This lesson plan aims to teach 6th grade students about the Grand Canyon through a virtual field trip using maps, Google Earth, and reference materials. Students will work in groups to locate key features of the Grand Canyon like the three rims and Colorado River on maps and Google Earth. They will note native tribes, plants, and animals and watch a video on how the canyon was formed. Each student will then draw their own map summarizing their findings to share with the class.

1. Beatriz Sarabia
Geography 300
March 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.