K-4 Cenote
Bronze level
Published on 4/6/2015
Like 2
Learning objectives
- Reading—Literature: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific de...
- Reading: Informational Text: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem...
- Reading: Informational Text: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak a...
Created for
Age 7 and below
Ages 8 - 10
Subject
Biology
Technology/ICT
Twenty-first century skills
21st Century Skills
Knowledge building & critical thinking
Global awareness & civic literacy
ICT for learning
Problem solving & innovation (creativity)
Required hardware
PC
Instructional approach
Project based learning (PBL)
Independent study
Learning activity details
(The word “cenote” (pronounced seh-NO-tay) comes from the Mayan word “Ts'onot” meaning “well.” Ancient Mayans in the Yucatan Peninsula of present-day Mexico knew that openings to these freshwater caves dotted the landscape, sometimes hidden within the forest.
Today, scuba divers can explore some of the Yucatan’s cenotes. The entrance pools often appear as small sinkholes or ponds, but open up into large limestone cave systems below the surface. Though most contain freshwater, some reach deep enough to connect with the Yucatan’s vast aquifer system, where divers might encounter saltwater at lower levels.
This cenote is near the town of Akumal, a new settlement established in 1958 as a community intended especially for scuba divers. If you’re interested in plunging into the hidden underwater world beneath the woods, you’ll find plenty of like-minded folks in Akumal.)
Why do humans need scuba diving equipment to breathe underwater when other animals are able to do it on their own?
Continue this lesson with a Skype lesson, guest speaker, or virtual field trip at http://education.skype.com!
© Paul Nicklen/Getty Images
Today, scuba divers can explore some of the Yucatan’s cenotes. The entrance pools often appear as small sinkholes or ponds, but open up into large limestone cave systems below the surface. Though most contain freshwater, some reach deep enough to connect with the Yucatan’s vast aquifer system, where divers might encounter saltwater at lower levels.
This cenote is near the town of Akumal, a new settlement established in 1958 as a community intended especially for scuba divers. If you’re interested in plunging into the hidden underwater world beneath the woods, you’ll find plenty of like-minded folks in Akumal.)
Why do humans need scuba diving equipment to breathe underwater when other animals are able to do it on their own?
Continue this lesson with a Skype lesson, guest speaker, or virtual field trip at http://education.skype.com!
© Paul Nicklen/Getty Images