What's Happening?
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?
- 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?
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!
Landforms Are Shapes of Land
Bodies of Water Have Different Shapes
A Model Shows What a Place Looks Like
Let's Investigate!
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.
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! 🎉
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.
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.
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 Notice | Examples |
|---|---|
| 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!
How People Use This
People use models of land and water every day! Here are two important ways:
🗺️ Maps
🏗️ Builders and Planners
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?
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.