Exploring Caverns

Luray Caverns
970 U.S. Hwy. 211 West
PO Box 748
Luray, Virginia 22835
(540) 743-6551

Instructional Unit:
Primary Earth Science

Curriculum Unit:
Grade 2
Science

Objectives:
1. Students will be able to describe the interior of a cavern and write a short story about it.
2. Students will be able to describe how limestone caverns are formed.
3. Students will be able to define stalagmite and stalactite.

Pre-Visit Activities:
Introduce caverns and vocabulary. Discuss how and where caverns are formed. Use lots of pictures.

On-Site Activities:
1. Have students keep a journal of what they see, hear, smell. etc.
2. Have students draw pictures of stalagmites and stalactites.

Follow-Up Activities:
1. Discuss how being in a cave is different from a picture of a cave.
2. Ask children what they think the cave will be like in twenty years.
3. Write and illustrate a story about your trip.

Appendices:
None

Bibliography:
None

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