Students investigate how wind and water erosion can change San Diego slopes, beaches, and yards, and why that matters for people in their community. Through hands-on tests, they compare solutions such as plants, mulch, rocks, and ground cover, then design and revise a small model that keeps soil from blowing or washing away. The work builds science understanding, communication, collaboration, and problem solving as students use drawings, photos, partner talk, and class sharing to explain what their models do well and what they will improve. The project ends with classmates viewing and celebrating final models during a Mini Model Challenge Day.

Students will explain what wind and water erosion are, why erosion matters in San Diego, and how it can change slopes, beaches, yards, and other parts of a community. They will observe and compare how wind and water move soil, sand, and rocks, then use that information to design and build a model that helps keep soil from blowing or washing away. Students will test plants, roots, rocks, mulch, and ground cover in simple models, communicate their ideas with drawings, photos, speaking, and writing, and use feedback to revise one feature at a time. They will work with partners to share materials, make decisions, reflect after each test, and present their final erosion-control model to classmates on Mini Model Challenge Day.

Students will create observation drawings, simple sketches, and before-and-after photo or drawing sequences to show how wind and water change soil and how each design improves over time. In teams, they will build and revise mini erosion models of a San Diego slope, yard, or beach using soil, rocks, plants, mulch, and ground cover, then test them with fans and spray bottles. They will also prepare short oral explanations using their models and drawings to explain how their design slows erosion and why it matters for the community. By the end, each team will present a final erosion-control model during the Mini Model Challenge Day and share the evidence from their test-and-revise rounds with classmates.

Kick off the project with a San Diego Erosion Walk photo gallery and a short hands-on demo where students use a tray, soil, a fan, and a spray bottle to see how wind and water can move land. Invite students to notice places like slopes, beaches, and yards, then ask: How does wind and water erosion affect people in our community, how can we slow it, and how can we design something that keeps soil from blowing or washing away? Students record observations with quick sketches and partner talk, then a landscape architect, city parks worker, or garden center partner shares how grasses, mulch, rocks, and native plants help hold soil in place. End by introducing the challenge: build and test a small model of a San Diego slope, yard, or beach that can slow erosion during wind and rain tests.

Students will share their erosion-control models during a Mini Model Challenge Day, testing final designs in front of classmates and explaining how their model keeps soil from blowing or washing away. Each team can display a simple before-and-after drawing or photo sequence, name the materials they used, and describe one revision that improved their design. Invite a landscape architect, city parks worker, or nursery partner to visit, ask questions, and celebrate how students connected their models to San Diego slopes, yards, or beaches. End with a short class celebration and simple awards such as “Strongest Wind Blocker,” “Best Rain Protector,” or “Most Improved Design.”