Science

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

MATTER AND ITS INTERACTIONS

2

“Plan and carry out investigations to analyze relationships among pressure, volume, temperature, and density within confined systems. (e.g., squeezing a balloon, placing a balloon on ice) to identify the relationships that exist among the pressure, volume, density, and temperature of a confined gas.”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

In this video, we demonstrate how changes in temperature and pressure affect confined systems using practical examples filmed within the cave environment. Students observe how environmental conditions influence material behavior and are prompted to connect these demonstrations to gas behavior principles. This supports high school expectations for interpreting variables, identifying relationships, and constructing explanations grounded in evidence.

4

“Analyze and interpret data using acid base indicators (e.g., color changing markers, pH paper) to distinguish between acids and bases, including comparisons between strong and weak acids and bases.”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

In this video, we use a removed stalactite sample to demonstrate how acids interact with limestone. Students observe how acidic solutions alter mineral surfaces and connect this visual evidence to pH indicators and acid-base classification. This strengthens analytical skills by requiring students to interpret observable change through chemical reasoning.

7

“Analyze and interpret data for one- and two-dimensional motion applying basic concepts of distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration (e.g., velocity versus time graphs, displacement versus time graphs, acceleration versus time graphs).”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

Students practice translating motion concepts into evidence-based interpretations by working with motion representations and graph-based reasoning. The focus is not simply identifying terms, but demonstrating the ability to extract meaning from data displays and justify conclusions. This reinforces a key high school expectation: using quantitative information to explain physical behavior and communicate reasoning clearly.

ENERGY

4

“Design, build, and test the ability of a device (e.g., Rube Goldberg devices, wind turbines, solar cells, solar ovens) to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.” 

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

Students connect energy transfer concepts to real systems by analyzing how energy is converted and conserved in mechanical processes. The visit supports design thinking and systems reasoning by prompting students to consider inputs, outputs, efficiency, and constraints. Teachers can extend this into a classroom engineering task where students design and justify a device that demonstrates energy transformation using evidence and performance criteria.

BIOLOGY

FROM MOLECULES TO ORGANISMS: STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES

3

“Formulate an evidence-based explanation regarding how the composition of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) determines the structural organization of proteins.

a. Obtain and evaluate experiments of major scientists and communicate their contributions to the development of the structure of DNA and to the development of the central dogma of molecular biology.”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

In this video, we examine mastodon remains discovered within the cave system and discuss how DNA analysis helps identify species and biological relationships. Students connect molecular structure to biological organization and review how scientific discoveries contributed to our understanding of DNA. This reinforces evidence-based explanation and historical scientific reasoning.

UNITY AND DIVERSITY

16

“Analyze scientific evidence (e.g., DNA, fossil records, cladograms, biogeography) to support hypotheses of common ancestry and biological evolution.”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

Students use fossil context and biological evidence discussed in the video to evaluate how scientists construct evolutionary hypotheses. The cave setting allows discussion of environmental change and species adaptation, strengthening students’ ability to analyze evidence types and construct defensible biological claims.

CHEMISTRY

MATTER AND ITS INTERACTIONS

6

“Use mathematics and computational thinking to express the concentrations of solutions quantitatively using molarity.

a. Develop and use models to explain how solutes are dissolved in solvents.

b. Analyze and interpret data to explain effects of temperature on the solubility of solid, liquid, and gaseous solutes in a solvent and the effects of pressure on the solubility of gaseous solutes.

c. Design and conduct experiments to test the conductivity of common ionic and covalent substances in a solution.

d. Use the concept of pH as a model to predict the relative properties of strong, weak, concentrated, and dilute acids and bases (e.g., Arrhenius and Brønsted-Lowry acids and bases).”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

In this video series, students observe how chemical interactions shape cave formation. We demonstrate how acidic water dissolves calcium carbonate, connecting directly to pH modeling and acid-base theory. Students analyze how dissolved ions move through groundwater systems and consider how concentration and solubility affect mineral deposition over time. These real-world chemical processes reinforce modeling expectations, quantitative reasoning, and the predictive power of pH as a scientific tool.

