For High School Educators

Overview

A field trip to Longhorn Cavern State Park gives high school students an in-depth look at the processes and people that created one of the most unique places in Texas. Students will understand how geology, chemistry, and aquatic science work together in cave formation. The park's history comes alive through stories of the Civilian Conservation Corps and others who developed the park for public access during the Great Depression. Students will enjoy hiking and nature walks that encourage a lifelong appreciation for outdoor education.

Learning Objectives

Longhorn Cavern State Park is full of learning opportunities for high school students. Some of the objectives educators may wish to introduce/reinforce in their pre- and post-visit lessons are:

How erosion and plate tectonics created the Llano Uplift in central Texas.
How Longhorn Cavern participates in the local watershed.
How rainwater (H2O) and carbon-dioxide (CO2) combine into a liquid solution called carbonic acid (H2CO3).
How carbonic acid dissolves sedimentary rock like limestone, forming caves and sinkholes.
How flowing carbonic acid (in the form of an underground river) further eroded and carved Longhorn Cavern.
How dissolved limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO3) creates cave formations.
How economic competition drove Longhorn Cavern tourism during the early years of the Great Depression.
What the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was and how it functioned.
How the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Longhorn Cavern State Park.
How hiking and nature walks are effective means of reducing stress.
How Texas State Parks support lifelong physical recreation.

Suggested TEKS

As one of Texas' most unique geologic and historic places, a field trip to Longhorn Cavern State Park can help satisfy a number of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) requirements. Suggested TEKS modules focus primarily on Science, Social Studies, and Physical Education. Other TEKS modules may also apply.

High School

(4) Science concepts. The student knows the characteristics of matter and can analyze the relationships between chemical and physical changes and properties. The student is expected to:

(A) differentiate between physical and chemical changes and properties
(D) classify matter as pure substances or mixtures through investigation of their properties.

(8) Science concepts. The student can quantify the changes that occur during chemical reactions. The student is expected to:

(A) define and use the concept of a mole;
(B) calculate the number of atoms or molecules in a sample of material using Avogadro's number;
(C) calculate percent composition of compounds;
(D) differentiate between empirical and molecular formulas;
(F) differentiate among double replacement reactions, including acid-base reactions and precipitation reactions, and oxidation-reduction reactions such as synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, and combustion reactions.

(10) Science concepts. The student understands and can apply the factors that influence the behavior of solutions. The student is expected to:

(B) apply the general rules regarding solubility through investigations with aqueous solutions
(E) distinguish among types of solutions such as electrolytes and nonelectrolytes; unsaturated, saturated, and supersaturated solutions; and strong and weak acids and bases
(G) define acids and bases and distinguish between Arrhenius and Bronsted-Lowry definitions and predict products in acid-base reactions that form water;
(H) define pH and calculate the pH of a solution using the hydrogen ion concentration.

(11) Solid Earth. The student knows that the geosphere continuously changes over a range of time scales involving dynamic and complex interactions among Earth's subsystems. The student is expected to:

(A) compare the roles of erosion and deposition through the actions of water, wind, ice, gravity, and igneous activity by lava in constantly reshaping Earth's surface;
(B) explain how plate tectonics accounts for geologic surface processes and features, including folds, faults, sedimentary basin formation, mountain building, and continental accretion;
(D) interpret Earth surface features using a variety of methods such as satellite imagery, aerial photography, and topographic and geologic maps using appropriate technologies.

(15) Fluid Earth. The student knows that interactions among Earth's five subsystems influence climate and resource availability, which affect Earth's habitability. The student is expected to:

(C) quantify the dynamics of surface and groundwater movement such as recharge, discharge, evapotranspiration, storage, residence time, and sustainability;
(D) explain the global carbon cycle, including how carbon exists in different forms within the five subsystems and how these forms affect life.

(6) Science concepts. The student knows that relationships exist between the structure and properties of matter. The student is expected to:

(A) examine differences in physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases as explained by the arrangement and motion of atoms or molecules;
(B) relate chemical properties of substances to the arrangement of their atoms;
(C) analyze physical and chemical properties of elements and compounds such as color, density, viscosity, buoyancy, boiling point, freezing point, conductivity, and reactivity;
(E) relate the structure of water to its function as a solvent; and
(F) investigate the properties of water solutions and factors affecting solid solubility, including nature of solute, temperature, and concentration.

(2) History. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in U.S. history from 1877 to the present. The student is expected to:

(A) identify the major eras in U.S. history from 1877 to the present and describe their defining characteristics; and
(B) explain the significance of the following years as turning points: 1898 (Spanish-American War), 1914-1918 (World War I), 1929 (the Great Depression begins), 1939-1945 (World War II), 1957 (Sputnik launch ignites U.S.-Soviet space race), 1968 (Martin Luther King Jr. assassination), 1969 (U.S. lands on the moon), 1991 (Cold War ends), 2001 (terrorist attacks on World Trade Center and the Pentagon), and 2008 (election of first black president, Barack Obama).

(16) Economics. The student understands significant economic developments between World War I and World War II. The student is expected to:

(C) analyze the effects of the Great Depression on the U.S. economy and society such as widespread unemployment and deportation and repatriation of people of Mexican heritage;
(E) describe how various New Deal agencies and programs, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Social Security Administration, continue to affect the lives of U.S. citizens.

(4) Physical activity and health. The student applies fitness principles during a personal fitness program. The student is expected to:

(B) participate in a variety of activities that develop health-related physical fitness activities including aerobic exercise to develop cardiovascular efficiency;

(5) Physical activity and health. The student comprehends practices that impact daily performance, physical activity, and health. The student is expected to:

(B) describe physical fitness activities that can be used for stress reduction.

(1) The student demonstrates competency in two or more outdoor education activities such as backpacking, boating, camping, hiking, orienteering, water sports, or water safety certification. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate consistency in the execution of the basic skills of adventure/outdoor education activities;
(B) demonstrate understanding of the rules, skills, and strategies of an activity and can apply them appropriately; and
(C) develop an appropriate conditioning program for the selected activity.

(3) Physical activity and health. The student exhibits a physically-active lifestyle that improves health and provides opportunities for enjoyment and challenge. The student is expected to:

(A) select and participate in adventure/outdoor education activities that provide for enjoyment and challenge.

Tools & Resources

CavesLIVE - Lesson plans and multimedia about caves and karst.
Civilian Conservation Corps (American Experience) - Teacher's Guide based on PBS' American Experience film about the CCC.
Edwards Aquifer Authority - Education resources about the Edwards Aquifer and the issues affecting it as our region’s primary water resource.
NOVA Collection (PBS) - Educator resources from NOVA’s broadcast and digital productions.
National Caves Association - Information and teacher resources from the National Caves Association.
National Park Service - Caves and karst outreach and education materials from the National Park Service.
Scholastic - Online Theme Unit about caves.
Texas Parks & Wildlife (TPWD) - Classroom resources and outdoor education from TPWD.
TPWD: A New Deal for Texas State Parks - Explore how individuals, communities and landscapes in Texas were impacted by the New Deal Era.
TPWD: Civilian Conservation Corps - Learn about the CCC and its work in Texas parks.
Texas Children in Nature - Texas-focused lessons and tools for educators.
USGS - Lesson plans and activities, maps, lectures, and more from the USGS.

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