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2nd Grade Science (Next Generation Science Standards) • Earth’s Systems: Processes that Shape the Earth

What Does the Land and Water Look Like?

Let's explore the different shapes of land and water all around us — and build a model to show them!

Explore the lesson 7 min read
A microscope with leaf and experiment flask for elementary science discovery
Inside this lesson 9 sections 4 questions 4 figures

Section 1

What's Happening?

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🔍 Look at This!

Every place on Earth looks different. Some places have lots of water. Some places have tall land. How could you show someone what this place looks like if they have never been there?

MountainsPlainsRiverLakeOcean
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💭 Thinking Questions
  • What different kinds of land and water can you see in this picture?
  • How could you build something to show what this place looks like?

Section 2

What Scientists Know

Earth has many different landforms (shapes of land) and bodies of water (shapes of water). Let's learn about the most important ones!

1

Landforms Are Shapes of Land

A landform is the shape of the land. Mountains are tall and pointy. Hills are shorter and rounder. Plains are flat and wide. A valley is a low area between mountains or hills.
2

Bodies of Water Have Different Shapes

Water can be found in many shapes and sizes. An ocean is very, very big and salty. A lake is smaller and has land all around it. A river is long and moves in one direction. A pond is a small, quiet body of water.
3

A Model Shows What a Place Looks Like

A model is something you build or draw to show what a real thing looks like. Scientists make models to help us understand places. A model of land and water can be a drawing, a clay sculpture, or even a map!

Section 3

Let's Investigate!

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🔬 Let's Try It!

What you need:

  • A shallow box or tray (like a shoe box lid)
  • Clay, play dough, or crumpled paper
  • Blue paper, foil, or real water
  • Crayons and labels (small pieces of paper)

Steps:

  • Pick a place. Think of a place with land and water. It could be real (like your town!) or made up.
  • Build the land. Use clay or crumpled paper to make mountains, hills, and flat plains in your box.
  • Add the water. Use blue paper or foil to add a river, a lake, or an ocean to your model.
  • Add labels. Write the name of each landform and body of water on a small piece of paper. Put the labels on your model.
1Pick a PlaceThink of aplace you know!2Build the Landclay mountains3Add the Waterlakeriver4Add LabelsMountainLake
Four steps to building a model of land and water

When you are done, look at your model. Does it show the shapes of the land? Does it show where the water is? You just made a model like a scientist! 🎉

Section 4

What We Found Out

When we build a model, we can see how land and water fit together in a place. Mountains are high. Valleys are low between mountains. Rivers flow through the land. Lakes sit in low spots. The ocean is at the edge of the land.

Our models help us understand what a real place looks like. A model is smaller than the real place. But it shows the same shapes and the same kinds of land and water.

MountainValleyHillRiverPlainsLakeOceanHIGHLOW

Look at the picture above. It shows the land from the side. Can you see that mountains are the tallest? Hills are shorter. Valleys and plains are lower. The water fills in the low spots and flows downhill in rivers.

Section 5

Do You See the Pattern?

Scientists look for patterns. A pattern is something that happens the same way again and again. Let's find patterns about land and water!

Pattern We NoticeExamples
Water fills low places.Lakes sit in low spots. Oceans are at the bottom of the land.
Rivers flow from high to low.Rivers start near mountains and flow down to the ocean.
Land can be high or low.Mountains are high. Plains are low and flat.
The same kinds of landforms show up everywhere.Every continent has mountains, hills, valleys, and plains!

These patterns are the same no matter where you go on Earth. Mountains in Africa look similar in shape to mountains in North America. Lakes everywhere are water in a low spot with land around them. Patterns help us understand our world!

Section 6

How People Use This

People use models of land and water every day! Here are two important ways:

1

🗺️ Maps

A map is a flat model of a place. Maps show where the mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans are. People use maps to find their way and learn about new places.
2

🏗️ Builders and Planners

Before building a town, people make a model to see where the land is flat (good for houses!) and where the water is (don't build in a river!). Models help people make smart choices.

