Search and Rescue
Lesson
Plan
Overview
In this lesson, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of graphing on the coordinate plane. Given maps of a forested area that is culturally important to a tribe of Native Americans, students are asked to help field ecologists locate an injured crow named Kangi. Additionally, they will explore Native American cultural sites and other landmarks that appear on the map. Through the lesson, students are introduced to concepts of axes, coordinates, ordered pairs, and the origin. Students will be asked to identify the coordinates of a particular object on a map, as well as determine a location on a map given a set of coordinates. This lesson provides exposure to mathematical skills and understandings that are prerequisites for later lessons that involve the tracking of animal migrations, as well as lessons that further develop understanding of the four-quadrant coordinate plane.
|
Suggested Lesson
Sequence |
Please
see the Maps
and More, and Earth
Systems and Humans module descriptions. |
|
Lesson Level |
|
|
Science
Connections |
·
Students use a satellite image with a coordinate
plane to locate an animal in the forest. |
|
Math Connections |
·
Students
will explore
the coordinate plane: axes
and the origin. ·
Students
will graph
using ordered pairs. ·
Students will
develop number
sense: value
placement to the hundreds place. ·
Students will
measure using the metric unit of
a meter. ·
Students will
explore
and use scale units and
direction. ·
Students will
develop spatial sense using maps and images. |
|
Technology
Connections |
· Students will examine interpret a map using a coordinate system to locate an animal. · Students will learn that the movements of
some animals can be tracked using satellite technology. |
|
Cultural
Connections |
·
Students
will learn about customs and language of Lakota Sioux
peoples. |
|
Lesson
Assessment |
·
Assessment
and Standards Table (Word) |
Materials
Powerpoint Reader (Windows / Mac), and Quicktime Player
Forest Map #1 (Powerpoint)
Forest Map #2 (Powerpoint)
Navigating the Coordinate Plane activity sheet (Word)
Tracking the Motion slideshow (Powerpoint)
Coordinate Plane Assessment slideshow (Powerpoint)
Meet Leonard Little Finger (Quicktime). This movie file is in the "Animal Tracking" folder.
Kangi the Crow (Quicktime), with Leonard Little Finger
Forest Landmarks: Sage (Quicktime), with Leonard Little Finger
Forest Landmarks: Tipi Rings (Quicktime), with Leonard Little Finger
This series of
lessons contains a significant amount of text that includes numerous vocabulary
words in science, mathematics, and Native American culture. There may be other words that appear in the
lesson activities that are not listed below.
Use those opportunities to encourage students to seek the meaning of
words and phrases they may not know.
Earth
Systems Science Vocabulary
Ecologist: a scientist who studies the interactions among living things
and the environment.
Rock outcrop: a
place where large rocks (with little or no soil and plants) are naturally
exposed at the surface of the ground
Transmitter: a
small electronic device that sends information to a scientist by way of a
satellite.
Mathematics
Vocabulary
Axis: One of the reference lines of a coordinate
system. The plural of axis is axes.
Coordinates: Two
numbers that identify a particular location on a map. For example, the coordinates of a particular point might be
(3,4), where the first coordinate, (i.e., 3) represents the horizontal distance
away from the origin. The second
coordinate (i.e. 4) represents the vertical distance from the origin.
Meter: A unit of measurement in the metric system
equivalent to approximately 39 inches.
Origin:
The location on a map or grid where the x- and y-axes intersect. This intersection point is labeled with the
coordinates (0, 0).
Ordered pair: An “ordered pair” is another way to refer
to the coordinates of a given point.
For example, the location described by the ordered
pair of (3,4) would have an x-coordinate of 3 (i.e., three units to the
right of the origin) and a y-coordinate of 4 (i.e., 4 units up from the
origin).
Lakota
Sioux Culture Vocabulary
Inipi: A
Lakota Sioux word for a sweat lodge. A
small hut made out of branches where water is poured over hot rocks to create
conditions much like a hot sauna.
Kangi: A
Lakota Sioux word meaning “crow” in English.
