Thematic+Unit+-+Part+III


 * GPS Units **
 * Part 2: Latitude and Longitude Lines and Using GPS Units **

1. Ask students how they can validate the location of objects placed on the diagram in the previous activity. Brainstorm possible answers. 2. Refer to the NM data-collection form, and point out the section on taking latitude and longitude. Show the students a globe, and explain to them the lines of latitude and longitude. *Lines of latitude run horizontally and provide locations in the north/south directions, depicting north as a positive number and south as a negative number. example, one reads 47° 15’ 25” as “47 degrees, 15 minutes, and 25 seconds.” earth. For example, you can write 47° 15’ 25” as 47.1525 or 47°15.25’. 0.02 miles 3. Teach students about mapping latitude and longitude lines using GPS units. This lesson is split into three parts. The first part focuses on an activity of mapping the schoolyard to engage students, the second part introduces GPS units and how to use them, and the final part ties the others together by getting students to pinpoint exact locations on the schoolyard map.
 * Lines of longitude run vertically and provide locations in the east/west directions.
 * Explain that each number reflects location in degrees, minutes, and seconds. For
 * You can write a coordinate in many different ways to precisely express a location on
 * Each degree of latitude represents 69 miles, each minute 1.15 miles, and each second
 * Degrees of longitude vary in size, decreasing as one moves in both directions toward

Is the lesson too simple or advanced for your students? Here are some ways to customize the lesson based on grade level: · Grade K: Help students create and post objects on the map. · Grade 1: Create symbols for students to place on the map. · Grade 2: Give students more independence to make symbols and to use a map key. · Grades 3-6: Encourage students to map the schoolyard using GPS locations as they learn latitude/longitude coordinates. · Grades 7 and up: Challenge students to convert GPS and map locations from degrees and minutes into decimal degrees. Use grid paper to draw the school to scale.
 * Customization Tip **

4. Follow the lesson on how to use a GPS unit at: depts.washington.edu/natmp/ education/protocols/8_using_maps.html. 5. Pair students together, and equip each pair with a GPS unit. Explain that one student will read the unit while the other student records readings in his or her field journal. 6. Ask students to walk the schoolyard from south to north, writing latitude numbers every fifty feet as directed. 7. Repeat the step for writing longitude numbers from east to west. 8. Return to the classroom and ask students what they observed and if there was a number pattern. 9. Use a globe or a map to review why the numbers increase and decrease. 10. Talk about satellites and show how they work.

1. Explain to students that they’ll use the GPS unit to test the precision of objects placed on the schoolyard map. 2. Take latitude and longitude numbers (as a group) around different points of the schoolyard – at the corners and around the perimeter every ten feet or so. 3. Ask students to take GPS readings of their objects in the schoolyard. 4. Record all numbers on the large schoolyard map, and move the objects to the correct location as needed.
 * Part 3: Mapping the Schoolyard with GPS Units **

Don’t have a GPS unit? Try using Google Earth or other online programs to pinpoint different longitude and latitude coordinates. Or use a globe or military map for inexact estimates.
 * KEY Points **