Iowa's Geology Diversity

The wide ranging geologic diversity across Iowa is shown.

Video
Des Moines

Iowa Core Standard

MS-ESS2-2

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales

Driving Question

  • What does Iowa's surface look like?  

Probing Questions

  • Why doesn't all of Iowa look the same? 
  • What might have caused these differences? 
  • What does it look like where we live?
  • How were Iowa's features formed?

Classroom Suggestions

Students could:

  • Use one or more of the lessons from Geology Land and Sky Storyline
  • Make predictions of what Iowa landscape looks like before watching video.  Compare different ideas and confirm with video. 
  • Use as anchoring phenomena to discuss why the landscape looks different across Iowa.
  • Plan and carry out investigations as to how glaciers could have changed Iowa's land.
  • Use a model to study the scale of geologic time.
  • Develop an emerging model that represents the current surface of the Earth, beyond those of Iowa.
  • Develop an emerging model that represents the processes currently impacting Iowa's surface.
  • Assign student groups different Iowa landforms and share out Iowa's geologic history. 
  • Generate a list of landforms in the local area.

Resources

Contributors

Media produced for Iowa Land and Sky by Iowa PBS.

Funding for Iowa Science Phenomena Provided By

Aliant Energy
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Musco Lighting
Pella
Reserve Endowment and Protection (REAP)