Plotting
Protected Places
SUBJECTS:
Math, Geography, Career Education, Government and Social Studies
GRADES: 4-5
KERA GOALS:
Meets KERA goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS:
Use reference tools and research tools; make sense of a variety of materials
they read; use mathematical ideas and procedures; organize information
and use of classification rules and systems; understand and use number
concepts; understand use of space and dimensionality concepts; understand
and use measurement concepts; understand the democratic principles; recognize,
apply and understand the relationship between people and geography; show
their abilities to become self-sufficient individuals; show their abilities
to become responsible members of a family, work group, or community; organize
information to develop or change their understanding of a concept; use
a decision-making process to make informed decisions; connect knowledge
and experiences from different subject areas; use what they already know
to acquire new knowledge, skills, or interpret experiences; and expand
their understanding of existing knowledge.
DURATION: One
class period of 45-60 minutes
GROUP SIZE:
One classroom of 25-35 students (or less)
SETTING: Indoors
or outside at tables
KEY VOCABULARY:
Coordinates, plot, map, key, National Park Service
ANTICIPATORY SET:
Can anyone think of a definition for the word plot? A word that means
the same thing will be fine too. Today we are going to find and plot some
special places on a United States map!
OBJECTIVES:
The students will be able to: 1) read a map to find various locations;
2) plot several locations on a map; 3) work independently using map reading
skills.
MATERIALS: (the
plotting protected worksheets are below, however, you will need to plotting
protected places map, found in the pdf
version, to complete the activity)
- Plotting Protected
Places activity sheets
- Pencil
- Ruler
BACKGROUND: The
National Park Service (NPS) originated with the passage of the Organic
Act of 1916. Since that time the National Park Service and the United
States government have designated many places as valuable places to be
protected. These places are selected because of their historical or natural
significance to our nation. Today there are over 380 National Park Service
areas across the country. These areas include national parks, national
monuments, national battlefields, national seashores, national recreation
areas and national wild and scenic rivers. In Kentucky, there are four
National Park Service areas including: Mammoth Cave National Park, Abraham
Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, Big South Fork National River
and Recreation Area, and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Each
National Park Service area has its own unique cultural, biological, and
geological significance. Cultural heritage (people), vegetation (plants),
wildlife (animals), and landforms (rocks) are the reasons the parks were
set aside.
Mapping is a basic
skill that requires taking information given in one area and correlating
it to another. The correlation gives meaning to new information. As far
back as human history can be traced people have been making and reading
maps. This unique way of communication can only be achieved through a
medium such as a map.
PROCEDURE:
- The teacher presents
the students with a map. The teacher asks the students if they can find
a key on the map. The students should read the map and find the directional
diamond for North, South, East, and West.
- The teacher asks
the students what National Park Service Area is at 32,M
? The students should respond Mammoth Cave National Park.
- The teacher asks
the students, “Where is Yellowstone National Park?” A student responds
13, T .
- The teacher asks
the students to work on the first part of their activity page, numbers
1-4.
- Together the class
reviews the answers to the first half of the activity sheet.
- The teacher and
students review the second half of the activity sheet. The teacher points
out that there is a map that will help the student to plot the parks
listed in the second half of the activity.
- The students work
individually on the second half of their sheet.
- The class reviews
this part of the activity sheet.
- The teacher then
asks the students one final question- If you could create a park anywhere
in the United States, at what coordinates would you put it? What plants,
animals, people, and rocks would your park protect? In a few sentences
describe your park at the bottom of your activity sheet.
- The students share
their created parks, if they choose to do so.
CLOSURE: Today
we have plotted a few of the many National Park Service areas that are
located all over the country. Each one is a special place and has a very
special story to tell.
EVALUATION:
The teacher is able to evaluate the students through their class participation
and through the answers they have turned in on their activity sheets.
EXTENSIONS:
- The teacher could
have the students look at a United States road map and map out a vacation
to several different parks. The students could then list the coordinates
from that map for each National Park.
- The students could
create a graph of their classroom, plotting various items in the room.
- The students could
take a look at a Kentucky map and find the four national park areas
that are within its borders. Then they could look at the coordinates
of the National Parks found on that map. They could also find their
town on the map. The students could then measure the distance from each
park to their hometown.
- The students could
select a favorite National Park Service site and could investigate that
area via mail or the internet at www.nps.gov.
Plotting Protected
Places Worksheet information and questions
Map Index:
|
Index # |
National Park
Service Site |
Coordinates |
1 |
Acadia National
Park |
43,W |
2 |
Big Bend National
Park |
17, D |
3 |
Dinosaur National
Monument |
13, O
|
4 |
Everglades National
Park |
13,B |
5 |
Gettysburg National
Military Park |
38, Q |
6 |
Glacier Bay national
Park |
#, # |
7 |
Grand Canyon
National Park |
9, K |
8 |
Hot Springs National
Park |
26, I |
9 |
Mammoth Cave
National Park |
32, M |
10 |
Martin Luther
King National Historic Site |
34, J |
11 |
Mount Rushmore
National Memorial |
18, T |
12 |
Redwood National
and State Parks |
2, S |
13 |
Wright Brothers
National Memorial |
40, M |
14 |
Yellowstone National
Park |
13, T |
15 |
Yosemite National
Park |
5, O |
- Mammoth Cave National
Park is the site of the longest known cave system in the world. Its
coordinates are 32,M. Find a star on the map at these coordinates and
put Mammoth Cave National Park’s index number by it. Index number ____________.
- National Parks
were developed to take care of all the resources inside their boundary
lines. These resources include Vegetation (plants), Wildlife (animals),
Cultural History (people), and Landforms (rocks). Can you list a park
from the index that is best known for each topic?
Vegetation: ___________________________________________________________________
Wildlife: _____________________________________________________________________
Cultural History: _______________________________________________________________
Landforms: ___________________________________________________________________
*Each park protects everything in its boundary, but some answers are
better than others.
- On the map, which
park is furthest East? _______________________________________ What
are its Coordinates? _________________
- Name the two parks
in California and their coordinates. ___________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
- Now add these
parks to your map. Everglades National Park Grand Canyon National Park
Yosemite National Park Big Bend National Park Mount Rushmore National
Memorial
- On the map which
park is furthest south? _______________________________________ What
are its coordinates? ___________________
- Which Park is known
for its famous inventors? __________________________________ What are
its coordinates? _____________ *BONUS What was the famous invention?___________________
- California is the
state with the most National Park Service Sites. Put Parallel lines
(///) through the state to mark that it has the most sites.
- Delaware is the
only state without any National Park Service Sites. Shade Delaware with
your pencil.
- Look at your index.
There are no coordinates listed for Glacier Bay National Park. Why or
why not?______________________________________________________________________________.
Your map shows only
a few National Park Service Sites. There are currently over 380 National
Park Service Areas.
![National Park Service Arrowhead](ah.gif)
|