Lakota Sioux: A
tribe of Native American peoples living in the north-central plains of the
United States.
Mato: A
Lakota Sioux word meaning “bear” in English.
Paha: A
Lakota Sioux word meaning “mountain” in English.
Sage: A
good-smelling plant that has many cultural uses among many Native American
tribes. The Lakota Sioux word for
“sage” is pejihota.
Tatanka: A
Lakota Sioux word meaning “bison” or “buffalo” in English.
Tipi:
traditional Native American shelter made of tree branches and Tatanka hides that is easily moved from
place to place.
Tipi rings:
Rocks arranged in a circle that held the Tatanka hides of a tipi on the ground to keep cold air, rain, and
snow out of the tipi. Tipi rings that are hundreds of years old may still be found today.
Procedure
This lesson is
designed to familiarize students with graphing on the coordinate plane. Students will describe a location on a map
using ordered pairs (e.g., What are the coordinates of the Tatanka Ecology
Research Station?), as well as determine a location on a map when given an
ordered pair (e.g., Find the lake located near the point [800E, 600N]). The concepts introduced in this lesson are
more fully developed in three subsequent lessons: Deer
Tracks, Two Ways About It, and
Quad Squad.
I.
Assessing Prior Knowledge
This lesson
introduces students to the idea that animals can be “tracked” both by natural
means (i.e., their footprints in snow), and by other means that employ
technology. Specifically, this lesson
introduces students to the idea that animals (and in this case, birds) can be “tracked”
by satellites even though we may not be able to physically see the animal. Ask students to think about how scientists
might follow (study) various wild animals.
For example, whales migrate thousands of miles, most of it under water
and out of our sight. Birds fly both
day and night on their long migrations.
How do scientists track the behavior of these animals that are so often
on the move?
In fact,
scientists track all kinds of animals – birds, turtles, whales, wolves, bears,
and other animals as well. After
informally assessing the students’ understanding of this process, show them the
Tracking the Motion photo essay. This slide presentation not only illustrates
the process, but also provides rich material to prepare students for the
following lesson.
II.
Contextual Preparation
Story Time with Leonard Little Finger: Leonard Little
Finger is a well-known elder of the Lakota Sioux Native American Tribe. He has a rich heritage and ancestry, and is
a strong voice for Native peoples in this country. In this lesson, Leonard
Little Finger will help set the context for the activities the students
pursue. This is a rare opportunity for
many students to listen to the stories and words of a Native American with a
strong legacy and connection to his ancestors, and recollections of previous
ways of life for Native peoples.
To introduce this
lesson, teachers should load the Earth Systems Connections CD-ROM into a
computer with the capability of playing audio and video, and click on the
“Leonard Little Finger Speaks: Introduction” button on the Search and
Rescue lesson plan. Other video clips
of Leonard Little Finger will be used later in this lesson.
III.
Lesson Activities
1. The Story of Kangi the Crow.
A second video
clip provides the introduction to the primary activity for the lesson. Play
the "Kangi the Crow" movie. In this story, Leonard describes a
hypothetical situation in which students will have to help rescue an injured
bird. The text for this audio
introduction is as follows:
Story Time with Leonard
Little Finger:
The Story of Kangi the Crow
Now,
let me tell you a story that happened just recently. In this story, we will need your help to solve a mystery about a
missing bird. A few months ago, a
special crow was found by biologists at the Tatanka Ecology Research
Station. The scientists gave the bird a
Lakota name –- Kangi -- which means “crow”.
When they found Kangi, she had a broken wing, and certainly would not
have survived without special care and attention. After aiding in Kangi’s recovery, the biologists placed a small
device called a transmitter on Kangi
that could be recognized by satellites.
They did this so that once Kangi was released back into the wild, they
could use satellites to track her location, and learn more about how crows
behave in the wild.
After
releasing Kangi, the scientists were pleased to see how active she was for the
first several weeks, and that she had appeared to make a new nest near the
wildlife ecology station. The
transmitter was working perfectly!
Several days ago, however, the scientists became worried because it
appeared as though Kangi had stopped moving.
