fecha_______________


Proyecto GLADLa Formación de la Tierra

Conexiones de Escuela en Casa #1

Ten una conversación con tu familia sobre como se veia la tierra en el lugar donde ellos crecieron. Dibuja y escribe lo que comparten contigo.

Firma de Adulto x_____________________________________________

Nombre ____________________________________ Fecha_______________


Proyecto GLAD La Formación de la Tierra


Cuéntale a alguien en tu familia sobre la leyenda que escuchaste en clase hoy. Diles que te cuenten una historia sobre la formación de la tierra que ellos recuerden de su niñez. Dibuja y escribe lo que ellos digan.

Firma de Adulto x_____________________________________________

Nombre ____________________________________ Fecha_______________




Comparte con tu familia los cambios rápidos y lentos que ocurren en la tierra. Luego pideles que compartan una experiencia que han tenido con un terremoto, volcán, o derrumbe. Dibuja y escribe lo que comparten contigo.

Firma de Adulto x_________________________________________

Nombre ____________________________________ Fecha_______________




Explícale a alguien en tu familia como se forman las siguientes rocas: Ígnea, Sedimentaria y Metamórfica. Dibuja y escribe los hechos importantes del ciclo de rocas.

Firma de Adulto x_____________________________________________

Nombre ____________________________________ Fecha_______________




Habla con tu familia sobre el calentamiento global. Escribe y dibuja algunas de las cosas que tu y tu familia pueden hacer para ayudar con la lucha contra el calentamiento global.

Firma de Adulto x_____________________________________________

Nombre:_______________________________________________Fecha________________


Expert Groups

California Coast

The Shoreline, or coast, is the boundary where the land meets the ocean. The western border of California extends about 800 miles along the Pacific Ocean. The northern half of this coastal region in California is known for its powerful wave action, rocky shores, and steep jagged cliffs, while the central, and southern half of the California coast is scattered with miles of sandy beaches and calm bays.

The coast is continually changing because of the constant attack of wind and water. Moving wind and water along the shoreline are the major causes of weathering and erosion. Also, the fast and powerful force of waves can change the rocky cliffs that surround the coast. The continuous action of the waves breaks large rocks off at the base of the cliffs. Eventually, over a long period of time, the rocky cliffs become smaller, or collapse and fall. This erosion process also produces sand that forms into beaches.


Another force that can reshape the coastal region is an earthquake. Most earthquakes occur near the edges of the Earth’s Tectonic plates. The Pacific and the North American plates meet at California’s coastline. The land located where two plates meet has more frequent earthquakes as the plates grind against and pull apart from each other. The coast of California is a subduction zone, which means that one plate is continually pushing under another, creating both small and large earthquakes. A powerful earthquake can reshape the land in a matter of minutes.

There is evidence that global warming is contributing to the rising of the water in the ocean. Climate changes in the Arctic are causing glaciers to melt at a faster rate. As these huge masses of ice melt, the water level in the oceans rises. In addition, the melting of this protective ice leaves the dark ocean exposed, which forces the ocean to absorb more heat and energy from the sunlight, further increasing the temperature of the sea. This rising of water and temperature threatens the habitats and food sources of both sea and shoreline animals.


Central Valley

The Central Valley in California is a large valley located in the center of the state. It is about 400 miles long and 30 to 60 miles wide. The valley is bordered on the west by the Coastal Ranges, and on the east by the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Summers in the valley are hot and dry, while winters tend to be moist and are often blanketed in fog. The Central Valley is known for it’s fertile soil and is often referred to as the “nation’s salad bowl.”

The formation of this large landform was a slow process that took millions of years to form. Valleys form as a result of a process called physical weathering. Physical weathering begins at the top of a mountain when rain falls and snow begins to melt. The water from the melted snow and rain forms small streams that converge together to form rivers that begin to flow downhill. As rivers flow down hills they begin to carve a path in the land by breaking away bits of rock. As the water travels down hill it also begins to slow down and flatten out. This flattening out of the water at the bottom of the mountains creates the V shape of a valley.


Another landform that can be found in California that is similar to a valley is a canyon. Instead of a V shape, canyons are deep, narrow valleys that have steep sides and often have rivers at the bottom. Two canyons that can be found in California are Kings Canyon and Red Rock Canyon. One famous canyon in the United States is the Grand Canyon. It was carved by the fast moving water of the Colorado River over millions of years.

While the Central Valley is one of the richest agricultural centers in the world, it is also one of the most polluted regions in the state and country. Pollution accumulates as a result of the emissions of toxic gasses from automobiles and industry in the valley region. In the summer months these gasses become trapped in the bowl of the valley because of hot summer temperatures and little air movement. This pollution in the valley increases the effects of global warming.


Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is a collection of small, natural and man-made channels that create a unique system of islands and wetlands. This major delta system is located at the western end of the Central Valley where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers converge together. The water exits the Central Valley, and delta, through a channel called the Carquinez Strait. Eventually the water flows into the San Francisco Bay, and finally to the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the delta is about 1,100 square miles.

A delta is a landform that is the result of sediments that are deposited at the end of a river where it slows down and empties into the ocean. A typical river delta narrows at the point where the river enters the delta and then fans out into the body of water that it empties into.


The Sacramento-San Joaquin delta is not a typical river delta. It is an inverted river delta. Instead of narrowing as it enters the delta, the water fans out at the end of the Central Valley, and then narrows as it moves into the Carquinez Strait.

