Boulder to Sand, Order the Rock Sizes

Start with something students can look at or think about: a photo, a short video, a jar on the windowsill, or a question like "what do you already know about weathering and erosion?" Then let them work through it independently after a quick group example, checking in with a partner if they get stuck, keeping a word bank or anchor chart in view so the vocabulary stays available. When you review, ask students how they knew, and let them point to the part of the diagram or reading that told them. These weathering and erosion worksheets work well as a lead in before an investigation, as a way to capture what students noticed afterward, or as review before an assessment.

Number boulder, rock, pebble and sand from biggest to smallest and answer three questions. Weathering is when wind, water and ice break big rocks into smaller pieces. The directions on the page read: Read the size box. Then, write 1 to 4 in the boxes, from the biggest (1) to the smallest (4). Then, answer the questions. The answer key shows every answer.

Yes, both. We made it for 2nd Grade Earth and water, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with weathering and erosion. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

Students learn that weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces through physical and chemical processes, while erosion carries those pieces away by wind or water. For 7-8 year olds, visible examples like canyon formation, beach erosion, and potholes in roads make the long-term processes immediately real.

Weathering and erosion are introduced in Grade 2 Earth science as part of earth surface change units. The topic connects to rocks and minerals lessons (what gets weathered) and to landforms lessons (the shapes that result from erosion over time).

Simulate erosion in a baking pan, pile up dirt and sand to make a hill, then drizzle water over it slowly and observe what happens to the shape. Using the worksheets to record predictions and observations before and after the experiment models real scientific investigation.

2 printable worksheets, all free to preview. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

These are written for 2nd Grade students, roughly ages 7-8. Many teachers also use them a grade up for review or a grade down as an extension, so use the preview to judge the fit for a particular child.

Yes. Each one shows the NGSS code it covers on its own page, so you can check the alignment yourself rather than taking our word for it.