Finding patterns in data
Analyse and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth's features, recognising that many features result from processes that occur over long periods
What a learner can do afterwards
- Use a map to identify patterns in the location of mountains, rivers, lakes, and other features
- Describe patterns observed (e.g. mountains in chains, rivers flow from high to low ground)
- Explain that Earth's features result from processes like erosion, volcanic activity, and plate movement over long periods
The lesson
A map is full of clues. If you look closely at where mountains, rivers, and lakes sit, you will notice they are not scattered evenly. They line up in patterns, and those patterns can tell you a story about how the land formed.
Priya studies a map of her country. She notices a line of mountains running along one edge, and several rivers flowing away from those mountains toward the coast. She writes down what she sees: the mountains form a line, and the rivers all flow from high ground down to the sea.
When you spot a pattern, ask what caused it. A chain of mountains often means two giant pieces of Earth's crust pushed together over millions of years. A winding river canyon means water wore away rock, bit by bit, for a very long time.
Patterns on a map, like mountain chains or rivers running to the sea, are clues that slow processes shaped the land over long stretches of time.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.