How do mountains form? Grade 2 science explanation

📚 What We Will Learn

In this lesson, we will learn about how mountains are formed. We'll explore the forces that shape our Earth and create these amazing landforms!

📝 Objectives

• 🌍 Identify that mountains are formed over very long periods.
• ⛰️ Understand that mountains are formed by the Earth's plates colliding.
• 🌋 Recognize that volcanoes can also form mountains.

🎒 Materials

• 🎨 Construction paper
• 🖍️ Crayons or markers
• 🧱 Small blocks or modeling clay

☀️ Warm-up (5 mins)

Brainstorm: Ask students what they know about mountains. Have they ever seen one? What did it look like? Where was it?

⛰️ Main Instruction

Explanation:

Imagine the Earth is like a puzzle made of big pieces called tectonic plates. These plates are always moving, very slowly. When these plates crash into each other, something amazing happens!

• 💥 Colliding Plates: When two plates collide, the land gets pushed upwards, like squeezing clay! Over millions of years, this pushing and squeezing creates mountains.
• 🌋 Volcanoes: Sometimes, mountains are formed by volcanoes! A volcano is like a crack in the Earth where hot, melted rock (magma) comes out. When the magma cools and hardens, it forms a mountain over time.
• ⏳ Time: Remember, it takes a very, very long time for mountains to form! It's not something that happens in a day or even a year. It takes millions of years!

🖐️ Activity: Building Mountains

Materials: Blocks or clay

1. 🧱 Plate Collision: Give each student two blocks or pieces of clay. Have them slowly push the blocks or clay together. What happens? The clay or blocks should start to rise up, forming a little mountain!
2. 🌋 Volcano: (If using clay) Roll the clay into a cone shape. Make a small hole at the top. Explain that this is like a volcano, and the hole is where the magma comes out.

✅ Assessment

Quick Questions:

1. ❓ What are the big pieces of the Earth called?
2. ❓ What happens when these pieces crash into each other?
3. ❓ What is another way mountains can form?

📝 Review

Let's remember the key things:

• 🌍 Mountains are formed when the Earth's plates collide.
• 🌋 Volcanoes can also create mountains.
• ⏳ It takes millions of years to form mountains!