Teachers TryScience

Above Sea Level

Jan 05 2012

Source: Tina Kacandes

Summary Information

Keywords:

landforms, isolines, topographic maps, altitude, geology, Urban Studies

Topic:

Earth Science

Measurement

Physical Science

Estimated Time Required:

2-3 hours

Target Grade (Ages):

Grade 7 (Ages 12-13)

Grade 8 (Ages 13-14)

Grade 9 (Ages 14-15)

Grade 10 (Ages 15-16)

Grade 11 (Ages 16-17)

Grade 12 (Ages 17-18)

Diversity Indicators:

This lesson can be used anywhere, by anyone, under any weather conditions. For urban children, being outdoors can help them appreciate science study. For reluctant science learners, experiencing a place physically can bring the mapping process to life.

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LESSON

Goals and Prerequisites

Goals:

The major goal of this lesson is to strengthen student knowledge of topography. Learning about topography can deepen student's understanding of consequences of climate change, such as sea level rise.

Prerequisites:

Using a ruler and reading a map key are helpful.

The short educational film Power of Ten would help a student grasp the hugely disparate points of view from which humans have imagined and designed technology for studying the Universe and life on Earth.

Instructional Objective(s)

By the end of the lesson students should be able to:

Create an elevation profile
Read a topographic map.

Instructional Resources

Background:

Just as students choosing their own reading material are most likely to consume books, students choosing the area they want to study may be more motivated to learn mapping skills.

Climate change has put many areas at risk due to rising sea levels and increased risk of flooding and storm surge. So studying topography is a great way to deepen students' understanding of the challenges of adapting to changes in coastlines and other consequences.

A topographic map is a special type of field map with lines marking the contours of the land. Elevation values are printed along some of the lines. The difference between adjacent lines is called the contour interval and is printed on the map - in the margin or along the border.

An elevation profile is a line graph of the altitude of each contour line between two points. Profiles are the "side views of topographic maps." Using the edge of a piece of paper, mark the contour lines that cross the paper. Label each mark with correct elevation. Then you graph it. The x axis is the distance between the two points and the y-axis is the height above sea level. (Please see sample profile.)

A hiker or architect using the map may want to know the shape of the land in detail, as well as the location of various landmarks such as roads, hills, lakes and streams. (For more information see Pursue the Outdoors). Colors may represent vegetation, water, and built-up areas.

Mapping technology has revolutionized the study of the earth. Digital representations of the land available online through Google Earth provide unlimited possibilities for creating maps and studying the Earth's surface in detail. Google Earth will create an elevation profile for line drawn on the representation of the earth's surface.

Hand-held GPS (global positioning satellite) devices can also provide elevation data and could be used to create an elevation profile. In urban areas these devices are less accurate than in more open places. These devices are used by search and rescue teams and naturalists to name two applications.

The resources included in the external resource section can help you become more familiar with creating maps and profiles before you implement this lesson.

Sample Profile

Materials:

Graph paper
Clipboards
Colored pencils
Rulers
Topographic maps (preferably of local areas with which your students will be familiar)

Note: These can be downloaded from the Internet if you have gobs of computer memory, ordered online from the United States Geological Survey, or copied from a state atlas book . Mine cost $15 and is published by DeLorme Mapping Company. The latter are available on-line or from a bookstore or where maps are sold.

Overhead projector, white board or flip chart and appropriate markers
Optional: Google Earth downloaded on one or more computers

Procedure:

Before the students arrive:

Make copies of maps in black and white for them to choose from. Practice making an elevation profile on the overhead, whiteboard or flip chart.
Optional: Download Google Earth and practice creating an Elevation Profile using that program. To start, draw a path and save it in the Places panel. There are two ways to see its Elevation profile. Either go to Edit>Show Elevation Profile, or right-click on your path from the Places panel and select Show Elevation Profile. An Elevation Profile will appear in the lower half of the 3D Viewer.

When the students arrive:

Students in groups pick a nearby area of interest to them. Using the maps they describe the area as much as possible.
Then they draw a line on the map demarcating the section for which they will make an elevation profile.
Take the students outside, equipped with maps on clipboards and pencils for taking notes, to walk around their area of interest and especially along the line for their elevation profile.
Back inside, have the students add to their description of the area based on their field trip by coloring the maps using green for vegetation, blue for water and grey for densely built-up areas.
Demonstrate the making of a profile using an overhead projector or white board or flip chart paper.
Have the students make a profile of their own.
Students compare their profiles and if you have access to Google Earth, compare their profile to the one generated automatically by the program.

Sample Profile

Extensions

Education.com: Make a Knuckle Contour Map

Use your existing maps to generate gradient information.

Gradient = Slope = Rise/Run.

Change in elevation divided by the distance between the points. When the isolines are closer together, there is a steep slope.

This gives students practice measuring distance using the scale information on the map.

Assessments and Rubrics

Evaluate student descriptions of the area using maps.
Compare the above to enriched descriptions after walking the area.
Profiles can be evaluated against other profiles made by the class or against equivalent profiles created by Google Earth software.
Ask students questions about the topo maps such as:

What are the latitude and longitude coordinates of the bottom right corner of this map?
How many centimeters represent 1 km ? Elevation profile?
What is the contour interval of this map? Elevation profile?
What are the highest and lowest points on this map? Elevation profile?

Sample Profile

External Resources

On using Google earth
www.allthingscience.com/video/42/Powers-of-Ten
Download and print your own maps
http://store.usgs.gov
Accessible description of a topography map
Wikipedia "Digital Elevation Model": This article explains how 3-D representations of a terrain's surface is created from terrain elevation data.
DeLorme Mapping Atlas and Gazetteer, DeLorme Mapping Company, P.O. Box 298, Freeport, Maine 04032 (207) 865-4171.
Cassidy, John, Earthsearch: A Kid's Geography Museum in a Book. pg 46 Palo Alto, CA: Klutz Press
Oppenheimer, Michael; Bergdoll, Barry; Rodin, Judith, Rising Currents: Project for New York's Waterfront. A book based on the architectural works commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art and MOMA P.S. 1 to adapt New York Harbor to elevated sea level.
Sanderson, Eric W. and Boyer, Markley, Mannahatta Abrams Press. A book using computer-generated tools to re-create pre-Colonial Manhattan Island by a landscape conservationist.
McGuire, Thomas, Earth Science: The Physical Setting. AMSCO School Publications 2005.
Adeniran, Bramble, Sabbatino, Tamayo, "What We Need to Know for the Earth Science Midterm on November 17^th, 2011".

Credits

Tina Kacandes
Lesson plan image created by Robert A. Rohde/Global Warming Art

RESOURCES

Original Resources

How-to's

Sample Profile

Sample Profile from ReviewEarthscience.com

Contributed Resources

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Comments

Great lesson! I like how you

Great lesson! I like how you integrated technology in this lesson.

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