Amy's Topic Page:
The Grand Canyon
        
5th Grade Focus
 
The Grand Canyon is one of North America's greatest wonders. It is located in the state of Arizona and provides endless possibilities for activities. The Grand Canyon can be an interesting subject for young children and offers a variety of study areas pertaining to it. This web page is centered around the Georgia Public Standard S5E1 in Earth Science. It says that students will be able  to identify surface features of the Earth caused by constructive and destructive processes, such as letter b. Erosion and weathering. The Grand Canyon will fit into this category.

              
Instructional Websites
Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity 3
Software Review 1
Software Review 2
Software Review 3
Software Review 4
Software Review 5
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  Instructional Websites

  National Geographic Xpeditions   Used with Activity 1

  Grand Canyon National Park  Used with Activity 2
 
  Petroglyphs  Used with Activity 3

  Grand Canyon Explorer   Can be used with all activities

  Online tour of the Grand Canyon   Can be used with all activities
       Topic Activities


Topic Activity 1

1.  How the Grand Canyon was formed Lesson Plan
Children study erosion and the rock layers. They will follow up by making a poster.
2. PLO :
Students will
  • locate the Grand Canyon on a map;
  • brainstorm how the Grand Canyon might have formed;
  • view a Web site to help them understand the concept of rock layers.
  • analyze a photograph of the Grand Canyon's rock layers;
3. Web Site and any other materials that students need to do the activity:
     For information on rock layers in the Grand Canyon    http://www.edu-source.com/GCpages/CVOpage8.html#anchor562018
    For information on erosion    http://teacher.scholastic.com/dirtrep/erosion/canyon.htm
4. Procedures:  

HHave students read about the layers of the Grand Canyon online anddiscuss what types of rock make up the different layers. Review how the Grand Canyon was formed through erosion, exposing the layers beneath.Follow up with sand art activity.

                                                                   

Topic Activity 2

1. Canyon Critters Lesson Plan
    Students will study animals that call Grand Canyon home and will develop an appreciation for the diversity of life within the park. This lesson is designed to be flexible to meet teacher and student needs.
2. Primary Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
• Name at least 10 animals that call Grand Canyon home
• Answer questions about their selected animal regarding feeding habits, habitats, interactions with other organisms, and physical description.
• Demonstrate research skills and organization
3. Materials
Access to a library with resources about Arizona fauna (books, magazines, internet, reference books)
Computer with internet access.
For Animal information in the park  http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_park/az/wild_gc.htm

Background Information
Grand Canyon is home to an astonishing array of wildlife. Over 450 types of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and fish live within the 1.2 million acres of the park. The reason for this vast diversity of life stems from the fact that Grand Canyon topography is quite varied—from over 8000 feet elevation on the North Rim to around 2000 feet at the bottom of the canyon. These changes in elevation result in drastic climatic differences, creating environments that range from alpine forests on the rim to Sonoran desert at the bottom (as you go up in elevation temperatures go down about 4°F every 1,000 feet). In addition, riparian areas—environments next to water sources—provide habitats for a great number of plants and animals that would otherwise be unable to survive in a dry landscape (The Colorado River, and numerous springs and small side streams provide this habitat in the canyon). These riparian areas comprise a very small percentage of the Grand Canyon landscape, but provide critical habitat for many different organisms.
This diversity of life within Grand Canyon National Park contributes to the park’s uniqueness and importance. National Park status ensures that these plants and animals, some of which only live at Grand Canyon, are protected from human interference. NH- 7
A list of common animals and where they reside in the park:

