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2nd grade · Science · Unit 5 of 7

Fast & Slow Earth Changes

Volcanoes in a day, canyons over ages.

What your child practices

Practices sorting Earth events into fast ones (eruptions, landslides, floods) and slow ones (erosion, carving canyons), and comparing ways people slow wind and water from changing land.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 2.E1U1.4; 2.E1U3.7 · how wind and water change the shape of the land

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Some changes are fast, like volcanoes, landslides and floods.
  2. Some are slow, like wind and water wearing away land over years.
  3. Plant roots and rock walls help slow these changes.

Example: Water carves a canyon over many years. Fast or slow? Many years is a long time. That is a slow change. Answer: slow

Fast & Slow Earth Changes in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 5 of 7 in 2nd grade Science, after Mixtures & Materials and before Plants, Seeds & Pollinators.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Mount St. Helens erupted in one day. That is a…

    • pretend change
    • fast change
    • no change
    • slow change

  2. Question 2

    Which can slow wind from blowing away soil?

    • Cutting trees
    • A paved road
    • Bare dirt
    • A row of trees

  3. Question 3

    A landslide is when…

    • a plant grows
    • rocks and soil slide down a hill
    • the sun sets
    • it snows

  4. Question 4

    A flood happens after a lot of rain. It is…

    • slow
    • fast
    • never
    • millions of years

  5. Question 5

    An earthquake shakes the ground. It is a…

    • fast change
    • plant change
    • slow change
    • weather pattern

  6. Question 6

    Which is a way to stop a hill from sliding?

    • Remove all plants
    • Plant grass and shrubs
    • Pour water on it
    • Dig the bottom away

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