HOW DO WE GET THEN TO LEARN? TEACHING SCIENCE WITH KARST ISSUES
Where does the water go? Use the “Mysterious Waters” activity to discover how water travels in karst areas. Watch a sinkhole form with the “Sinkholes in Cup” activity.
Want to teach math with karst science? Learn to collect and record data in the “Belly-Crawl Mapping” activity, then use the data to draw a map. The “Calculating the Value of Bats” activity uses math problems to determine the number of bugs the bats eat!
Traditional classroom teachers as well as outreach educators attend training workshops to learn about karst issues and receive the Project Underground materials. During these professional development workshops teachers practice the activities to become more comfortable with leading them for their students and outreach groups. Teachers are given time to create unit plans using these karst education materials. Practicing the activities and creating unit plans in the workshops also increases the probability of the information being used by the participants in their classrooms.
To encourage incorporation into lesson plans, each activity includes information on the objectives, subject, skill level, group size and time required. These lessons and activities are both interdisciplinary and adaptable, covering many subject areas and all grade levels. The activities in the curriculum guide address many of the national science education standards.
The Project Underground program works well in combination with field experiences and other educational programs. Facilitators coordinate with karst scientists to provide field trips to sinkholes, sinking streams, and springs. Many participants have never seen these features in the field, or if they have, did not realize their significance. The Virginia “Chesapeake Bay Academy – Mountain Region” is a good example of a weeklong professional development class combining karst issues and activities with other water curriculums.