Try this design challenge: Can you draw a map of a pretend island? Your island should have at least one mountain, one river, one lake, and a flat area. Label everything! Think about where people would build a town on your island. Why would they pick that spot?

Section 7

Key Vocabulary

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📖 Key Vocabulary
  • Landform — A shape of the land, like a mountain, hill, valley, or plain.
  • Body of water — A place where water collects, like an ocean, lake, river, or pond.
  • Model — Something you build or draw to show what a real thing looks like.
  • Mountain — A very tall, high piece of land with steep sides.
  • Valley — A low area of land between hills or mountains.

Section 8

Show What You Know!

Question 1: Warm-Up

A second-grade class is building a model of their town. Their town has a big hill, a flat park, and a pond. Which model would best show all three features?
  • A. A flat piece of paper colored all green
  • B. A clay model with a raised mound, a flat area, and a scooped-out section filled with blue material
  • C. A drawing that only shows the pond
  • D. A box filled with sand that is completely flat on top
Show answer
The correct answer is B. A clay model with a raised mound shows the hill, a flat area shows the park, and a scooped-out section with blue material shows the pond. This model includes all three land and water features and shows their different shapes. Choice A is wrong because a flat green paper cannot show the raised shape of a hill or the water of a pond. Choice C is wrong because it only shows one feature and leaves out the hill and the park. Choice D is wrong because a completely flat sand box does not show a hill or a pond.

Question 2: On Track

Maya is making a map of a campground she visited. The campground has a river running through it, a mountain nearby, and a meadow. What should Maya include on her map to show the water feature?
  • A. A brown triangle to show the mountain
  • B. A green area to show the meadow
  • C. A blue curving line to show the river
  • D. A red square to show the campfire pit
Show answer
The correct answer is C. A river is a body of water, and a blue curving line is a good way to represent it on a map. Choice A is wrong because a brown triangle represents a mountain, which is a land feature, not water. Choice B is wrong because a green area represents a meadow, which is also a land feature. Choice D is wrong because a campfire pit is a human-made object, not a natural water feature.

Question 3: On Track

Carlos made a model of an island using sand and water in a large tray. He shaped a mound of sand in the middle and poured water all around it. What does the water all around the sand mound represent?
  • A. A lake surrounded by land
  • B. An ocean surrounding an island
  • C. A river flowing through a valley
  • D. A mountain next to a desert
Show answer
The correct answer is B. An island is land that has water all around it. Carlos's model shows a mound of sand (land) completely surrounded by water, which represents an ocean surrounding an island. Choice A is wrong because a lake is water surrounded by land, which is the opposite of what the model shows. Choice C is wrong because a river is a long, flowing body of water in a channel, not water surrounding land on all sides. Choice D is wrong because the model does not show a desert, and there is no water feature in that description.

Question 4: Challenge

A group of students wants to make a model that shows a beach area. The beach has flat sand, ocean water, and tall rocky cliffs behind the sand. Which materials would work best to model all three features?
  • A. Only blue paint on a piece of cardboard
  • B. Sand spread flat in a tray, blue water next to it, and stacked rocks behind the sand
  • C. A cup of water with pebbles dropped inside it
  • D. Cotton balls glued to a paper plate
Show answer
The correct answer is B. This model uses flat sand to represent the beach, blue water to represent the ocean, and stacked rocks to represent the tall rocky cliffs. It shows all three features and their correct shapes and positions. Choice A is wrong because blue paint alone only shows water and does not represent the sand or the cliffs. Choice C is wrong because pebbles inside a cup of water do not show a flat beach or tall cliffs — the features are not arranged like a real beach. Choice D is wrong because cotton balls on a plate do not represent sand, ocean water, or rocky cliffs.

Section 9

What's Next?

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🔮 What's Next?

Varsity Tutors • 2nd Grade Science (NGSS) • Shapes and Kinds of Land and Water