They wondered if Kangi had been injured again, or if perhaps the
transmitter had fallen to the ground.
How could they find out if Kangi was still okay? They need your
help…
At this point,
teachers should make sure that students understand the context fully. Sample questions for discussion might
include: How many of you have seen a crow before? Where are crows usually found? Why do you think the scientists
chose to track Kangi’s movements? How
are the scientists able to use satellites to track Kangi’s movements? What do you think has happened to
Kangi? What do you think the scientists
should do next?
2. The Forest Map
When students have
demonstrated their understanding of the context, the teacher may continue to
build upon the story by presenting students with a copy of Forest
Map #1 (or view on a computer
screen). Students should be asked to identify several locations on this map
such as the Tatanka Ecology Station, or the Mato Path. Students should notice that the map contains
a number of features that are of cultural significance to the Lakota Sioux
tribe. Take the time now to explain any
of the cultural landmarks that the students point out, using the vocabulary
list above as a guide. The students will hear Leonard Little Finger
discuss the significance of these cultural landmarks later in the lesson.
3. Locating Kangi
If students have
not already seen it, the teacher should identify the symbol of the bird located
in the Northwest Woods. This symbol
designates the approximate location of Kangi’s transmitter as detected by
satellites. Ask the students to imagine
that they are responsible for helping the ecologists find Kangi. They should respond in writing to the
following questions:
·
How would you
describe Kangi’s location?
·
What
directions would you give the field ecologists so that they could get to Kangi
as quickly as possible?
Descriptions by
the students may include compass directions such as north and east, cultural
landmarks such as the tipi rings or inipi, or geographic landmarks such as
Tatanka Lake, the grassy meadow, etc.
In any case,
encourage students to be as specific as possible in order to help the field
ecologists locate Kangi quickly. Either
individually or in small groups, ask students to record these directions. Then, the teacher could select one or two
groups, and have them share their directions with the class as the teacher (and
other students) try to follow the directions on the map.
4. The Coordinate Plane
Students will
experience various degrees of success as they try to describe the location of
Kangi. Teachers should lead a
discussion about how general landmarks and descriptions could get the ecologists
“in the ballpark,” but that they are probably not exact enough to lead them
directly to Kangi’s transmitter. Ask students:
·
Can you come
up with a better way (or a better map) to give directions?
As students will
see with the next map (distribute Forest Map #2),
describing Kangi’s location can be done much more precisely with the use of a
coordinate grid. Teachers should continue the story about Kangi by
sharing the following information:
5. Kangi Part 2
Tell students:
Much
as you just tried to do, the first thing the biologists used was Forest
Map #1, along with the satellite information, to search for
Kangi. Although they looked for several
hours in the general area of the Northwest Woods where Kangi was thought to be,
they realized that they were going to need more detailed and specific
information to find her. Therefore, after thinking about it for quite some
time, the scientists decided to make a new map with grid lines that could be
used to help narrow the search. They
called this new map Forest Map #2. Take a look at that map now to see how it might be more helpful
in locating Kangi…
This may be the
first time that students have been exposed to a coordinate grid system. Therefore, teachers should take some time to
explore the grid with students, eventually asking them to think about how the
grid lines could be used to help locate Kangi. Students’ responses could be
recorded on the overhead or board. The
variety of answers can then be used by the teacher to help motivate the need
for one standard way of describing locations on a grid. Some ideas for facilitating this discussion
are included below.
6.
Ideas for a Teacher Directed Discussion of the Coordinate Plane
Inform students
that, in order to minimize confusion and improve efficiency, locations on maps
can be determined precisely through the use of coordinates. That is, every location on a coordinate
plane can be identified through the use of two numbers – the coordinates of the point. In this case, the coordinates refer to
distances both to the North and to the East of the Tatanka Ecology Research
Station (i.e., the origin).
Explain to the
students that the distance (in this case, the unit of distance is the metric
unit meter) and the direction (in
this case, North and East) are two distinct pieces of information about a
coordinate. So, for example, if we
wanted to identify the coordinates of Kangi’s location, we would do so
according to an accepted convention.
