Homeschool Science Lesson: Teach About Erosion

Use this lesson guide in your homeschool study about erosion of earth's surfaces. This homeschool science lesson guide is designed to assist the homeschool family in teaching and learning about why and how erosion of the earth's surfaces occurs. This homeschool science lesson guide is written to be most useful to the homeschool family with students currently working in elementary and middle grade level science material. If your homeschool student is ready to cover this topic, use this homeschool science lesson guide to assist them in gaining a basic understanding of how and why erosion of the earth's surfaces occurs.

What is erosion? Explain to your homeschool student that erosion is the gradual wearing away of a material such as sand, soil, and rocks. Help your student to understand that sea and river water are always moving these elements, and that this process is called erosion. Rocks and soil are also eroded by wind and ice. Over thousands of years, erosion can dig out valleys or fill them in. It can change the direction of rivers, and even move mountains.

How does erosion occur? To help your homeschool student understand how erosion occurs, you can begin by explaining that even though rocks feel hard and solid, they can be broken down. Give your student the example that water can sometimes seep into cracks of rocks. If the water freezes and expands, it can crack the rock. If the water later melts and begins to flow, it will take the pieces of broken rock with it. Or the pieces of rock could be moved by wind. Sometimes water doesn't have to melt to move rock, such as in the case of glaciers. Glaciers are large frozen rivers of ice, which are constantly moving and eroding the surfaces they touch.

Erosion is also caused when fast moving rivers wear away passages through solid rock. When this happens, the erosion leaves huge valleys called canyons. The Grand Canyon in Arizona is a perfect example of this type of erosion. The Grand Canyon has been carved out by erosion caused by the Colorado River.