Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify and locate different landforms using play-doh.

Materials and Prep

• Play-Doh (various colors)
• Printed pictures or drawings of different landforms (mountain, hill, valley, river, lake, ocean, etc.)

Activities

1. Create Landforms: Show the pictures or drawings of different landforms to the student. Explain what each landform is and its characteristics. Then, ask the student to use play-doh to create their own versions of the landforms.
2. Landform Identification: Once the play-doh landforms are ready, place them randomly on a table or the floor. Ask the student to identify and name each landform as you point to them. Encourage them to describe the characteristics of each landform as well.
3. Landform Sorting: Prepare a large sheet of paper or a poster board with labels for different landforms. Have the student sort their play-doh landforms into the correct categories. This activity will reinforce their understanding of the different landforms.

Kindergarten Grade Talking Points

• "Today, we are going to learn about different landforms using play-doh!"
• "A mountain is a very tall and high landform. It looks like a big triangle. Can you make a mountain with play-doh?"
• "A hill is smaller than a mountain. It is not as tall. How would you make a hill with play-doh?"
• "A valley is a low land between mountains or hills. It looks like a long, flat area. Can you create a valley using play-doh?"
• "A river is a long, flowing body of water. It can be narrow or wide. How would you shape play-doh to make a river?"
• "A lake is a large body of water surrounded by land. It is usually still and not flowing. Can you make a lake with play-doh?"
• "An ocean is a huge body of saltwater. It is the largest landform on Earth. How can you show an ocean using play-doh?"
• "Great job! Now, let's sort the play-doh landforms into their correct categories. Can you put the mountains together? How about the rivers?"
• "You did a fantastic job learning about landforms today! Now you know how to identify and create different landforms using play-doh."