1. Human Activity Do Now: A forest can be considered a natural resource.
Why do you think this is so?
EQ - What are the effects of human activity on erosion
and natural resources?

2. EQ - What are the effects of human activity on erosion
and natural resources?
GPS Which Standards are students learning in this unit?
S6E5. Students will investigate the scientific view of how the earth’s
surface is formed.
i. Explain the effects of human activity on the erosion of the earth’s
surface.
j. Describe methods for conserving natural resources such as water,
soil, and air.
S6E6. Students will describe various sources of energy and with their
uses and conservation.
a. Explain the role of the sun as the major source of energy and its
relationship to wind and water energy.

3. What is erosion?
The natural movement of sediment from one place to another.

4. What human activities cause erosion?
Humans cause erosion by logging, mining, farming, and construction.

5. What is logging? How logging contributes to erosion: Tree roots die
Clear-cutting – cutting down all trees in an area.
How logging contributes to erosion:
Tree roots die
Decay takes place
Nothing is left to anchor soil
Rain washes soil away

6. What is mining? Strip Mining – removes surface
Open Pit – cuts large pits
Both of these remove plant roots that anchor soil.

7. What is farming? How farming contributes to erosion:
Pulls nutrients out of the soil, leaving
the soil vulnerable to erosion.
Dust Bowl –
Removed grasses to plant wheat
Drought – little or no rain
Wheat died
Wind blew soil away
Only dust left

8. What is construction? Clear land to build
This removes plants and roots that anchor soil.

9. Key Questions What is soil conservation?
What methods prevent soil erosion?
What is a cover crop?
What is crop rotation?
What is contour plowing?
What is terracing?
What is windbreak?

10. Soil Conservation-various methods humans use to take care of the soil.
What is soil conservation?
Soil Conservation-various methods humans use to take care of the soil.

11. What methods prevent soil erosion?
Methods to prevent soil erosion-cover crop, crop rotation, contour plowing, terracing, and windbreak.

12. What is a cover crop?
Cover Crop-a crop that is planted in between harvests to reduce erosion and replace nutrients. Ex:soybean and clover

13. What is crop rotation?
Crop Rotation-change crops from year to year so that nutrients do not get depleted

14. What is contour plowing?
Contour plowing-rows in a field are plowed in curves instead of straight lines.

15. What is terracing?
Terracing-one steep field is changed into a series of smaller fields.

16. What is windbreak? Windbreak-planting trees around a field to
prevent wind erosion.