Homeschool Guide: These lesson plans are a guide for parents. Content may contain errors — always cross-reference with official exam board specifications.

erosion, transport & deposition

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4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.

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Lesson Overview

Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA

Learning Objectives

Prerequisites

Materials & Equipment

Lesson 1: Introduction: erosion, transport & deposition

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Write down everything you already know about erosion, transport & deposition. Then check against the key terms: key terms from erosion, transport & deposition. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: key terms from erosion, transport & deposition.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: erosion, transport & deposition. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Geology because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look

Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: explain the key ideas of erosion, transport & deposition

Plenary (5 minutes)

Check Out

Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about erosion, transport & deposition.

Lesson 2: Core Concepts: erosion, transport & deposition

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Review Previous Lesson

Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on erosion, transport & deposition. Check them against the notes below.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Key Fact: Erosion is the removal and transport of weathered material by rivers, wind, ice and gravity
Key Fact: River erosion processes: hydraulic action (force of water), abrasion (sediment scraping bedrock), attrition (particles rounding), solution (dissolving)
Key Fact: Transport methods: traction (rolling large particles), saltation (bouncing), suspension (fine particles carried in water), solution (dissolved load)
Key Fact: Deposition occurs when the transporting agent loses energy: river slows (inside of meander, floodplain), glacier melts, wind drops
Key Fact: Glacial erosion: plucking (freezing onto rock and pulling fragments), abrasion (rock-laden ice scouring bedrock, producing striations)
Key Fact: Wind erosion and deposition: deflation (removing fine material), abrasion (sand-blasting), loess (wind-blown silt deposits)

Practice (10 minutes)

Q: explain the key ideas of erosion, transport & deposition

Answer:

Plenary (5 minutes)

Explain Back

Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.

Lesson 3: Application: erosion, transport & deposition

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Recall the key terms: key terms from erosion, transport & deposition. Define each in one sentence.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.

Work through the practice questions on the revision notes page for this topic.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Error Review

Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.

Lesson 4: Exam Practice: erosion, transport & deposition

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Command Words

Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).

Main Content (35 minutes)

Exam-Style Question

Attempt a past-paper style question on erosion, transport & deposition from the exam board past paper finder (see Resources), then mark it against the scheme.

Exam Tips: Four erosion processes: hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, solution | Four transport methods: traction, saltation, suspension, solution | Deposition = loss of energy (velocity, gradient, volume decrease) | Glacial: plucking and abrasion; River: hydraulic action and abrasion
Common Errors: ✗ Attrition and abrasion are the same ✓ Abrasion is sediment scraping the BEDROCK (wearing down the river bed). Attrition is particles colliding with EACH OTHER, making them smaller and rounder ✗ Deposition only happens in still water ✓ Deposition occurs whenever transport energy drops below the threshold needed to carry the sediment, which can happen in slow but still-moving water (e.g. inside of a meander bend) ✗ Glaciers carry sediment on top only ✓ Glaciers carry sediment at the base (subglacial, by abrasion and plucking), within the ice (englacial), and on the surface (supraglacial, from rockfall onto the ice)
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
  • Synoptic links: explain how erosion, transport & deposition connects to another Geology topic you have studied
  • Real-world: research one real-world use or example of erosion, transport & deposition
  • Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in erosion, transport & deposition?"

Plenary (5 minutes)

Assessment Criteria
  • Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
  • Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
  • Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2

Homework & Consolidation

Recommended Resources

🎓 Smart Lesson (Guided)