Description
THIS CAVES LIBRARY LESSON IS MADE ESPECIALLY FOR:
- Texas elementary librarians and reading teachers promoting the Texas 2024-2025 Bluebonnet reading list with students
- elementary librarians on the Specials rotation
- busy parents who just don’t have time to create detailed library lessons
My Library Lessons and Library Storytimes are the lessons I would have wanted when I was a new, overwhelmed, and exhausted school librarian with two preschoolers of my own.
FAST FACTS ABOUT THIS CAVES LIBRARY LESSON MINI:
- Recommended for: Grades 2-5
- Lesson Duration: 1 library lesson (about 25-30 minutes total)
- Formats: PPT or Google Slides; PDF
- Editable: YES, all text is editable
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL GET WITH THIS CAVES LIBRARY LESSON MINI:
- 27-slide PPT + Google™ Slides (27 slides that students see; there are actually 32 slides when you include directions and tips for librarians)
- two differentiated scavenger hunt activities (2 pages)
- answer key for the second scavenger hunt (1 page)
- list of 35 nature-themed Recommended Reads (1 page)
- “Let’s Talk About Caves” Take-Home Extension Activities (2 pages)
- prep and set-up tips + notes page (2 pages)
- lesson plan templates (5 pages)
- complete, detailed instructions for all included pieces
- All printable pages can be edited in PPT, Google Slides, or PDF.
ACCESSIBILITY
All parts of this Library Lesson Mini are optimized for readability. Here’s how:
- uses only two fonts (Arial and KG Blank Space Solid)
- Arial font is one of 8 accessibility fonts recommended by the British Dyslexia Association. It is also pre-loaded on most school computers.
- slides use primarily black text on a solid white background – some exceptions for captions in white text over a dark photo
- no cursive fonts, fancy fonts, or random capitalizations are included
- body text line spacing is 1.5
- minimal text on each slide
- lots of white space on each slide
- scavenger hunt includes two versions. One is images only and requires no reading. The other is for students who can read short text well.
IMAGES
As a certified librarian, I am careful to use only legally-acquired images in my resources. Librarians can be assured that:
- All clipart in this resource were purchased for commercial use from human TPT clip artists.
- All photos are in the public domain.
- Every image is credited in the Slide Notes area of each slide.
- All images in this resource adhere closely to the artist or photographer’s terms of use. This is why they are all locked into the background and not editable.
In addition, all images in this resource:
- are high-quality, full-color images
- include captions
- complement the subject and text of each slide
PART I – CAVES LIBRARY LESSON MINI SLIDES:
This is a “Mini” Library Lesson, so the Part I slides are shortened from my full Library Lessons. Part I includes only 3 slides, which enables the librarian to get to the read-aloud more quickly.
The slides are:
- introduction to the theme
- “Caves” in American Sign Language (includes instructions and photo link)
- Discussion question to activate students’ prior knowledge of caves
PART II – SCROLLING SLIDES INCLUDE:
I take great care to thoroughly research all information in my Library Lessons. All resources are credible, authoritative references. Source URLs are included in the Slide Notes sections of some slides.
- fun facts about caves
- multiple caves around the world – several of these caves are also mentioned in the informational picture book Caves by Nell Cross Beckerman.
- 3 cave-themed trivia questions and answers
- 2 cave-themed Would-You-Rathers
- Library Skill: Which Dewey Decimal System section would you find books about cave animals? (answer: 500s)
- cave paintings
- how ancient peoples made paint for cave art
- how cave animals adapt to life in the darkness
- difference between stalactites and stalagmites (and how to remember which is which)
- Caves in the news: 2018 Thailand cave rescue
- vocabulary words: bioluminescent, adaptations, petroglyph, stalactite, stalagmite, lava tube, spelunking, potholing, speleology, echolocation, geothermal
SCAVENGER HUNTS
- differentiated (one is images-only; one is images + text)
- 2 pages, PDF
- Scavenger Hunt #1 is an images-only hunt. Students can complete this scavenger hunt without reading the text on the slides.
- Scavenger Hunt #2 includes both images and text. This one is for the students who are able to read the Part II slideshow. This scavenger hunt includes images and questions about the information in the slideshow.
- Scavenger Hunt #2 includes answer key
LIST OF RECOMMENDED READS
- picture books, fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels for Grades 2-5
- all books have nature themes
- total of 35 titles
- titles are editable, so you can customize the titles for your classroom or library
- All titles were hand-selected by a veteran school librarian for quality, diversity, positive reviews, and currency.
- Every book on the list received at least one positive review on Titlewave. Several also received starred reviews and/or book awards.
TAKE-HOME EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Some of my Library Lessons and Storytimes contain Take-Home Extension Activities, and this is one of them! You can download an example (Spiders) here.
Students love sharing their knowledge! With this 2-page Caves Take-Home Extension Activities Handout, students can:
- quiz siblings, friends, and family members about some of the cave facts they learned in the scrolling slides (Part II)
- prepare a no-bake, cave-themed snack
- read some recommended informational picture books with nature themes
- review cave vocabulary words from the lesson
- learn to draw a cave salamander using simple, step-by-step directions
- remember how to sign “cave” in American Sign Language
- unscramble 5 cave-themed words from the presentation
- 2 pages, text is editable in PPT, Google Slides, or PDF
MORE SCIENCE – THEMED LIBRARY LESSONS
