Teaching Notes

Example Output
Map of surface temperature changes influenced by ground cover displayed in an example in My World. Click on image for larger view.

While the specific details of each local study will vary, this example shows what a completed GIS project may look like. This project shows how surface temperatures change as the type of ground cover varies on a school campus. While this study has been done on a small scale, the results allow users to form hypotheses about the larger-scale implications of their findings.

The My World Tour window provides a way for users to communicate their conclusions or introduce their GIS project. The map view contains a satellite image of the local area and the plotted data, which are visually represented according to a color, size and/or shape scale. The table(s) of data can be viewed and edited from within the project file. Additionally, projects can contain links to images, documents, and websites.

• design an experiment;
• collect and record geospatial data;
• analyze geospatial relationships in a GIS;
• communicate information in a GIS; and
• draw conclusions to an environmental question.

• If another body of water is nearby, students could map water quality data.
• Students could bring in samples of soil and/or water from their own homes to test in the classroom, and then this data could be mapped for analysis.
• If students live in different water districts, it may be interesting to compare the qualities of their drinking water.
• Students could map atmospheric data on campus over time.
• If the campus is in an urban area, it may make sense to monitor certain air pollutants.

Grades 5-8

• Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.
  Show remainder of standard 8ASI1.1
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  Students should develop the ability to refine and refocus broad and ill-defined questions. An important aspect of this ability consists of students' ability to clarify questions and inquiries and direct them toward objects and phenomena that can be described, explained, or predicted by scientific investigations. Students should develop the ability to identify their questions with scientific ideas, concepts, and quantitative relationships that guide investigation.
• Design and conduct a scientific investigation.
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  Students should develop general abilities, such as systematic observation, making accurate measurements, and identifying and controlling variables. They should also develop the ability to clarify their ideas that are influencing and guiding the inquiry, and to understand how those ideas compare with current scientific knowledge. Students can learn to formulate questions, design investigations, execute investigations, interpret data, use evidence to generate explanations, propose alternative explanations, and critique explanations and procedures.
• Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.
  Show remainder of standard 8ASI1.3
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  The use of tools and techniques, including mathematics, will be guided by the question asked and the investigations students design. The use of computers for the collection, summary, and display of evidence is part of this standard. Students should be able to access, gather, store, retrieve, and organize data, using hardware and software designed for these purposes.
• Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.
  Show remainder of standard 8DESS1.4
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  Students should base their explanation on what they observed, and as they develop cognitive skills, they should be able to differentiate explanation from description - providing causes for effects and establishing relationships based on evidence and logical argument. This standards requires a subject knowledge base so the students can effectively conduct investigations, because developing explanations establishes connections between the content of science and the contexts within which students develop new knowledge.
• Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.
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  Thinking critically about evidence includes deciding what evidence should be used and accounting for anomalous data. Specifically, students should be able to review data from a simple experiment, summarize the data, and form a logical argument about the cause-and-effect relationships in the experiment. Students should begin to state some explanations in terms of the relationship between two or more variables.

Grades 9-12

• Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations.
  Show remainder of standard 12ASI1.1
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  Students should form a testable hypothesis and demonstrate the logical connections between the scientific concepts guiding a hypothesis and the design of an experiment. They should demonstrate appropriate procedures, a knowledge base, and conceptual understanding of scientific investigations.
• Design and conduct scientific investigations.
  Show remainder of standard 12ASI1.2
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  Designing and conducting a scientific investigation requires introduction to the major concepts in the area being investigated, proper equipment, safety precautions, assistance with methodological problems, recommendations for use of technologies, clarification of ideas that guide the inquiry, and scientific knowledge obtained from sources other than the actual investigation. The investigation may also require student clarification of the question, method, controls, and variables; student organization and display of data; student revision of methods and explanations; and a public presentation of the results with a critical response from peers. Regardless of the scientific investigation performed, students must use evidence, apply logic, and construct an argument for their proposed explanations.
• Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications.
  Show remainder of standard 12ASI1.3
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  A variety of technologies, such as hand tools, measuring instruments, and calculators, should be an integral component of scientific investigations. The use of computers for the collection, analysis, and display of data is also a part of this standard. Mathematics plays an essential role in all aspects of an inquiry. For example, measurement is used for posing questions, formulas are used for developing explanations, and charts and graphs are used for communicating results.
• Communicate and defend a scientific argument.
  Show remainder of standard 12ASI1.6
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  Students in school science programs should develop the abilities associated with accurate and effective communication. These include writing and following procedures, expressing concepts, reviewing information, summarizing data, using language appropriately, developing diagrams and charts, explaining statistical analysis, speaking clearly and logically, constructing a reasoned argument, and responding appropriately to critical comments.
• Scientists rely on technology to enhance the gathering and manipulation of data.
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  New techniques and tools provide new evidence to guide inquiry and new methods to gather data, thereby contributing to the advance of science. The accuracy and precision of the data, and therefore the quality of the exploration, depends on the technology used.

The following National Educational Technology Standards for Students are supported by this chapter

• Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
  Show remainder of standard 3-Research and Information Fluency
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  Students:

  1. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
  2. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
  3. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
  4. process data and report results.
• Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
  Show remainder of standard 4-Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision Making
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  Students:

  1. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
  2. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
  3. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
  4. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.

A minimum of three 50-minute periods.

Depending on the instructor's level of experience with GPS/GIS and My World, preparation time will vary. The instructor should take time time to become familiar with My World functions and to practice collecting GPS data and importing into My World.