004 - Glacial Erosional Landforms

Factual Question

How do the processes of erosion create landforms in glaciated environments?

Approaches to Learning

Research - Media Literacy Skills - Interacting with media to use and create ideas and information - Compare, contrast and draw connections among (multi)media resources. 

Key Terminology


Useful Links

There are quite a few new terms to get to grips with this lesson. We aren't going to define them straight away as the definitions are part of the activities. If you are still unsure of what these terms mean by the end of the lesson then use the 'Useful Links' below:


Activity One - Explain - Processes

Before we start to really investigate different erosional landforms that are created by a glacier we need to understand what creates the change in this cold environments, the processes. Without having the knowledge of the processes we unable to understand how the glacial landforms are formed. While you will be introduced to unfamiliar processes do remember it is like following a recipe, a step by step process. Using the 'Useful Resources' below, explain how the following processes occur:

Weathering (breaks down the rock)


Erosion (wearing the rock away)

Activity Two - Group Work - Landforms

As a team we are going to be investigating five key erosional landforms that can be found in a glaciated environment. To do this you are going to be working in teams of two or three to become 'experts' on the formation of one landform. In your teams you will be creating a short (no more than three minutes) Google Slide presentation in which you will focus on the following:



Each team will be given one of the specific landforms below and there are a mixture of visual and written resources online in the 'Useful Resources' box below. We are also going to go retro and delve into the Geography text books that can be found at the back of the classroom. The classics such as 'Geography: An Integrated Approach' by Waugh, 'Glaciation and Periglaciation' text book by Knight pages 33-42 and 'Our Planet's Extreme Environments' text book by Codrington Pages 41-45 are super useful.

Erosional Landforms

Cirque U Shaped Valley Hanging Valley Arete Pyramidal Peak Truncated Spur

Activity Three - Listen and Record

Now each group is an expert in a specific landform it is time for us all to gain knowledge of what the different erosional landforms look like and understand how they are formed. To do this names will be picked at random to present their findings. As each team presents you will complete a copy of the landform grid below. There will be time to ask questions and to go back and copy the diagrams used in the presentations. 

Glacial Erosional Landforms