PHYSICS

MOTION & STABILITY: FORCES AND INTERACTIONS

4

“Identify and analyze forces responsible for changes in rotational motion and develop an understanding of the effect of rotational inertia on the motion of a rotating object (e.g., merry-go-round, spinning toy, spinning figure skater, stellar collapse [supernova], rapidly spinning pulsar).”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

In this video, students observe how rotational systems behave in real-world applications. Using examples such as spinning mechanisms and gyroscopic motion, we demonstrate how torque, mass distribution, and angular acceleration influence motion. Students are encouraged to interpret how changes in rotational inertia alter system behavior and to connect visual observation to physics principles rather than relying solely on formula memorization. The goal is to reinforce conceptual understanding of rotational motion through applied analysis.

ENERGY

6

“Investigate collisions, both elastic and inelastic, to evaluate the effects on momentum and energy conservation.” 

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

In this video, we demonstrate how elastic systems store and release energy using real examples such as a bow propelling an arrow. Students examine how energy is transferred and conserved during interactions and distinguish between elastic and inelastic outcomes. Rather than observing collisions abstractly, students are prompted to evaluate how momentum changes and where energy is conserved or transformed. This reinforces conservation laws while grounding instruction in a tangible mechanical example.

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE 

EARTH’S SYSTEMS

9

“Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to explain how constructive and destructive processes (e.g., weathering, erosion, volcanism, orogeny, plate tectonics, tectonic uplift) shape Earth’s land features (e.g., mountains, valleys, plateaus) and sea features (e.g., trenches, ridges, seamounts).” 

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

Students use the caverns as a case study in long-term geologic change, focusing on how Earth’s processes reshape landscapes over time. The instructional emphasis supports high school performance expectations: obtaining information, evaluating evidence, and communicating explanations. Teachers can connect this to broader Earth systems by prompting students to compare karst formation with other constructive and destructive processes and to justify claims using geological evidence.

11

“Obtain and communicate information about significant geologic characteristics (e.g., types of rocks and geologic ages, earthquake zones, sinkholes, caves, abundant fossil fauna, mineral and energy resources) that impact life in Alabama and the southeastern United States.”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

This video highlights karst geology, sinkhole formation, fossil evidence, and the broader geological impact of limestone in Alabama. Students connect these regional characteristics to human systems, including water management, land development, and historical resource use. The focus remains on communication of geologic significance using discipline-specific vocabulary.

ENVIROMENTAL SCIENCE 

EARTH & HUMAN ACTIVITY

5

“Engage in argument from evidence to compare how individual versus group behavior (e.g., flocking; cooperative behaviors such as hunting, migrating, and swarming) may affect a species’ chance to survive and reproduce over time.” 

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

Students practice argumentation from evidence by evaluating how behavior influences survival and reproduction. The learning emphasis is on constructing claims and supporting them using scientific reasoning, not opinion. Teachers can extend the visit through structured argument tasks where students compare behavioral strategies and justify conclusions using evidence from ecological examples, research summaries, or classroom datasets.

Social Studies

UNITED STATES HISTORY II:
THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION TO THE PRESENT 

5

“Evaluate the impact of social changes and the influence of key figures in the United States from World War I through the 1920s, including Prohibition, the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, the Scopes Trial, limits on immigration, Ku Klux Klan activities, the Red Scare, the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Migration, the Jazz Age, Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, W. C. Handy, and Zelda Fitzgerald.”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

In this video, we examine how Majestic Caverns was used during Prohibition, connecting local activity to national policy shifts between World War I and the 1920s. Students analyze how federal legislation influenced regional economies and social behavior. This supports evaluation of cause-and-effect relationships within a broader historical framework.

WORLD HISTORY:
1500 TO THE PRESENT

6

“Analyze the expansion of suffrage for its effect on the political system of the United States, including suffrage for non-property owners, women, African Americans, and persons eighteen years of age.”

SUPPORTING CURRICULUM

This video highlights the leadership of Ida Mathis and connects her influence to broader themes of women’s civic engagement and suffrage expansion. Students evaluate how individual leadership intersects with structural political change and analyze the broader impact of democratic expansion.

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Optional Reading for Teachers

These short articles are available for teachers who would like additional background or classroom inspiration. They are not required for your visit and are provided simply as support.