Glacial Landforms Teacher Resources

Students study glacial deposition and groundwater in Dutchess County, new York. They identify the permeability rates in different glacial deposits and relate this information to ground water capacity of sediments found in Dutchess...

Travel to the ice fields of Alaska alongside researchers working to discover all they can about the amazing glaciers. Show your upper graders what has been found and why scientists study glacier melt. Getting interested into what others...

Students examine the impact of glaciers on Great Britain. In this geological history lesson, students examine and measure a glacial valley and look at several types of glacial landscapes in Britain.

Students examine satellite images of the glacial features of Cape Cod. They analyze where human activity is located in terms of those features. Students make models of the features, including kettle holes. They also use contour maps...

A map of the Hudson River Valley is exhibited here. Arrows representing glacial striations are spread across the map for learners to analyze. They answer five multiple choice questions in response. The worksheet is a compact review of...

Explore the amazing power of glaciers with a hands-on earth science experiment! After first learning basic background information, learners go on to create their very own chunks of frozen water and gravel in order to observe first-hand...

Glacial retreat is shown in this time-lapse video focusing on the Columbia Glacier in Alaska. Music plays and text is shown in between clips of the glacial melt. Great footage for an earth science or environmental studies course.

Students examine the origin of glaciers, how glacial sediments are deposited, and what sedimentary records of glaciation provide about source and process of glaciers in a field lab.

There are many factors that affect how fast the glaciers are melting. A lab investigation has learners examine how the surrounding water affect the rate glaciers melt. They collect data from two samples of ice to determine how quickly...

Young scholars conduct an experiment on glacial scraping. In this glacial scraping lesson, students create a small glacier in a plastic cup. Young scholars remove the cup and scrape the glacier across wood and note the markings. Students...

How do scientists know what the Earth was like in the past? This second installment of a six-part series focuses on paleoclimates and provides an overview of how geologists determine information about past climates using fossil pollen,...

Fourth graders construct a model of Indiana which displays the effects of the glacial period on the state's physical structure. Students work in groups to plan and execute their model based on an established rubric.

Pupils apply the scientific method to identify rocks from glacial deposits, hypothesize how they got there and then test their hypothesis. They are given the experience of active, hands-on inquiry.

Students operate a GPS unit to investigate the direction of glacier movement. They describe the motion of glacier movement by interpreting a graph. Students explain how scientists use glacier striations to determine glacier movement.

Students research the ways in which scientists study glaciers and glacial change. They interpret real time data and calculate the estimated global sea level rise potential. A very good activity to illustrate global warming.

Students practice problem solving skills and experimental design. They build a vehicle that can traverse "glacial" ice capable of carrying a specific load and glide smoothly, creating as little effort as possible for the skier pulling...

Glaciers are the star of the show in this Earth science lesson plan. In it, learners gain an understanding of how glaciers are formed, how they move, and what types of landforms they create. This lesson plan is written in the classic...

If you are teaching physical oceanography to middle school earth scientists, here is a terrific multiple choice worksheet. Learners look at a diagram of a landscape created by glacial sediment deposition and the resulting ocean floor....

Erratics, or drop-stones, are geographic abnormalities. Large stones that appear in unlikely places point to glacial movement. Lava flow also helps scientists determine timing of multiple Ice Ages. Watch this clip along with the four...

Hear experts provide evidence of Ice Age and glacial movement based on today's geological features. Various measurement tools are used to see what chemicals are found in ice and the atmosphere in order to determine the climate of the...

What can conductivity tell us about a glacier? Groups analyze glacial melt to determine salt content through an analysis of the pH and conductivity measurements of two samples. Groups then determine the source of the salts. 

The pelvic bone's connected to the...nothing in the stickleback fish, because it doesn't have one. Young biologists watch a video about the evolution of the stickleback fish living in Alaskan lakes. It turns out that they lost their...

What gives glaciers their blue hue? Study the phenomenon from the inside out with a video from an engaging science playlist. The narrator describes the conditions present in glacial ice, then explains how the substance affects visible...

High schoolers plot the current distribution of glaciers around the Earth and see if there any major trends where glaciers appear to be either growing or shrinking at abnormally high rates.