Grade 2 Lesson plan
Ferncross Creek After the Storm: Fast and Slow Land Changes
Grade 2 students weigh two records from the town of Ferncross and sort creek events into changes that happen in a day and changes that take many years.
NGSS · Grade 2
2-ESS1-1 Provide evidence that Earth events can happen quickly or slowly
Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly.
Clarification statement: Examples of events and timescales could include volcanic explosions and earthquakes, which happen quickly and erosion of rocks, which occurs slowly.
Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include quantitative measurements of timescales.
Why water teaches this standard well
Water drives both the fast and the slow versions of this standard: a flash flood reshapes a stream bank in an afternoon while a river carves a canyon over ages. Stream-table demonstrations and before-and-after flood photos give second graders vivid water-based evidence for both timescales.
Materials tagged with this code are written to the full standard , including its clarification statement and assessment boundary, and each carries a written note explaining the alignment. See how we review materials.