SUBJECT: Science

GRADE: Fifth

TECHNOLOGY: Internet

BY: Jennifer Giles, April Bahen, Cecilia Rennix

 

Target Grade/Subject

This lesson is intended for a fifth grade, heterogeneous class of twenty-four students. It is assumed that the students have experience using the Internet and that the students possess a general definition of a cave and cavern before the lesson begins.

According to Piaget, the 10-11 year old is in the cognitive stage of concrete operations. That is, the child can think logically but still finds it difficult to grasp the abstract. He/she learns new concepts and theories most easily when given concrete examples. It also means the child can also answer questions and complete projects that are concrete and do not require abstract thinking. Instructional recommendations at this age include the use of concrete props and visual aids, allowing students to manipulate/test items, giving brief, well-organized presentations of new concepts, and the use of familiar examples. Vygotsky suggests that the individual learns best when interacting with people and tools that come from his/her culture. Using familiar people and tools, and scaffolding by capable peers or teachers, the child grasps new concepts in the zone of proximal development. Information processing proposes that new information is understood and remembered when it can be related to other, known information. Recent research supports the construction of knowledge by allowing students to build on their existing framework, manipulating that knowledge in new ways to bring understanding of the new concept.

In this lesson the students will focus on discovering information about the geological formation Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia and cavern formation in general. Students will use the Internet to perform their inquiry before taking a field trip to Luray Caverns. The Internet is a well-known tool that is popular because of its visual stimulation, ease of use, and interactive capabilities. It is also a useful educational tool because of the wealth of information that is at the individualâs fingertips. The students will be provided with a number of Internet sites to focus their search. In addition to answering concrete, convergent questions, the student will have a couple of divergent questions to answer. The student will also be able to share the answers to the divergent questions with the class. These open-ended questions are included to heighten motivation for the students.

Objectives

1. Given websites, students will work in pairs to actively explore sites to get an overview of the rock cycle and the effects of erosion on the formation of caverns in preparation for a field trip to Luray Caverns.

2. Given websites and a teacher made worksheet listing five questions, students will work in pairs to answer questions in preparation for a field trip to Luray Caverns with 80 % accuracy.

3. Given fifty minutes to explore websites and answer worksheet questions, students will participate in a class discussion of their findings.

STANDARDS: Virginia SOL (5.7) - The student will investigate and understand how the Earth's surface is constantly changing. Key concepts include:

• the rock cycle including the identification of rock types;
• weathering and erosion

Materials

12 Computers; 24 Worksheets; List of websites; Writing Implements

Lesson Description

1.      This lesson is in preparation for an upcoming field trip to Luray Caverns. It is a brief introduction to Luray Caverns and what the students will be learning during the field trip.

2.      Tell the students that they are going to investigate some websites to learn about Luray Caverns in preparation for their field trip. Tell them that they should use this time to answer their own questions about what they are going to be seeing on the field trip, to familiarize themselves with Luray Caverns and itâs history, and to develop any questions they might want answered while they are on the field trip.

3.      Tell students to pick a partner with whom they will work.

4.      Put the following websites on the board:

a.       http://rville.k12.mo.us/Cave/pages.html

b.      http://www.luraycaverns.com

c.      http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html

5.      Tell the students to take about 10 minutes to explore at least one of these sites to learn more about caves, caverns, and Luray Caverns.

6.      After the students have had about 10 minutes to explore on their own, give them the worksheet (attached) so that they can use the websites to answer questions.

7.      Tell the students they have about 40 minutes to complete the worksheet and then the class will discuss the answers.

8.      While students are doing the worksheet, circulate around the room to help any students that need assistance and to make sure that all students are on track.

9.      After 40 minutes, get the class back together to go over the worksheet. Get students to answer the questions, allowing them to go to the board if necessary. Also, use this time to discuss anything that students are interested in or have questions about.

10.  Tell students they should continue to familiarize themselves with Luray Caverns when they have free time and to develop questions they want answered when they go on the field trip.

Evaluation

• Students will be evaluated on the basis of their worksheet answers, cooperation with partners, and participation in class discussion.
• Each correct answer on the worksheet is worth 20 points, and the bonus item is worth 15 points.
• Evaluation of cooperation with partners will be based on the teacher's observations while circulating around the room. Behaviors affecting the cooperation grade include attention, staying on-task, and demonstrating respect for property and others. The cooperation evaluation involves a check for appropriate behavior and a check minus for inappropriate behavior (minor lapses will be ignored).
• Evaluation of participation in class discussion will be based on the teacher's observations. Behaviors affecting the participation grade include attention, raising hands to answer questions, and demonstrating respect for others. The participation evaluation involves a check for appropriate behavior and a check minus for inappropriate behavior (minor lapses will be ignored).

1.        How are stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and pillars formed inside caverns? Draw a simple picture of each.

2. From where did the sediment come that eventually formed the Luray Cavern walls?

3. Of the three types of rock in the rock cycle, which one makes up Luray Caverns?

4. How is the type of rock in question #3 formed?

5. How were Luray Caverns discovered?

Bonus Questions:

Which of the rooms in Luray Caverns do you think will be your favorite? Why?

OR

Tell the class an unusual fact you discovered about caverns or geology while searching the websites.

Answers to some of the questions on the worksheet.

2) Q: Where did the sediments come from that eventually formed the rock walls of Luray Caverns? A: (From the settling out of water-borne and then limestone sediments on the ocean floor that once covered where Luray now is found) www.luraycaverns.com/pages/classroom.html

3) Q: Of the three types of rock in the rock cycle, which one makes up Luray Caverns? A: (Metamorphic)

4) Q: How is this type of rock formed? A: (Heat and Pressure) www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html

5) Q What rock (mineral) makes up the walls of Luray Caverns that also makes up the walls of the caves and aquifers found in Florida? (Limestone) www.luraycaverns.com/pages/classroom.html

(for various purposes (i.e. performing searches, doing research, maneuvering through webpages, etc.)

A mineral is an element of chemical compound that is normally crystalline and that has been formed as a result of geological processes.' (Nickel, E.H. 1995).

5.1 The student will plan and conduct investigations in which rocks, minerals, and organisms are identified using a classification key;

//webmineral.com/specimens.shtml

1)What was the geographical range of the body of water that occurred after the separation of the American plates from the European/African plate? (It ranged from Alabama to Newfoundland)

www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/plates1.html

3)Describe a set of tectonic plate shifts that eventually formed the Appalachian Mountain Range where Luray Caverns is located. (Americas and Europe and Africa separated, then North America and Africa collided)

www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/plates1.html, www.luraycaverns.com/pages/classroom.html

www.mme.state.va.us/Dmr/PUB/Brochures/cave.html

//geog.gmu.edu/gess/classes/geog380/index.html (geog380/2rocks.html)

www.wm.edu/geology/virginia

www.athena.ivv.nasa.gov/curric/land/index.html

www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html

(geotime.html)