All lessons › Shaping the land › Lesson 2
Australian primary science · Year 5 · Lesson 2 of 3
Storm on the beach
Inquiry question: How fast can a storm change a beach, and how should a community respond?
Marked no materials needed
Pattern seeking
What students learn
Storms can erode a beach in days, while waves slowly bring sand back over months or years. Long-term measurements help communities identify problems, consider responses and make decisions.
Success criteria
- I can calculate changes from one measurement to the next.
- I can describe the trend before and after the storm.
- I can weigh up responses to beach erosion using evidence.
Preparation and materials
Before this lesson: Students can explain erosion, transport and deposition (lesson 1).
- iPads with Bottlebrush Education open (nothing else needed) — 13 (one per pair)
- Projector or big screen — 1
Teacher setup
- Open this lesson’s student view (the beach width table) on your screen to demonstrate.
- Check the iPads are charged.
Safety and adaptations
Follow school science and equipment risk assessment procedures for the materials used.
Review your school policies and curriculum requirements before teaching.
How to investigate
The lesson sequence should leave pupils with evidence to interpret, not only an activity to finish.
- Pairs read the beach width table in the student view.
- Calculate the change from each measurement to the next (+ for wider, − for narrower).
- Label each change as erosion or deposition.
- Describe the trend before the storm, during it and after it.
- Read the community options and choose the response you would recommend, with evidence.
Teacher modelling prompt
Read the first two rows. Think aloud: “January 2016: 60 metres. March: 62. The change is plus 2 metres, so a little sand was deposited.” Then the June row: “From 58 to 20. That’s minus 38 metres in a few days. That’s fast erosion.” Show how to write each change.
Record and explain evidence
Recording question: How fast can a storm change a beach, and how should a community respond?
| Date | Beach width (m) | Change since last time (m) | Erosion or deposition? | Fast or slow change? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Example recording headings; record actual observations, including inconclusive results.
Discussion prompt
Which response uses more of the evidence?
Provided example or reference data
Example data: width of a sandy beach in New South Wales, measured from a fixed post to the water’s edge (made up for this lesson, showing the pattern scientists measure after big storms)
| Date | Beach width | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| January 2016 | 60 m | Calm summer |
| March 2016 | 62 m | |
| May 2016 | 58 m | |
| June 2016 (after the storm) | 20 m | A huge storm with big waves hit for three days |
| August 2016 | 27 m | |
| October 2016 | 35 m | |
| December 2016 | 43 m | |
| March 2017 | 50 m | |
| June 2017 | 54 m | |
| Community options | 1. Plant native grasses on the dunes and fence them off. 2. Truck in sand to widen the beach. 3. Build a rock wall in front of houses. 4. Move paths and buildings further back from the beach. |
Check the data source in the teacher lesson. Illustrative or fictional data are not measurements collected by your class.
Check understanding
What should pupils know? Was the change in June 2016 slow or fast? What process caused it?
Explain with evidence: Describe what happened to the beach width after the storm, and explain the trend.
Apply the idea: Which community option would you choose? Give one piece of evidence and one disadvantage of your choice.
Teacher answer guidance and saved classroom work are available through the main lesson experience where supported.