Chapter 34

Landforms in Journey

Lesson Overview

Title: Journey Through Earth's Systems: Modeling a Digital Desert
Subject: Science (Earth and Space Science)
Age Group(s): 11–14 (Middle School)
Tags: Earth science, weathering, Earth systems, resource distribution, gamification, modeling, Journey (game)

Description:
In this lesson, students will analyze gameplay from the video game Journey to explore key Earth science concepts. They will develop a model to describe how energy from the sun drives the weathering of rock and the creation of desert landscapes, and explain how these processes lead to the uneven distribution of Earth's resources.

Lesson Plan

📋 Find the full lesson plan on the companion GameClass lesson — link at the bottom of this page!

Lesson Content

I. Key Teaching Points

  • Point 1: The sun's energy drives weather patterns like wind, which physically weathers rock into smaller particles like sand over millions of years.
  • Point 2: These weathered particles are transported and deposited by wind, creating vast landforms like sand dunes and shaping desert landscapes.
  • Point 3: Geological processes result in an uneven distribution of resources; deserts are rich in minerals like sand but are defined by their scarcity of liquid water and fertile soil.

II. Practical Examples

For Teaching Point 1:
The video consistently shows a bright, powerful sun (0:03, 0:28), which students can identify as the primary energy source. The hazy atmosphere and the implied wind that causes the character's cloak to flow (0:45) are effects of this energy. The ancient, weathered stone structures sticking out of the sand (0:13) serve as a perfect visual example of larger rock formations that have been broken down by these forces over time.

For Teaching Point 2:
The entire setting of the video is a massive desert made of rolling sand dunes (0:28–0:32). These dunes are a direct, large-scale result of sand deposition by wind. Students can observe how the character moves through this landscape (0:41), emphasizing its vastness and the sheer volume of sediment required to create it.

For Teaching Point 3:
The gameplay visually demonstrates the concept of uneven resource distribution. The environment is almost entirely composed of sand — an abundant mineral resource — yet there is a clear and dramatic absence of water, plants, or soil. This stark contrast allows students to easily grasp that different environments are defined both by the resources they have and the ones they lack.

End of Lesson