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DISCUSS: Why do you think there are these CRACKS in the ground like this? What makes a canyon?

Canyon crack image

Video trouble?

DISCUSS: Can you think of an experiment that would let you figure out whether WATER could make a canyon?

Video trouble?

Extend this lesson

Experiment 1: Cornmeal Landscapes

Have students work in pairs and use the cornmeal-and-salt “land” to make a landscape of their own design. Ask them to:

include some high land—a hill or a mountain or a plateau
include some low areas—valleys or plains or even a cave
choose where the cup will drip and predict what will happen
draw a “before” picture
try the experiment
document the changes by drawing an “after” picture

Experiment 2: Make a River (part 1)

Discuss:

How could you make a river that flows across a plate of cornmeal?

If you want to know how we did it at Mystery Science, go to Make a River (part 2).

Experiment 2: Make a River (part 2)

At Mystery Science, we knew that rivers flow downhill. So we filled a plate with cornmeal, tamping it down so it stayed put. Then we tilted the plate on another plate, and set up our drip stick. Here’s our river.

cornmealriver

You can try our method — or make up your own.

Return to Make a River (Part 1).

landform

1 of 14

a natural structure of Earth's surface, like a mountain or canyon

hill

2 of 14

a high area of land that isn't as tall as a mountain

mountain

3 of 14

a high area of land with steep sides

slope

4 of 14

where one side is higher than the other

steep

5 of 14

something that is very high up on one end and very low at the other end

canyon

6 of 14

a deep hole in the ground formed over a long time by moving water

cliff

7 of 14

a high area of land with a side that is almost straight up-and-down

river

8 of 14

a long, thin area of water that flows

flow

9 of 14

to move along

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erosion

10 of 14

when tiny bits of rock are moved from one place to another

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plateau

11 of 14

a high area of land that is flat on top

model

12 of 14

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with

experiment

13 of 14

a test used to discover new information about a question

observe

14 of 14

to pay close attention to something

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration

plains by The American Bazaar

Avalanche Canyon by Acroterion

kid looking out car window by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Zurijeta

Rocky Mountain National Park by Vin Kohl

Grand Canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Bryan Busovicki

looking out at the Grand Canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: kojihirano

kid exploring slot canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: mhgstan

walkthrough of Lower Antelope Canyon by Prouisorsapientiae

slot canyon hike by Nature for Kids

South Napa earthquake by Dan Ponti (USGS)

Kumamoto, Japan earthquake by Image used under license from Alamy.com: Aflo Co. Ltd.

aerial view of Grand Canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Sam Chadwick

kid walking through slot canyon by Utah Physical Therapy - Lehi

Antelope Canyon flash flood by manzonbo

water splash by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Fisher Photostudio

excavator by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: smereka

Lower Antelope Canyon flood by TheMrByrom

rafting in the Grand Canyon by Miguel Filipe

outpour from gutter by Habitat Gardens

ditch by USDA NRCS Photo Gallery

channel by Landscape Drainage Solutions

backyard erosion by Catholic Mom Apologia

Activity

flat mountain by Bluesnap

prairie dogs by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: nhtg

four prarie dogs by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: scooperdigital

Fry Canyon by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Malgorzata Litkowska

alluvial fan by NPS Archives (USGS)

coastal landslide by USGS

Credits

“This was the most involved in preparing and setting up, but also the most rewarding of all! The steps helped the students conduct the demonstration perfectly! They were exclaiming and shouting out the names of landforms as the water changed their models. They were comparing and seeing differences, drawing conclusions, and making connections. As a teacher, you might be tempted to skip this one just because it involves more prep and more time, but don't! It was the most impactful experience and provides such a powerful learning opportunity!”

“The amount of student "aha" moments and level of engagement was off the chart! There are many small pieces to put together to make this happen, and it requires a bit more clean up than other mysteries. The trade off is the connections the students make to the power of water! It may be my new favorite mystery!”

“It was a really visual demonstration of erosion and the kids made the connection that the cornmeal that had flowed down the plate was like the sand formed in M2 about the boulders breaking up into sand in the river. ”

“Excellent activity on seeing how water can create canyons. My students loved it. We actually did it two days in a row just because we didn't quite finish the mystery the first day. The second day we did the activity outside which helped to make less of a mess and was a fun learning environment for the activity.”

“The best part always it the well designed lessons from the Mystery Science team!! I could never put this together every week. Students learn and use science vocabulary when having discussions. It was a very fun lesson. We were amazed at how destructive water can be. ”

“As we went through the experiment, we thought some of our "canyons" failed, but at the end we saw that there were different ways they may have turned out... the kids were so excited to match their canyon to the ones in the pictures!”

“The connection between how water can create a canyon, fan, or landslide was represented in the students’ experiments. We had models that just developed a canyon, but we also had models that showed a range of developments. The students learned a lot about the power of water.”

“The students LOVED this activity. It was fun discussing their theories on what else the water could have produced. They easily pulled the lesson from the previous week and realized this was how rivers were produced. Great lesson! ”

“The students were so excited with the hands-on experiment. They were amazed at how they were able to create a canyon. I heard comments such as, "This is the best day of school ever!" "I love science" and "This is so much fun." Anything that makes my students excited about learning and school gets me excited too!”

“The best one out of all the mysteries in this unit. My kids loved the Cornmeal Canyon activity and some even thanked me for doing it! I've never had that kind of response! These lessons also really got my kids asking questions. They are very excited to find the answers to their questions. I've already told my principal after this free trail is over, that we really need to purchase this for our school. I can't wait to see your future units. ”

“It took a while to set up the activity, but so worth it! This is the best activity out of this mystery. My students loved it and actually thanked me for doing it with them! It really made them think.”

“It was so loud in my classroom (and messy-I would definitely get another parent volunteer next time) but my students were talking about the experiment! The video at the end of the activity really showed them how their models had shown exactly what happens in nature; just on a smaller scale. I will be sharing with my grade-level colleagues.”

“It was messy - but totally worth it! When a child came to school this morning, I opened her car door and she said, "Do you remember making the canyons yesterday!" Obviously a hit with the kids :)”

Cornmeal Canyons Prep Instructions teacher-only resource	1 copy
How Did Water Change Your Land? worksheet	30 copies
Clean-up Supplies (Eg. Paper Towels)	1 roll
Mixing Bowl	1 bowl
Rulers	15 rulers
Table Covering (eg. Trash Bags)	16 bags
Cornmeal	8 cups
Dixie Cups (3 oz)	60 cups
Measuring Cup	1 cup
Paper Plates	15 plates
Plastic Containers w/ Lids Each container must be large enough to hold about 1 cup of cornmeal “land.”	Details 8 containers
Plastic Plates (10")	15 plates
Plastic Spoons	30 spoons
Push Pins	1 pin
Salt	3 cups
Small Binder Clips (3/4")	30 clips
Solo Cups (9 oz)	45 cups
Plastic Cups (1 oz)	15 cups
Sticky Tack	15 strips

What’s strong enough to make a canyon?

Vocabulary

Unit Reading

Assessments

Experiment 1: Cornmeal Landscapes