First give the horizontal direction (or coordinate) -- in this case, 200
meters East -- and then give the vertical direction (coordinate) -- in this
case, 800 meters North. In other words,
we could shorten the coordinate names and describe Kangi’s location as (200E,
800N).
Again, when using coordinates, we always present them in the same way: the horizontal coordinate (horizontal distance from the origin) is listed first, and the vertical coordinate (vertical distance from the origin) is listed second. When both coordinates are written together – such as the (200E, 800N) – they are called an ordered pair. In the ordered pair above the letters E and N represent East and North respectively. Sometimes the labels of East and North are not necessary and are omitted. Moreover, on many coordinate graphs the directions are often replaced with positive and negative signs as will be explored in a subsequent lesson entitled Two Ways About It.
7. Activity Sheet
After completing
the previous steps and discussion, students should be given a copy of the Navigating
the Coordinate Plane activity
sheet. This activity builds upon the
previous context, and provides students with opportunities to develop their
graphing skills and understandings as they continue to explore Forest
Map #2. There is a considerable
amount of reading required on this activity sheet as students learn new
vocabulary, invest in the context, and complete the problems. You may wish, therefore, to encourage
students to work in small groups on the activity sheet.
Answers: Navigating the Coordinate Plane Activity
Sheet
1. (0, 0); Answers will vary.
2. 
Rock outcrops are layers of rock that are exposed above the
soil.
3. (600, 100)
(100, 400) (1200, 500) (600, 1000); the rock outcrop at Paha Hill
(600, 1000); Because it is the shortest distance to the site of the tipi
rings. Approximately 500 meters from
the rock outcrop to the tipi rings.
4. (1000, 200), (800, 0).
5. They have the same x-coordinate (or
horizontal coordinate, or distance East of the research station); the rock
outcrop in the southeast woods.
6. (700, 600), (600, 500) (other answers are also correct).
7. (200, 800);
Answers will vary.
8. No, that point is in the middle of the lake; part two answers will vary.
9. Answers will vary.
10.
See definitions in lesson plan. Answers
will vary, but should include references to identifying locations and measuring
distances.
2. It is now time for more stories from Leonard
Little Finger. Now that the students
have familiarized themselves with the maps in some detail, play the "Forest
Landmarks: Sage" and "Forest
Landmarks: Tipi Rings" movies. After the students view the videos, lead a
discuss about how they think the Lakota Sioux who visit this part of the forest
might use the cultural landmarks for their ceremonial uses, or other related
questions of interest. Use this time as
an open time for sharing the students’ perceptions and new knowledge.
Throughout this
lesson, look for opportunities to assess children’s thinking about how the
coordinate plane helps to make maps both understandable and useful. As a more formal assessment, return to the
vocabulary list at the beginning of this lesson, and ask students to share
definitions for each of the terms. Look
for students to express understanding of the mathematics of the coordinate plane,
and also how maps and graphs are more than just numbers on a grid – they can
contain important information about relationships between ecology and human
culture. Finally, you may use the Coordinate
Plane Assessment activity as a more formal way to measure students’
learning.
Lesson Extensions for Authentic Assessment
·
Go back to
the vocabulary list at the beginning of the lesson and repeat the words again
with your students. Students could
develop a creative writing story using all of the words in the vocabulary list.
·
After
watching and listening to the storytelling of Leonard Little Finger, have the
students use the landmarks on the map to create a story of their own about a
visit they took to this region. Perhaps
they could write a story that details a new friendship with a Lakota Sioux
child or some adventure that he or she encountered.
·
Students
should now be encouraged to explore the next three lessons, entitled
Deer Tracks, Two
Ways About It and Quad
Squad. In these lessons, students will extend their
explorations in this lesson to include:
the relationship between maps as human creations and actual imagery of
the earth (Deer Tracks), negative numbers (Two Ways About It) and graphing
concepts in all four quadrants (Quad Squad).
In addition, the students will now be prepared with the knowledge for
tracking the long migration of Osprey birds in Osprey
Journey and Separate
Vacations.