                            Common Name                 Scientific Name              Where at Grand Canyon?
Mammals               Abert’s squirrel                        Sciurus aberti                        Forest on the South rim
                               Beaver                                      Castor canadensis                 Colorado river
                               Black-tailed jackrabbit             Lepus californicus                 All environments
                               Bobcat                                       Felis rufus                              All environments
                               Common porcupine                   Erethizon dorsatum               Forest on the rims
                               Coyote                                      Canis latrans                          All environments
                               Deer mouse                              Peromyscus maniculatus        Forest on the rims
                               Desert bighorn sheep              Ovis Canadensis                    Mostly inner canyon
                               Desert cottontail                      Sylvilagus audubonii              All environments
                               Kaibab squirrel                        Sciurus kaibabensis                Forest on the North rim
                               Mountain lion                          Felis concolor                          All environments
                               Mule deer                               Odocoileus hemionus              All environments
                               Ringtail                                   Bassariscus astutus                 Riparian areas
                               Rock squirrel                         Spermophylus variegatus        All environments
                               Rocky Mountain Elk             Cervus elaphus                        Forest on the rims
                               Striped skunk                        Memphitis memphitis               Forest on the rims
                              Western pipistrelle bat           Pipistrellus hesperus                All environments
                              Western spotted skunk          Spilogale gracilis                       Riparian areas
Birds                     
                              Bald eagle                              Haliaeetus leucocephalus                    Colorado river
                             California condor                    Gymnogyps californicanus                   All environments
                             Common merganser               Mergus merganser                               Colorado river
                            Common raven                        Corvus corax                                        All environments
                            Great blue heron                     Ardea herodias                                    Colorado river
                            Great horned owl                     Bubo virginianus                                Forest on the rims
                            Peregrine falcon                       Falco peregrinus                               All environments
                            Red-tailed hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis                             All environments
                            Steller’s jay                              Cyanocitta stelleri                            Forest on the rims
                            Turkey vulture                         Cathartes aura                                All environments
                            Western bluebird                     Sialia mexicana                                Forest on the rims
                            Western scrub jay                    Aphelocoma californica                   Forest on the rims
Reptiles and amphibians                   
                            Short-horned lizard                   Phrynosoma douglassii                    All environments
                            Collared lizard                          Crotaphytus collaris                         Inner canyon desert
                      Grand Canyon pink rattlesnake    Crotalus viridis abyssus                   Inner canyon desert
                            Canyon tree frog                       Hyla arenicolor                                Riparian areas
                            Desert tortoise                          Gopherus agassizii                          Inner canyon desert
Others
                    Desert tarantula                        Aphonopelma chalcodes                        All environments
                    Bark scorpion                            Centruroides exilicauda                        Inner canyon desert
                    Humpback chub                                    Gila cypha                                    Colorado river

4. Procedure:
1. Assign an animal to each student or group of students.  The animals you assign to students should be based upon interest and available local resources. It is best to check with your school librarian to determine the amount of information about each organism that your students will have access to. Some animals may be much easier to research than others.
Have them research their animal by answering some or all of the following questions:
a) Describe your animal so that a friend would be able to identify it without ever seeing it before.
b) What does your animal eat?
c) What animals prey upon (eat) your animal?
d) What type of habitat does your animal prefer (dry desert, pine forests, etc.)?
e) What time of day is your animal active (night, day, dawn and dusk)?
f) What are two interesting facts about your animal?
g) Does this animal live where you live? Why or why not?
5. Product:
 In addition to answering questions about their animals,  have students complete a poster summarizing their animal.
 Pick different parts of the room to be different habitats and have the students put their animal in the habitat they think or know it should be in. This can also be done on a wall to show the vertical differences in habitats at Grand Canyon with the desert and riparian habitats being down near the floor and the cooler forest habitats being higher on the wall.
  

                                                                                                           
 Topic Activity 3      

1.  Buffalo Hides:
  Children will learn about the Anasazi Indians (ancestors of todays Pueblo Indians)  that inhabited the Grand Canyon area and the art they left behind on the rocks of the frand canyon. They will follow up by creatibng their own Petroglyph drawings.
2. Primary Learning Outcomes:
  Children will become familiar with a new culture and understand the concept of symbolism. The children will be able to use creative expression in creating their own artwork.
3.Materials:
 A variety of informational websites and books related to the Grand Canyon and to the ancient Anasazi Indians. Websotes on Petroglyphs would also be helpful. Also, brown paper bag for each student, a variety of colored tempera paint, and markers.

