Teacher Resources | Karst Resource Packet

Teacher Resources Karst Resources

Lesson plans, student activities, resources and background reading for learning about karst topography

Karst: The Movie

Learn about karst features in a typical Ozarks landscape. Answer questions about possible sources of pollution from everyday activities.

Flash Player is required to view the movie. If you don't have it, click the button to go to the download site and follow the instructions for downloading and installation.

Karst Movie Quiz. Printable handout for use after viewing the Karst Movie

Teacher Guide to the Karst Movie

A step by step guide to using the movie for classroom study of karst topography and nonpoint source pollution.
Student Guide to the Karst Movie
Printable handout. Student worksheet.

Get the whole packet, teacher guide, student guide, and quiz. Download the PDF, ready for printing. Karst Packet

How Sinkholes Form

A Flash movie showing how sinkholes develop as the underlying bedrock dissolves. Sinkholes collect surface water running off the surrounding land, and the runoff goes directly into the groundwater.

Related Classroom Activity

Karst, Caves, and Groundwater:
Students will hypothesize about the speed of water transport, related to soil models with and without sugar cubes. The sugar cubes represent karst topography and show increased susceptibility to contamination.

Related Lesson Plan

Down By the River: A lesson on water quality and nonpoint source pollution, using the Karst Movie, with other Atlas material.

Karst Vocabulary

Making a Karst Dictionary: A vocabulary building activity.
Printable student worksheet
Lesson plans:
Classroom version: Group activity.
Solo version: Designed as an enrichment activity for students working alone.

Student Activities

Karst Movie Quiz
Word Search Puzzle:
A puzzle based on the karst vocabulary.
Word Matching Exercise:
A word matching activity based on the karst vocabulary. Can be used as a quiz.

Learning about Karst

Choose readings to fit your classroom needs. Readings may be done in a computer lab with students online, or pages can be printed for students to read. All the pages include links to related subjects for more information about each topic. See Tech Tips for Teachers for information on printing from web pages.

Suggested Background Reading

Karst: An introduction to karst topography. Several pages of information, including photos of karst features.
The Connection Between Karst and Nonpoint Source Pollution: What is nonpoint source pollution and what we can do about it.
Hydrology: An introduction to the study of water movement in the region.
Springs: The major springs in the Bryant watershed.
Groundwater: An introduction to the study of underground water movement, including a glossary of terms.
Topography: An introduction to the study of regional land forms.
Rock Types: The major rock types in the Ozarks region.
Rock Structures: Structural features in the region.

Useful Resources

Citing Online Resources
A guide to be used whenever students are doing Internet research, as they do in the Karst Dictionary activity.
Evaluation
Student Evaluation Sheet for evaluating online activities. Printable handout.

Karst Trunks
Some of these lesson plans and activities also function as components of the Missouri Department of Conservation's Living on Karst Resource Trunk project. The Karst Trunks are available to any school district or homeschooling family in MDC's Ozarks Region, which includes Douglas, Ozark, Wright, Howell, Oregon, Shannon, Texas, Carter and Ripley counties.

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