Rick Harper

Ashley Dockins

Where is the Grand Canyon, how was it formed, and what types of Rock Layers are there?

Cognitive Goal:  The student will know where Grand Canyon National Park is and the rock walls are different ages as well as different rocks.

Affective Goal:  The student will appreciate that the Grand Canyon was formed by the Colorado River over about six million years and that this is an awesome display of the powers of nature.

Standards:

            Illinois:

17.A.2a  Compare the physical characteristics of places including soils, land forms, vegetation, wildlife, climate, natural hazards. 

17.A.2b  Use maps and other geographic representations and instruments to gather information about people, places and environments.

            National:

3.f  Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments, so that the learner can describe and speculate about physical system changes, such as, seasons, climate and weather, and the water cycle.

Lesson Objective:  The student will know where the Grand Canyon is when presented with a map and the student will fill out a diagram indicating the different rock layers that are viewed on the canyon walls.

Materials:  Map from week one, worksheets, pictures of Grand Canyon

Resources:   Retrieved October 18, 2009, from http://www.frommers.com/destinations/grandcanyonnationalpark/2284026075.html#ixzz0UPh4GfF0

Retrieved October 18, 2009, from http://www.naturescience.org/nathist/layers_pages/layers_cover/layers.html

Retrieved October 18, 2009, from http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/misc/gc_coriv.htm

Retrieved October 18, 2009, from http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/kiefe1we/HorizontalTiltedFoldedAns.htm

Markert, Jenny. (1992). The Grand Canyon. Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica  

Focusing Activity:  Good morning.  Today we are going to learn about a different one of our National Parks.  We are going to start learning about the Grand Canyon.  Does anyone know something about the Grand Canyon before we begin?  The students may respond that it is very tall; they may say it is in Arizona, or they might tell us that it is very old.  All of these answers are correct and we are going to discuss where the Grand Canyon is on the map, how the walls of the canyon were made, and what types of rocks make the walls.

Instructional Input:  The teacher will start by asking the students to take out their maps they have made from week one.  The teacher will ask the students where Arizona is on their maps.  The teacher will ask the students to point to the Northwest area of Arizona.  The students should respond by pointing to the upper left corner of Arizona.  The teacher will then tell the students that the Grand Canyon is on the Colorado River and that it was made by erosion.  The students will label their maps with a new color to depict where this national park is located.

The students will probably ask what erosion is at this point.  The teacher will explain that erosion is the process of wearing away areas of land.  The teacher will ask the students if they have ever spilled water on the dirt and saw the water move on the ground.  The students may say yes or no.  If they say yes, or no, then the teacher will explain that when the water is moving on the dirt it is pushing some of the dirt out of the way of the water.  As water moves the dirt and ground away there is an impression of where the water flowed.  This is the process known as erosion.  The teacher will also explain that it gets cold during the winter at the Grand Canyon.  During the winter ice forms in the cracks of the rocks and chips away at parts of the canyon walls.  The teacher will then demonstrate erosion using a plate of dirt and pouring water on to it to show how water wears away and moves the dirt out of the way of the water.

The teacher will then discuss how the rocks are older at the bottom of the canyon at the river.  The teacher will then talk about the younger rocks being on top of the older rock formations.  At this point the teacher will ask students why the older rocks would be on the bottom.  The student will respond that new things were added to the top.  The teacher will then talk about the ten visible layers of rock that can be seen on the canyon sides. 

The bottom layer is called the Vishnu Schist.  It is about 1.7 billion years old.  It is black in color and is where the Colorado River is now located.  The next oldest layer is called Tapeats Sandstone and it is around 545 million years old.  This layer of rock is mostly sand that has been pressed into sandstone.  The next oldest layer is called Bright Angel Shale and it is about 540 million years old.  This layer of the Grand Canyon looks blue-gray in color.  Which way does the age of the rocks go?  Do the rock layers get older or younger as they go up?  The students should respond that they get younger as the rocks go up from the bottom.

The layer on top of the Bright Angel Shale is called Muav Limestone and this layer is about 530 million years old.  This layer is made of limestone and is yellowish in color.  The next layer is called the Redwall Limestone and it is 800feet high in some areas.  This layer is about 330 million years old and has been stained a rust color on top of its natural silver-gray.  The middle layer is known as the Supai Group and it is about 300 million years old.  This layer is red in color and forms ledges above the Redwall Limestone layer.  How would the Redwall Limestone layer look in color if the Supai Group layer did not stain it?  The students should respond that it would look silver-gray. 

Hermit Shale is the next layer up and it is an even darker red than the Supai Group layer.  This layer is about 285 million years old.  The next layer up is known as Coconino Sandstone layer and it is the third layer form the top.  This layer is around 270 million years ago and it is the color of a dark sand. 

The second layer is called the Toroweap Formation and it is around 260 million years old.  This layer looks yellow-gray.  The top layer is called the Kaibab Limestone layer.  This layer is around 250 million years old.  There were layers that were younger on top of this layer but they were eroded away.  Who remembers what erosion is?  The students should respond when water moves the ground out of its way.  

Response Activity:  The students will fill out a worksheet of the different rock layers.  On the worksheet the students will list how old the rock layers are.  The students will also update their maps of the four corners area from the previous weeks.  The students will also color their  construction paper the color(s) of each layer in order of the oldest rocks on the bottom and the youngest rocks on the top.

Conclusion:  Today we learned where Grand Canyon National Park is located.  Which state is this national park located?  Arizona.  Which part of the state is the Grand Canyon at?  It is in the Northwest.  We also learned that the rock layers get younger as they go to the top.  How old is the bottom layer?  It is 1,700,000,000 years old.  Next, week we are going to study about some of the plants and animals that live in or around the Grand Canyon.