Does your state have requirements that require studying landforms? Mine sure does! In fact, we have science and social studies standards that include landforms. The good news about this is how exciting it is to create booklets, complete STEM building challenges, and practice with flashcards, Boom cards, and task cards!
A little background… many years ago one of my favorite beginning of the year projects with my third graders was to put together our landform booklets. I created a template and made enough copies for each students to have about 15 pages. The template was very basic- just an empty box and another box with lines on it. (This was wat before fancy things had been invented. My templates were made in Microsoft Word, okay!)
Students drew a sketch of a landform in the empty box on the template and then wrote about the landform using the box with lines. They created a cover on their own and we had a booklet to use all year!
Then one year I discovered clipart and PowerPoint and well…. much fancier booklets followed! Alomg with a plethora of engaging and much-loved landform projects. Let me share these with you today!
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Landform Projects Agenda
On the list today I have:
- Landform Booklet Kit
- Boom Cards
- Escape Rooms
- STEM Challenge
- Reading Resources
- Flipper Booklets
We will start with the fancy booklet kit that involved from my very simple templates!
Landform Booklet Kit
This booklet includes 14 pages of templates you can use. I made them in half sizes to save on printing and in color or black/white. Students love to color the clipart with colored pencils.
I learned many years ago that students did not always know what landforms looked like so I included 28 posters that you can display during your study.
This kit also includes flashcards and writing prompts. And if you prefer interactive notebooks instead of the large booklets I included a matchbook-style graphic organizer that can be used.
This AMAZING set can be used in SO many ways!
- The poster set can be used to decorate a display all about landforms.
- The booklet templates can be completed and put together as a landform booklet.
- The booklet templates are included with colored drawings and black/ white drawings.
- Each template has space for writing about the landforms.
- Flashcards may be used with games and for review of the landforms.
- Writing prompts are included and may be used in your writing center to help students cement their learning about landforms
Boom Cards
I have two really fun Boom sets that are about landforms, rocks, minerals, and volcanoes.
In this science Boom set students are identifying landforms or using landform vocabulary. This set includes photographs of clipart of landforms.
There are 50 cards in either multiple choice or drag and drop styles.
Be sure you watch the video preview that is included with this resource.
My students loved reading magazines and answering questions about the text features and content. That is why I started making my own “magazine” reading pages with task cards. These, of course, turned into Boom cards!
I love using those task cards, but with Boom you have no printing! I can include fabulous photos on the Boom slides because you don’t have to print them out!
Also, the self-checking Boom cards are fabulous for teachers. This set has reading passages with questions!
Escape Rooms
My students are hooked on the Escape Room format and love it so much! I cannot invent new scenarios fast enough.
In the Landform Escape Room students complete three tasks to unlock boxes. When each box is unlocked, the teams either get the next task or the directions for a STEM Challenge.
The three tasks for this landform project include identifying landforms, solving math problems, and reading passages to place in chronological order.
The STEM Challenge is to build a model of landforms. More about this challenge is included below!
There is some prep involved in setting up the escape room and STEM Challenge but is well worth your time. Also, the pieces that are needed for the escape can be laminated, saved, and used again in the future!
In the Escape the Volcano Escape Room students use a map grid to find a volcanic beach, solve math problems, and put together a puzzle. The focus of this escape is the islands of Hawaii.
Students use posters and their task results to determine the lock codes to unlock each box.
The STEM Challenge included in this landform project is to build a model of a volcano. More about this challenge is included below!
STEM Challenges
In the Landform STEM Challenge students build a model of a specific number of landforms. The landforms must be labeled and realistic (as much as possible).
The landscape created will show as many landforms as you assign (we did 10) and these are are displayed as if it is one scene.
The creativity of students will make this challenge fun for them and for you! I loved how students used clay and scrap paper to embellish their designs.
In the Volcano STEM Challenge, students “purchase” materials to design the volcano model. Their model will be tested using baking soda and vinegar.
Will the models have a “lava flow”? This depends on how the model is built. We had some spectacular lava flows and we had some that never left the container inside the model. The model’s size and the placement of the lava reservoir is important!
(Yes, we did talk about real lava and what happens when baking soda and vinegar mix!)
Landform Projects about Reading
Both of these are Print and Read sets. This means you just choose the passage you want, print it, and students can get busy quickly. Just print and read!
Each set has 4 reading passages with questions on the pages. You can use all 4 or just pick and choose what works with your studies. Also, the reading passages are provided in two ability loevels.
In addition, a “newspaper” or “magazine” page is included in each set. The text features are marked on the reading passages. Students have 2 graphic organizers and one question page with each set. The questions include identifying the text features and basic content questions.
Flipper Booklets
Have you tried a little flipper booklet? These turn out to be about 5 x 8 inches in size and they are so fun. These little booklets make a perfect seatwork activity during small group time! It’s a great way to add written work about a science topic during your reading time!
In the Rocks Flipper students will:
- write about and decorate clipart samples of the kinds of rocks
- decorate a fabulous illustration of the rock cycle.
In the Volcano Flipper students will:
- Label the layers of the earth
- Illustrate three kinds of volcanoes (an alternative page is included that shows four kinds)
- Label a volcano cross-section
- List facts about two volcanic rocks
- Match volcano words and meanings
- Research a volcano of their choice
And there you go, friends, so many landform projects! Click on any of the images to see the details about these fabulous resources. You might also enjoy these round-up posts:
