Format
1. Program begins with introduction to Rocky Mountain National Park.
2. Students make observations on what makes a good map and learn about the different types of maps.
3. Students make their own relief and topographic maps using their hands.
4. Ranger introduces the kinds of people who use maps in national parks and students receive a mission from a Search and Rescue ranger to help find a lost person in the park (in a scenario).
5. Using clues and maps, students narrow down their search to aid the field search team.
6. Ranger leads students in discussion on preparedness when visiting wilderness and the importance of maps.
7. 5 to 10 minutes is left at the end for questions and answers.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
1. Determine at least 3 different functions of maps.
2. Determine who uses maps in national parks.
3. Identify parts of a map that are helpful in reading it.
4. Recognize the importance of maps for exploring the wilderness safely.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.RF.3a -- Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.RI.3 -- Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.RI.6 -- Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.RI.8 -- Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.RL.1 -- Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.National Geography Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, geospatial technologies, and spatial thinking to understand and communicate information.
National Geography Standard 3: How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places and environments on Earth's surface.
National Geography Standard 18: How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.
State Standards
Colorado Academic Standards
SS.3.2.1: Use geographic tools to develop spatial thinking skills.
SS.3.2.2: Define the concept of region through an examination of similarities and differences in places and communities.
SS.4.2.1: Use geographic tools to research and answer questions about Colorado geography.
SS.5.2.1 Use various geographic tools and sources to answer questions about the geography of the United States