Websites on Anasazi Indians  
                                                                   

Websites on Petroglyphs
                                                             http://www.petroglyphs.us/photographs_rock_art_nine_mile_canyon_utah_NM.htm
                                                             http://www.petroglyphs.us/photographs_petroglyphs_indian_well_lanfair_valley_IW.htm
                                                             http://www.petroglyphs.us/


Created from an original lesson plan

4. Procedures:
First introduce the Indian tribe to the class and give them  examples of the art work to study.

Background Information:

Review of Native American Indian Culture. 2000 years ago, the Anasazi Indians inhabited the cliffs of the Southwest. They were the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians who live there today. There are 20 pueblo villages left; at one time there were 200! These ancient villages are built from adobe bricks. These natural homes are warm in winter and cool in summer; it rarely rains in the Southwest, so they won't melt.

The Anasazi Indians left Petroglyph drawings on rocks and cliffs. Some were chiseled into the rock with animal antlers, some were etched with the acid juices from cactus plants. They are pictures of Indian symbols. Symbols are pictures drawn very simply of things in nature, such as animals, plants, stars, people, etc.

The Indians were very spiritual people. They respected the earth, never wasted resources, and were ingenious at using the things in nature around them.

 

Step 1 

  1. Each student is passed a piece of dark brown roll paper about 36" × 26". Crumble and unfold. Repeat to look like an aged animal hide.
  2. Tear an interesting shape around your hide, but be careful not to tear TOO much off.
  3. Take a minute to feed our brains with visual images of Indial symbols, looking through examples of symbols, and then drawing a variety of symbols on the large "hide" in white charcoal pencil. Stress creating an edge of border design.
  4. Names on back in white pencil.

 

Step 2 

  1. Review paint manners. No tapping on water bucket. To clean, swish, rub, dry, twirl on paper towel. CLEAN before each new color.
  2. Choose 3 colors. Paint some shapes each color. Think about painting a shape on either end and in the middle a same color. When your eye sees a color repeated in a path, the painting is more pleasing to look at. Don’t paint the border design. Be careful not to touch a wet shape.

 

Step 3 

  1. Go back into the designs and outline the painted designs with black marker.
  2. Outline the shapes you did not get a chance to paint.
  3. Do your border design in black marker.
  4. If you have extra time, create some new designs by just drawing them with marker in areas that are empty.

 
5.  Product:
Children will learn about a culture different from their own and the things that made it unique, such as petroglyphs. Children will observe the petroglyphs amd learn some of the meaning behind them. They will then draw upon their own llives and personal experiences to create their own art.

        

       Software Reviews





1. Windows XP
 Published by Microsoft Corporation
Explain how the software can be used with this topic to enhance learning.  Microsoft word can be used to record and store notes found on each topic. Microsoft Excell can be used to chart and compare layer thicknesses in the Grand Canyon.
Evaluate the software.  What problems can one anticipate when using this program? This program is pretty simple, however, divisions such as Excell may neet prior instruction to ensure accuracy.



2.  Images of the Grand Canyon
Published by Scenic Southwest Productions
Explain how the software can be used with this topic to enhance learning.  This program includes over 65 high-qua;ity photographs and is free to download. It may be useful in the classroom as a whole-group introduction.
Evaluate the software.  What problems can one anticipate when using this program? This program would be one that could be used over and over again from year to year.



3. The Magic Schoolbus Explores Inside the Earth
Published by Microsoft
Explain how the software can be used with this topic to enhance learning.  Children take a 3-D adventure in 6 different terrains, including a canyon. This program can be informational and aid those visual learners.
Evaluate the software.  What problems can one anticipate when using this program?This program is border-line too young for 5th graders, but may still be helpful, especially to those children who have no previous knowledge about canyons.



4. Landforms of the Earth: Cause, Course, Effect, Animation (Phenomena of the Earth)
Published by Springer Verlag
Explain how the software can be used with this topic to enhance learning. This program is informational in explaining how different Earth landforms were formed through a variety of media types , including video.
Evaluate the software.  What problems can one anticipate when using this program? This program doesn't come with any types of games or activities that could expand children's understanding.


5. Paint Ink (included Microsoft Windows XP programs)
Published by Netware
Explain how the software can be used with this topic to enhance learning.  The program can be used for children to illustrate their own petrographs, like in activity 3. Also, paint can give the children the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of rock layering in the Grand Canyon.
Evaluate the software.  What problems can one anticipate when using this program. Hand-eye coordination with the mouse will take practice, but is easily mastered with practice.


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