Field Trips
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- State Standards:
- Arizona State Science Standards
4.E1U1.6
4.E1U1.7
4.E1U2.10
NGSS
4-ESS1-1
4-ESS2-1
5-ESS2-1
5-PS1-3
AzSS & NGSS Crosscutting Concepts
Cause & Effect
Patterns
Essential Question:
What forces have shaped, and continue to shape, the Grand Canyon and its rocky terrain?
Field Trip Overview:
Students make micro- and macro- level observations of rocks and the landscape through the lens of cause and effect to find evidence of weathering, erosion, and deposition. Students explore the landscape looking for evidence of forces that may be widening the canyon. Students then learn about organisms and forces that are contributing to weathering, erosion, and deposition in the canyon. Students also discuss the Colorado River's role in forming the canyon as it continues to carve deeper into the oldest of Grand Canyon's rock layers.
- Explore the landscape of Grand Canyon and find evidence for how it is changing.
- Work together with peers and small groups.
- Use cause and effect as a thinking tool to engage in discussion and meaning-making.
- Use observation and reasoning to make explanations about what has happened to the rocks, including a possible sequence of events.
Ties to Arizona Education Standards and NGSS Standards
Arizona State Science Standards:
4th Grade Earth and Spaces Sciences: Students develop an understanding of the different Earth systems and how they interact with each other. They understand how geological systems change and shape Earth and the evidence that is used to understand these changes. They also understand how weather, climate, and human interactions can impact the environment.- Supports Standards 4.E1U1.6, 4.E1U1.7, and 4.E1U2.10
Next Generation Science Standards
- 4-ESS1-1: Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
- 4-ESS2-1: Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation
- 5-ESS2-1: Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
- 5-PS1-3: Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
AzSS & NGSS Grade Band 3-5 Crosscutting Concepts
- Cause and Effect: Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change.
- Patterns: Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation.
Last updated: November 20, 2023