Electronic Field Trips
The Midwest 16,000 Years Ago
- Grade Level: Upper Elementary
- Subject Area: Science
Brief Description
Students will visit a natural history web site to learn about
life in the midwest 16,000
years ago and draw conclusions about the effects of glaciers on topography.
Objectives
Students will:
- Formulate hypotheses about how the topography of the midwest was formed and what
sort of life was around 16,000
years ago
- Use graphical representations to gather data
- Test their hypotheses using the data they gather
Materials and Resources
- Hardware requirements: At least one computer with a modem and/or an
Internet hook-up.
- Software requirements: An Internet browser, preferably Netscape.
- Network/Internet requirements: Access to the Internet.
- General classroom requirements: Maps of the midwest that show
topographical relief-- can be either
individual copies in books or a large classroom map.
Activity Description
- Have students work in groups or individually to develop hypotheses about how the
topography of the midwest was
shaped and what sort of life forms might have been around 16,000 years ago. In
discussing land formations, have
students pay specific attention to features such as the Great Lakes. In their
discussions of life forms, ask students
to list what sorts of animals and plants might have lived in that time period. Have
students record their
predictions.
- Give the groups of students the URL to the Illinois State Museum's exhibit entitled
"The Midwest U.S. 16,000 Years
Ago"
[http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/larson/]. Have students explore the site with
the aim of using the graphical
aids and text they find to either support or refute their hypotheses. Have students
record data they find that either
supports or refutes their hypotheses. For each piece of information the students
should explain why they think it
supports or contradicts their hypotheses. (If you only have one computer with Internet
access, you may choose to
rotate the research groups through the computer station, giving each group 15-20
minutes to explore the site and make
observations.)
- Have the class regroup and share their findings. Ask students to highlight the
ways in which the evidence they
found either supported or disputed their hypotheses.
Internet Resources
The Midwest U.S. 16,000 Years
Ago
[http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/larson/]
An exhibit by the Illinois State Museum.
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