A Tour of

Cave

 Dwellings

A WebQuest for 3rd Grade 
Social Studies &
Science 
      
Designed by Ms. Hogue
      
khogue@gmail.com

Introduction | Learners | Standards | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Student Page

Introduction

This lesson was developed as part of a techonology class at Pacific University.

This lesson was developed to fit with the 3rd grade curriculum at Cornelius Elementary school which requires that rocks and minerals be taught during the third grade. This webquest though is more focused on social studies.  

This lesson is designed to help students explore cave dwellings around the world. This will allow students to explore the people and cultures who live in the cave dwellings, as well as the geography of where the dwellings are. Students will also be asked to look at the type of rocks that the dwellings were made of and the advantages of living in caves versus houses.

 My objectives for the lesson are the following:
    By the end of the webquest students will be able to identify cave dwellings.
    By the end of the webquest students will be able to explain the culture of a cave     dwelling people.
    By the end of the webquest students will be able to locate  the major cave                 dwellings on an atlas.
    By the end of the webquest students will be able to compare and contrast living in a cave to living in a house.

Learners

This lesson is anchored in third grade sociall studies and incorporates aspects of science as well.
This lesson could be used with fourth graders if necessary.

The learners will need to have some prior experience with the types of rocks and minerals before beginning the lesson. It would also be useful if students have some experience with studying other cultures so they know how to do so in a culturally sensitve way. Some basic geographical knowledge would also be helpful.

Curriculum Standards

• Distinguish between physical and political features on maps and globes. Locate the United States, Oregon, and the local community.
  
• Identify the continents and oceans, the equator, Northern and Southern hemispheres, Eastern and Western hemispheres.
• Use maps and other geographic tools and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a special perspective.
• Understand how peoples’ lives are affected by the physical environment.
  
  

Science Standards Addressed

• Recognize physical differences in Earth Materials.
  
• Identify properties and uses of Earth Materials.
  

Process

1. First, explore these sites to get an overview of the cave dwellings.
1. India
   Deccan Traps
   Ajanta Caves
    Ajanta Caves Art
   
2. Colorado
   Mesa Verde Check out the photo gallery
   Mesa Verde Photographs
   Mesa Verde National Park
   
3. New Mexico
   Gila Cliff Dwellings National Park
   Photos from Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico
   Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument 

1. Turkey
   Cave Dwellings of Cappadocia
   Recent Photo of Cappadocia
   Older Photo of Cappadocia
   Cappadocia
   
2. China
   Cave Dwelling in Shaanxi
   Facts about Chinese Sheltered Dwellings
   Cave Dwelling Story
   Cave Dweilling Information
   
3. Arizona  
   Anasazi Cave Dwelling Information
   Tonto National Monument
   Anasazi Information
   Pictures of Arizona Cave Dwellings (at the bottom of the website)
   
4. Spain
   Cave Houses of Southern Spain
   Cave Homes and Houses in Spain
   
   

2. Within your team, decide which cave dwelling you want to explore and think of the questions that need to be answered like: Where is it? Who lived there? What was it used for? When was it inhabited? What sort of rock is it formed in? What are the advantages of living in a cave rather than a house?
   
3. Now, divide up the task of answering the questions.
   
4. Discuss together as a team your findings.
5. Prepare your presentation as a group. You may use powerpoint, do a skit, a poster or however else you would like to present it. Make sure you include pictures of the cave dwellings.
   
6. Present your findings to the class in your presentation.

This lesson will take more than one class period. Students will need time to be introduced to the lesson. They will then need to meet with their groups and choose a cave dwelling section. They will then need time to gather the information from the links and any outside books they are interested in using. Then they will need time to work on their group presentation. Finally each group will need time to present. Depending on the number of computers your classroom has available and the students you will need to plan accordingly so that students can take their time and not feel rushed.  Depending on the time you dedicate to it each day it could take anywhere from 1-2 weeks. This lesson incorporates science and math.

Students should be divided into groups of 3 or 4 students. You could have students pick their own groups hased on people they want to work with or the cave dweeling area they find most interesting. Each group should have a different area, so that during the presentations students can hear about all the cave dwellings and the cultures of the poeple who lived there.

Stumbling blocks may include the amount of reading per site. This could be overcome by having the teacher create groups with all levels of readers so that each group has at least one strong reader to help the rest of the group.

Teachers of all skill levels should be able to do this lesson.

Variations

This lesson could be carried out in a computer lab if one is available. The lesson could also be done on a few classroom computers if it is used as part of stations.

Resources Needed

These books may be helpful to have in the classroom and could enrich students' experiences, but they are not necessary. These books can all be found on Amazon. You could probably find them at your local library as well.

• The Lost World of the Anasazi: Exploring the Mysteries of Chaco Canyon
• IN SEARCH OF THE OLD ONES by David Roberts
• The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde by Caroline Arnold, Richard R HewettRichard R. Hewett
• Ajanta Caves by Benoy K. Behl
• The Cambridge Illustrated History of China by Kwang-ching Liu (Foreword), Patricia Buckley Ebrey
• The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India)
  by J. S. Grewal, et al

To do this webquest only one teacher is necessary. It would be helpful to have adult volunteers who could talk to the stuents and help them, but it is not necessary. 

Evaluation

Credits & References

Thanks to Mark Bailey for introducing us to Webquests. I also want to thank Cari Hastings who provided the starting point for this webquest.

Images are from the National Park Service Digital Image Archives, which has great photos from numerous national parks.

To see the latest version of this template and Webquest training materials check out  The WebQuest Page and the Design Patterns.

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after the original author's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL.