Stalagmites & Stalactites Lesson Plans

1. Deep Inside a Cavern Lesson Plan
Crayola Submit Register for FREE! Join the Crayola community today. Deep Inside a Cavern Why How do stalactites and stalagmites grow hundreds of feet inside the Earth? Explore an original cave, constructed inside a box. Steps 1. Caving is an adventure for spelunkers who explore caverns around the world! Research how subterranean caves were formed. You?ll find that rainwater containing carbonic acid erodes limestone to fo...

2. MUD- Research Center Lesson Plan
...omes ??????? People who use mud to build their homes or as a food source ??????? Mud used for protection ??????? Health benefits of mud (mud products, mud baths, mud facials) Mud used for art Pottery Environment/Erosion Virtual tours of dinosaur digs, animal habitats, mud homes/villages, etc. Caves/stalactites, stalagmites Materials: ? Books ? Computers ? Access to the Internet ? PowerPoint and Word software ? WebQuests ? Paper, writing instruments Note:? Really boost children's interest levels by inviting a member of a forensics team to come in and talk to your children about how the police lift footprints and tire...

3. Periodic Table of the Elements: Nonmetals
...the class into pairs. Tell each pair to either draw a picture of a limestone cave or find a picture online. Then ask students to develop a detailed caption describing the chemical processes involved in the formation of the cave. Their cave image should include at least two unique features, such as stalactites and stalagmites, and students should write a description of how these features form as well. Students can write their descriptions on index cards and tape them below their image. 4. Give students time in class to work on their projects. The Web sites below provide information. Cave Formation + Speleothems + Che...

4. Crystal Growing
..., acetamide crystal, microscope slides, heat source, graph paper and metric rulers, chart paper, overhead projector for demonstrations or microprojector. ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES 1. Students will make mini-crystal gardens using waterglass and water -soluble minerals, timing and measuring growth of stalactites and stalagmites. They will graph this growth. Afterwards, students will distinguish whether crystals are living or nonliving by developing a comparison chart of characteristics of each. 2. Students will grow crystals on copper wire using silver nitrate solution. 3. Students, using acetamide crystal, will melt i...

5. Looking Inside the Earth Lesson Plan
...re pressed into layers of solid rock. Embed small fossils. Demonstrate the effects of erosion and weathering on the surface. Depict underground rivers and lakes. Create underground caves to show the effects of water on limestone. Show how dripping water leaves deposits of calcium carbonate, forming stalactites and stalagmites. Dry overnight. 4. Cover the work area with recycled newspaper. Paint the model using Crayola Washable Watercolors and Watercolor Brushes. Safety Guidelines Modeling Compounds: Keep finished product away from open flame. Do not mold into candleholders or other like items for use around flame. Do...

6. Investigating Earth's Surface
...ural forces; did not identify a landform that was formed by natural forces, and wrote an incomplete or no description of how it was formed. Back to Top Vocabulary deposition Definition: The act or process by which an agent of erosion such as wind or water deposits sediment Context: Deposition forms stalactites and stalagmites in caves. erosion Definition: The wearing away of the land by wind, water, or the movement of glaciers Context: Weathering and erosion are at work in Mammoth Cave, lengthening and adding passages. GPS (Global Positioning System) Definition: A navigation system that utilizes a network of satellit...

7. Cave Dwelling
...irs. Explain that each pair will be responsible for researching the most common cave formations. This will include the many types of secondary mineral deposits known as speleothem. Students should start by investigating the variety of formations mentioned in the featured article (spires, flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites, columns, popcorn, soda straws, etc.). Using all available resources, students research and record their findings on cave formations and structure. Students use available modeling materials to create cave cross-section diorama in a shoebox. Students create an accompanying key that lists each format...