Geological Field Trips:

Lesson Plan #1: Virtual Field Trip to the Grand Canyon
Lesson Plan #2: Glaciers

Prepared by:Patti Zvanut, ABC Unified School District, Cerritos, CA USA

URL: http://www.can-do.com/lessons98/Canyon.html

More Internet Science Web Quests and Lesson Plans at These Locations:

1997 Lessons: http://www.can-do.com/uci/lessons97/index.html

1998 Lessons http://www.can-do.com/uci/lessons98/index.html

1999 Lessons http://www.can-do.com/uci/lessons99/index.html

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.

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.

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************** Worksheets: *************

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?

________________________________________________________________________

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**************************************

Lesson Plan #2: Glaciers

Objective:

Students will utilize the Internet to take a "virtual field trip" to visit a glacier and discover what the physical effects are on the land. They will also have the opportunity to visit Vermont and trace the pictorial history of how a whale's fossils were found there.

WWW Resource Address:
http://www.uvm.edu/whale/GlaciersGlacialAges.html

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.

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:

Read background information on glaciers by reviewing all the options on the Internet address.
Make copies of Glacier worksheet for students.

Procedure:

Students must have the skills to use a Web Browser, Word Processor and know how to save their work in the correct locations.
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 Glacier address.
Students will read and work together to answer the questions on their worksheet while exploring glaciers, and visiting Vermont's whale fossil.
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:

Students will be evaluated on both their cooperative behavior, and the quality of their work.

************************************************************************************

Worksheet Title:

Name ___________#___

Date ________________

Partner's Name ___________________

Virtual Field Trip on the Internet to Explore Glaciers

Previous Knowledge

1. Describe a glacier. What is it made of? _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. What do glaciers do to the land as they move around? _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

3. Name some places where someone can see a real glacier. _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Click on the hyper link or type the URL below.

http://www.uvm.edu/whale/GlaciersGlacialAges.html

Field Trip Questions

Click on: What are Glaciers?

1. What are glaciers made of? How were they formed?

_________________________________________________________________________

Click on: What are the physical effects of glaciers?

2. What does a glacier do to the bedrock surface of the earth as it moves around?

_________________________________________________________________________

3. Vermont was once completely covered with glaciers. What evidence do we
have that proves this?
______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Click on: How Did a Whale Get In Vermont?

4. What kind of whale was preserved in the sediments of the Champlain Sea?

________________________________________________________________________

Click on: How the whale was preserved in the sediments.
Draw and color four pictures showing how the whale was preserved and found as a fossil in Vermont.
Write a brief caption (in your own words) that explains your illustrations. You may want to put a rectangular frame around each of your four pictures.

***********End of Work Sheets***********

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Created August 1st, 1997
Revised, March 23, 2000