The delta system in California was originally a marshland. For thousands of years, huge areas of the delta flooded regularly each spring. As a result of these floods, this marshland soil turned to peat, a soil rich in partially decayed vegetation. Even though peat makes it possible for farmers to grow an abundance of crops, the decomposition of the organic materials (plants, trees) releases methane gas into the atmosphere. Methane Gas is a very powerful greenhouse gas that is a main contributor to global warming. While release of Methane gas is the natural effect of decomposition, this, combined with other human-made causes of global warming is of concern to scientists studying about how to preserve our earth.


Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert is located in Southern California near the border of Nevada and California. A desert is a landscape, or region that receives very little precipitation and where vegetation is sparse or non-existent. The Mojave Desert is special because it has a little bit of everything. The Mojave Desert covers 25,000 square miles.

Wind is one of the slow forces that shape the desert landscape. The wind sculpts the face of the desert landscape by creating sand dunes. Sand dunes are formed when particles of sand are picked up by wind and moved to a new location. Different shapes of dunes are formed because as dry sand blows, objects such as rocks and grasses block the sand. This causes the landforms to take different shapes like wavy ridges, stars, or crescent moons. Swirling sand carried by wind also creates unique rock formations by a process called abrasion, where sand beats against the soft spots of rocks and erodes it.


Another important force affecting the desert landforms is water. While rain is not prevalent in the desert, it is a powerful force. Normal rainfall in the desert is a slow process that will wash away rock and sandstone creating new rock sculptures. However, a flash flood can reshape the land overnight. Eventually every part of rock in the desert will be eroded by wind or water.

There are also human factors that contribute to the reshaping of the desert. Global warming increases the temperature of the atmosphere increasing the likelihood of a drought. Even small changes in temperature, or precipitation will drastically impact plants and animals that depend on the natural features of the land. Other factors such as the use of off-road vehicles, dirt biking, and dumping of nuclear waste also have a detrimental effect on this unique landform.



Landform

Type of Process

DescriptionLocation Forces that Created it

Interesting Facts

Landform Location Description Forces Process/Change Interesting Facts

Sierra Nevada

Central Valley

San Joaquin Delta

Mojave Desert

California Coast


Process Grid-Detailed

Landform Location Description Forces that created it Type of Process/Change Interesting Facts

Sierra Nevada

• stretches 400 miles from north to south across the length of CA • west of the Sierras is the Central Valley, and the Great Basin is to its east

• comprised of numerous landforms such as lakes, valleys, rivers, cliffs, volcanoes, waterfalls, etc.

• great geological changes that began millions of years ago • lava flow from volcanoes • earthquakes that increased the flow of streams that created v-shaped valleys. • glaciers that created the U-shape valley of Yosemite • exfoliation –physical weathering process that created Half Dome

Fast volcanoes

earthquakes Slow

Physical Weathering exfoliation

glaciers

• Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in the United States

• Mt. Whitney is the 2nd

tallest mountain in the U.S. at 14, 505 feet. • global warming is responsible for decreasing snowmelt that provides water for homes and farms • Animals that rely on shallow lakes are dying because the lakes are drying up

Central Valley

• In center of CA between the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Coastal Ranges

• 400 miles long and 50 to 60 miles wide • hot, dry summers • moist, foggy winters • fertile soil • large V-shaped valley

• physical weathering from rain and melting snow creates rivers and streams that flow downhill • The moving water carve a path in the land by breaking rocks • As the water slows at the base of the mountain, it flattens out and creates the V-shape of a valley

Slow physical

weathering erosion

deposition

• similar to a canyon–both are carved by water but canyons have steep sides and often have rivers at the bottom • richest agricultural center in the world,…. “Nation’s Salad Bowl.” • toxic gasses trapped in the valley from automobiles and industry increases the effects of global warming

San Joaquin Delta

•located at the western end of the Central Valley

• Inverted river delta–instead of the water converging and narrowing as it enters the delta, it fans out at the end of the Central Valley and then narrows into the Carquinez Strait

• The slowing down of moving water

• Deposition of sediments at the end of a river where it enters a larger body of water.

Slow physical

weathering erosion

deposition

• rich marshland soil that evolved over thousands of years as a result yearly spring floods in the delta\ • peat s rich soil made from partially decayed vegetation • Methane gas released from peat, and the fact that it turns to carbon over time are environmental concerns.

Mojave Desert • In southern CA near the border of

•25,000 sq. miles • Wind moves sand across the ground to make sand dunes.

Fast flash flood

•lack of water causes water holes to dry up and changes the natural process of physical weathering


Nevada and California.

• elevation is 2,000 to 5,000 feet (high desert) •very little precipitation • little vegetation • lots of sand and

• wind also lifts sand off the ground and causes abrasion which wears away and reshapes the soft spots in the rocks. • Water can reshape the desert landscape overnight in the desert.

Slow wind

normal rainfall

• dry land increases the threat of wildfires • off-road vehicles, dirt biking, and the dumping of nuclear waste threaten this landform

CA Coast

• western border of CA

• extends 800 miles along the Pacific Ocean

• northern half has powerful waves, rocky shore, and steep, jagged cliffs

• southern half is scattered with miles of sandy beaches and calm bays

. constant attack of wind and water breaks down bottom of cliffs that eventually fall down • sand forms and settles to form beaches • earthquakes can cause the earth to crack, separate, lift, or collapse

Fast earthquake

Slow physical

weathering erosion

deposition

•global warming is causing glaciers to melt at a faster rate that is increasing the water level, and is also rising the water temp. • sea and coastal habitats are threatened by these changes in the water •Pollution from garbage, industrial debris and the transportation of oil by tankers pollute the ocean and shoreline


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