Lesson 9 — Changing Earth's Surface: Weathering

Earth and space sciences, strand launch. Students discover that Earth's surface changes over time \u2014 usually very slowly. They are introduced to weathering (the breaking down of rock where it is) and its three types: mechanical (e.g. freeze\u2013thaw, river rocks), chemical (e.g. acid rain on limestone, rust) and biological (e.g. tree roots, mining). Learning begins with the Aboriginal story The Rainbow Serpent (Dick Roughsey), connecting change in the landscape to First Peoples' knowledge of Country, then a schoolground weathering hunt. Includes a slide deck with an animated freeze\u2013thaw and weathering-types build, the Weathering Detectives worksheet, and the Weathering Match-Up resource. Connects strongly to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures and to HASS geography.