Beatriz SarabiaGeography 300March 14, 2013

6th Grade Lesson Plan

Activity: Planning a Trip to the Grand Canyon

Objective: Students will learn to use a Grand Canyon guide and a topographic map. Then students will have a virtual tour of the Grand Canyon using Google earth.

National 2. “Use mental maps to organize information about people, places, Geographic and environment in spatial context.”Standards: 1. “How to use maps and other geographic representations and spatial

thinking to understand and communicate information.”

California 1. “Plate tectonics as important features of Earth´s surface and Standards: major geologic events.” 2. “Topography is reshaped by the weathering of rock and soil and the

transportation and deposition of sediment.”

Warm-up: Review the previously taught concept of plate tectonics, earthquakes, rock types, and climatic zones with students.Introduce the concept that water running downhill is the dominant process in shaping the landscape, including that of the Grand Canyon.

Materials: Grand Canyon guide maps, topographic maps, internet access, and interesting facts about the Grand Canyon.

Activity: (Install Google earth on all computers before class)Divide students into groups of three members.One student will be in charge of using Google earth. The three group members will locate the three rims of the Grand Canyon and find their latitude and longitude on the topographic map provided to each of them. Then, they will refer to the guide map and find native tribes in the area, native plants and animals, and the Colorado River that crosses the Grand Canyon. When students finish the activity, they will watch a video of how the Grand Canyon was formed (http://channel.national geographic.com/channel/videos/the-grand-canyon-story/). Then, each student will draw a map and indicate their findings on it.

Wrap up: Students will share their findings about the virtual trip, the video, the map they drew, and what they learned about the Grand Canyon.

Follow up: Ask students to use their knowledge to find the two highest elevations of two local mountains in the Coachella Valley.