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Earthworks
Earth System Science for Secondary Teachers
Sherree Tatum (Earthworks 2001)
statum@rmi.net
Science Inquiry Lesson: Mapping Project
Learning level: 4th - 12th with modifications
Colorado Model Content Standards addressed:
Economics 1: Students understand that because of the condition of scarcity, decisions must be made about the use of resources.
Geography 1.1: Students know how to use maps, globes, and other geographic tools to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
History 4.1: Students understand the impact of scientific and technological developments on individuals and societies.
Math 4: Students use geometric concepts, properties, and relationships in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning used in solving these problems.
Processes addressed: collaboration, identification, evaluation, revision, comparison, calculations, assess, revise.
Topic addressed: Mapping skills
Process-oriented objectives for each team:
- collaborate and identify individual roles within group;
- each member will accept responsibility for a role;
- identify existing knowledge of maps, map reading skills, and methods of creating maps
- teams will identify methods and guidelines;
- create a map of a section of the Animas River Park using a compass and measuring tape;
- teams will evaluate process, and revise methods and guidelines;
- establish group/individual rubric, and methods of assessment for next part;
- representatives from each team will form a new team to create a single map from the sections.
- this new team will create a map of the Animas River Park using a GPS unit, and then tie the GPS
- teams will evaluate process, and again revise methods and guidelines;
- evaluate work according to group/individual rubric
- assess self/team according to rubric;
What I want learners to discover:
- relationships between symbolic representation (map) and physical entity (park grounds, buildings, trees, plantings, streets, etc.);
- methods of creating maps and ways to evaluate different methods, including cost/benefit of different skills and tools; and
- relevant uses of geometry and trigonometry.
Description of introductory activities: Each team will locate items of some intrinsic value in classroom, building or area from a map.
Materials needed for:
each team:
- various kinds of example maps;
- map for introduction activity;
- topo map containing the Animas Valley Park with GPS coordinates
Resources:
- Greek history, geometry applications, history of geometry
- GPS use guides, how to books
- tracing paper
- a compass and measuring tape;
- a set of geometry tools;
- clipboard;
- calculator (trig functions required for extensions only);
- grid paper with the same scale as the measuring tape (metric, decimal or American).
each individual:
- protractor
- calculator
- grid paper
Description of activities:
- Each team of learners will use a map to locate items.
- Each team of learners will brainstorm in their teams everything they know about maps. Teams then compare what they have on their list with example maps, and note the differences between the different maps.
- Each team of learners will create two lists with important considerations for 1) mapping the section [common scale, data gathering and recording, legend, measuring methods], and 2) creating the single map from the sections. These considerations will be summarized into preliminary methods and guidelines
- Each section of area to be mapped is identified for each team. Each will gather and record data, identify the appropriate scale, and draw their map using the geometry tools and engineering paper. Problems will be solved within the team as they arise. When each team has completed their map then they will reevaluate their considerations, and create a set of guidelines for their next mapping assignment.
- Representatives from each team will form new teams. All sections of the map and guidelines will be copied so each new team has all sections and all guidelines. Each team will create a single map from the all sections. Problems will be resolved within the team, and the guidelines will be summarized into a single set.
Discussion/reflection questions:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the compass and measuring tape system?
- Compare the compass and tape, and measurement method to tools and methods of ancient Greeks. Which tools and methods are the same, which are different?
- What problems did your team experience in completing the assignment, and how did your team resolve these problems?
- In what ways can inaccurate data be identified?
- In what ways can the map be verified?
Independent investigation:
The new team formed in Description of activities: Step 5 will continue in this investigation. They will identify the methods and guidelines in creating a map of the Animas River Park using a GPS unit. This independent investigation has two parts:
- One of the previous sections will be resurveyed. Data will be gathered from each previous point, and the two data sets compared.
- Using the methods and guidelines and identify any criteria necessary to tie into a standard GPS map, create a map of the Animas River Park using a GPS unit. After implementing their methods and guidelines, they will reflect on their experience using the following questions.
Discussion/reflection questions:
- What do you now know that you didn't before beginning this project?
- How does this method using a GPS compare to the earlier using a compass and tape measure? Which did you prefer?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the GPS system?
- Evaluate the two different methods, and identify three differences in resource requirements.
- Estimate the cost/benefit of each method, and give reasons supporting your estimate.
Expected conclusions:
Learners will recognize that technology can take the place of human workers because the GPS requires only a single operator while the compass-tape method requires two people. The GPS is more expensive, and requires batteries (with their environmental cost) for upkeep. The compass tape method doesn't allow for absolute elevations. The GPS method is quicker, but technology or human error due to inexperience may be more difficult to recognize than with the compass-tape method because the GPS' digital readout looks official, and the number of digits in the GPS coordinate system is initially more difficult to decode and make relevant.
Extensions:
- Select any 3 data points from your data set, and plot them with an appropriate scale onto grid paper, and connect the points. Identify the shape.
- Answer the following questions: How many sides (line segments) and points (intersection of line segments) are there in this shape? How many angles (the degree measure between intersection line segments?)
- Using the protractor from the geometry set measure the angles inside the shape. Create a table with an entry for each of the angle measurements, and sum the angles.
- Repeat the process several more times. Average the angle sums, and record the average. The sum of the interior angles of a shape with 3 data points is 90°.
- Determine the absolute value of the average minus 90°; how would you interpret your result?
Application to real life situations:
People use compasses and/or GPS systems with map reading skills to guide themselves in outdoor activities such as hiking and backpacking.
The compass methods used for identifying data points are accurate enough for many applications, such as determining laying out sidewalks, garden spaces, and the tools are quite inexpensive.
Many class projects use GPS systems as part of data gathering for inclusion in online databases, and GPS use is also important in many careers, such as surveying and civil engineering.
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