Grand Canyon
Geological Field Trips:
Lesson Plan #1: Virtual Field Trip to the Grand Canyon
Created by:
Patti Zvanut, ABC Unified School District, Cerritos, CA USA
Lesson Plan #1: Virtual Field Trip to the Grand Canyon
Objective:
Students will utilize the Internet to take a "virtual field trip" to the Grand Canyon to discover how it was formed, where all the rocks came from, and when it all happened.
Objective:
Students will utilize the Internet to take a "virtual field trip" to the Grand Canyon to discover how it was formed, where all the rocks came from, and when it all happened.
WWW Resource Address:
http://www.kaibab.org/geology/gc_geol.htm
Time Required:
Two forty-five minute periods in the computer lab.
Suggested Grade Level:
Grades 4-8
Grouping:
Students will work in groups of two on a computer that has access to the Internet.
Enrichment:
Students may make a PowerPoint or Hyperstudio presentation on the topic or related topics and present it to the class. Some students may wish to go to the Grand Canyon and a make a photographic or video account of their expedition.
Materials:
Sixteen computers that have access to the Internet. Teacher made worksheets. Student floppy disks or any other removable storage media to store all work and bookmarks.
Teacher Preparation:
Students must have the skills to use a Web Browser, Word Processor and know how to save their work in the correct locations.
Read background information on the geology of the Grand Canyon, the theory of plate tectonics, and continental drift.
Simplify information on plate tectonics and continental drift for lecture with students.
Run off plate tectonic puzzle worksheet.
Create worksheet to be used on virtual field trip.
Have students gather around one computer to demonstrate how to access the Internet with the proper Internet address.
Procedure:
Students will complete the Previous Knowledge section of their worksheet independently.
Students will choose a partner to work with on the computer.
Students will log on to the Internet and begin typing in the Grand Canyon address.
Students will read and work together to answer the questions from their worksheet while exploring the Grand Canyon.
Students will take turns using the keyboard, and both will be responsible for recording their own notes and answers. They will work cooperatively as a team.
Evaluation:
The worksheet will include a student self-assessment. Information gathered from this field trip will be included on the Geology Unit test.
Students may give a short five minute presentation demonstrating what they have learned. Casual observation by the instructor will determine whether the students are on task.
All work including bookmarks should be saved to a student floppy disk.
************** Worksheet: *************
Note for teachers:
These worksheets can be highlighted, copied (Ctrl+C) and pasted (Ctrl+V) into a word processing program such as Microsoft Word. The worksheets may be printed out and used in conjunction with the Student Web quest. Additional formatting is required to get the desired look in the work processor.
Name_________________Period #___
Date _____________________
Partner's name: _________________________
Grand Canyon Virtual Field Trip on the Internet
Previous Knowledge.
1. What do you know about the Grand Canyon? Why is it famous? ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2 . What does the Grand Canyon show us about the Earth's history? ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Have you ever visited the Grand Canyon before? If so, what can you remember about your trip?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. How old do you think the Earth is? __________________________________________
Visit the following Web Site.
http://www.kaibab.org/geology/gc_geol.htm#how
Field Trip Questions
1. What is the most powerful force to have an impact on the formation of the Grand Canyon?
Explain how it works? ____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the name of the river that has contributed to the formation of the Grand Canyon?
____________________________________________________________
3. The soil in the Grand Canyon is baked hard by the sun. Plants have shallow roots and cannot hold very much water. When it rains, there's nothing to hold the rocks and soil in place. The result is a _____________ ___________ so strong that it can move boulders the size of cars, buses, and even small houses!
4. The next most powerful force is ________. It expands and pushes the rocks apart causing cracks. The rocks eventually fall into the canyon and break into smaller pieces. It is then carried down the river during the next rainfall.
5. Rocks and sediments are pushed along the river. They slowly eat away at the ground. What happens to the size of the river? __________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Where did all of the rock come from? Watch the simulation of continental drift.
Notice how the land was 550 MYA (million years ago), 220 MYA, 190 MYA, 136 MYA, 65 MYA, to the present day. The Grand Canyon is marked with a red dot. It is on the North American plate. Where was the Grand Canyon located 550 MYA?
____________________ ____________________________________________________
7. In time, the Grand Canyon moved __________ and turned about _____ degrees to reach its present location.
8. We know that when tectonic plates move towards each other, they buckle up and form mountains. The base of the Grand Canyon was made up of mountains formed about _______billion years ago. That's about ____ the age of the Earth.
9. The mountains have eroded away, and sedimentary rock has covered them over.
We have found fossils that have proven the Grand Canyon was once formed under the ocean. Give three examples of the types of fossils found that prove this.
___________________,______________________, ______________________________
10. The first sedimentary layer was formed about 1.25 billion years ago. It is called the __________ Formation.
11. The top layer of the Grand Canyon is made of many marine fossils. This layer is about 250 million years old and is called ________________.
12. The Rocky Mountains begin to form ______ - ______ million years ago, and soon after the Colorado River was born.
Evaluation
1. Did you and your partner take turns sitting at the keyboard, and using the mouse? __________
If not, tell why. ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. What did you enjoy best about your field trip to the Grand Canyon? ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Did you have any problems? Explain. ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Where would you like to visit next? How could it further your knowledge of Geology?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Created August 1, 1997
Last Revised March 23, 2000