Curated OER
What Are Caves All About?
Students explore materials within their science group and figure out what they can be used for. They also contribute in a group discussion about stalactites and stalagmites and create their own stalactite using the materials given to...
Curated OER
The Earth's Crust
Students use clay to form models of the different landforms and then complete a data table using a map, atlas, or the Internet to locate famous landforms in the United States. Students complete various activities, writing down their...
Curated OER
Dark and Beautiful Caves
Students research how caves form. They describe the major stone formations in caves by taking notes. They construct a clay model of a cave and mark each formation making it easy to identify in the legend.
Curated OER
Bermuda: Search for Deep Water Caves 2009: Out of Darkness
Students analyze the three models on the origin of troglobitic fauna. In this life science lesson, students also consider how the Zonation model explains the fauna's origin. They also use the Internet to research solutional and volcanic...
Curated OER
Pictograph Cave
Fourth graders investigate the concept of using pictographs as rock art. They examine the discoveries of art made within caves in order to comprehend the culture that painted them. Students write creative stories about the images and...
Curated OER
Cave Mentality
Students identify and define vocabulary associated with caves and rock formations. They construct a cave out of paper and fill it with a geode they crerate. Students write and present orally reports about caves and their importance to...
Curated OER
Sonoran Desert
Students discuss the complicated environmental issues that face different people today. They establish legal positions surrounding several different scenarios.
Curated OER
Hibernating Hoopla
Students simulate hibernation with their stuffed animals. They predict the length of time of hibernation and type their math journal entries about sorting, graphing and draw pictures. They read bear hibernation stories.
Curated OER
Caves in the Arkansas Ozark Mountain Region
Fourth graders examine the limestone caves in the Ozarks and discover how limestone caves are formed. They discuss the Cave Resources Protection Act.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Caves and Karst
This interactive resource adapted from the National Park Service presents the key concepts of cave and karst systems, including how and where they form, different types, and various cave environments.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Speleology: Counting Formations in a Local Cave
In the past caves have been used for shelter, for religious purposes, and for burial sites. They were even used for food storage before refrigeration, because they are cool and have constant high humidity. Get ready for an adventure as...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: How Caves Form
This interactive activity from NOVA Online shows four different ways in which caves are formed: by rainwater, waves, lava, and bacteria.
Other
Missouri Conservationist Online: Missouri Cave Life
Excellent article describing a trip inside a cave. The article discusses the cave habitat and changes that occur as you go deeper into the cave. Includes interesting photographs.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Homepage for the National Park Service website, provides comprehensive information about the Park, including facilities, photos, visitor information, history, and other resources.
PBS
Nova: Jewel of the Underground
Take a virtual tour of Lechuguilla, a cave discovered in 1986, which turns out to be one of the biggest in the Americas. Twelve different pictures of interesting formations reveal the reason the park service has decided to keep it off...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Mammoth Cave National Park
Official website for Mammoth Cave offers a wealth of information for curious about the history, culture, and science of this cave system. Contains photos and multimedia presentations, stories about the primitive miner, explorers, and...
Other
Science4 Us: Features
In the Earth's Features module, students explore mountains, volcanoes, caves, rivers and oceans and their place on Earth.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Mammoth Cave: Biology and Cave Life
This resource describes the biology and cave life of Mammoth Cave. Among the topics discussed are the animal and plant life associated with the area. Requires Adobe Reader. [PDF]
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: School Publishers: Virtual Tour of Cave Paintings
Visit Vallon-Pont d'Arc to learn about the past through cave paintings. See which animals lived in the world back then and which ones still live today.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Online Theme Unit for Caves
Discover more about caves through this online interactive theme unit. This resource provides links to sea caves, cave animals, caves in the United States, the science of caves and more.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Sea Caves
Have you ever seen a sea cave? This site provides a photograph, fun facts and additional links to resources on these amazing natural resources.
PBS
Pbs: Caves and Karst
This illustrated tutorial is meant to address student fears and misconceptions about caves, as well as enhance their understanding of cave and karst systems.
Other
Under Earth: The Virtual Cave
Detailed maps and photos of caving features such as lava tubes and sea caves. Click on features of the maps to see images or check out the attributes listed separately.