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
- PBS LearningMedia | Iowa Land and Sky: Geology Storyline: This complete unit contains objectives, phenomena, and instruction all linked back to the Iowa Core.
- State of Iowa | Landform Regions of Iowa: Simple explanations and map of how the glacier shaped Iowa's landscape.
- Iowa DNR | Iowa's Geology: Provided by the Iowa DNR, this site contains a description and map of the state of Iowa's bedrock geology.
Contributors
Media produced for Iowa Land and Sky by Iowa PBS.
Funding for Iowa Science Phenomena Provided By




