The Geologic History of the Grand Canyon

One of the most marvelous sights that a person can experience is seeing the Grand Canyon. Have you ever wondered how it was formed?

Write a paper and create a poster that discusses and shows the processes that formed the distinct layers evidenced in the Grand Canyon over the course of geologic time.

Use the following web site to do your research on the history of the formation of the Grand canyon:

Grand Canyon Explore: The Geology of the Grand Canyon (Click on the right picture at the top for a detailed description of the formation of the canyon. Also, scroll to the bottom of the page for a less detailed description.)

The paper should be double spaced, 12-pont, New Times Roman font. Cover the topics. The paper should be at least three pages. Include a cover page.

The poster should summarize the information in your paper and display it attractively.

Content	Possible points	Self Assessment	Teacher Assessment
Turned in on time	5
Neat and attractive layout.	5
Picture of layers of the Grand Canyon	10
Composition- description of all layers	10
Detailed description of the processes that formed each layer.	10
Total	40

	4	3	2	1	Self Assessment	Teacher Assessment
Questions Answered	Answered all 6 questions correctly.	Answered 5 to 4 questions correctly.	Answered 3 to 2 questions correctly.	Answered 1 to 0 questions correctly.
Opening	Opening is strong, well-structured, and contains a thesis statement.	Opening is well-structured and contains a thesis statement.	Opening is poorly developed but contains a thesis statement.	Opening is poorly developed and contains no thesis statement.
Organization of body	Structure of body is clearly developed.	Structure developed reasonably well, but lacks clarity.	Some attempt to structure the information has been made, but the structure is poorly developed.	There is a total lack of structure.
Closure	Closing is strong, well-structured, and relates back to the thesis statement.	Closing is well-structured and relates back to the thesis statement.	Closing is poorly developed but relates back to the thesis statement.	Closing is poorly developed and lacks relation to the thesis state if one was present.
Sentence Structure	Sentence structure is correct.	Sentence structure is generally correct. Some awkward sentences do appear.	Work contains structural weaknesses and grammatical errors.	Work pays little attention to proper sentence structure.
Punctuation & Capitalization	Punctuation and capitalization are correct.	There is one error in punctuation and/or capitalization.	There are two or three errors in punctuation and/or capitalization.	There are four or more errors in punctuation and/or capitalization.
				Total (out of 24)---->

An understanding of the complex processes associated with the formation of the Grand Canyon leads the viewer to an even more breathtaking experience when seeing the magnificence that is to behold by standing on the rim and looking down into the canyon.

6.1 investigate the hydrosphere and its effect on various relationships to landforms.

6.2 associate surface processes such as wind, glaciers, gravity, oceans, rivers, and mankind with resulting landforms.

4.3 interpret and evaluate the evidence for biological evolution in the fossil record

Purpose: To encourage students to learn about the origin of the Grand Canyon through the exciting use of the Internet. To encourage the presentation of data through poster presentation and paper.

Preceding and Ensuing Events of Instruction: The teacher should first show the IMAX movie Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets (60 minutes) which is available through slingshot. This should prompt student interest in the topics covered in this WebQuest. Ordering information at www.slingshotdvd.com

Learning Improvements: Students will be allowed to do independent research which should lead to a move away from extrinsic rewards to greater intrinsic rewards. Learning will be reinforced when the students assemble and evaluate the research they have done.

Improvements and Expansions: This WebQuest can be expanded by investigating further the processes that lead to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains or the Great Rift Valley in Africa and compare and contrast these processes.

Destination Cinema. (2001). Grand canyon: the hidden secrests. [DVD] Burbank, CA: Slingshot DVD Corp.

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