An Unusual Teaching Tool

I wish I could meet Greg English from Oak Park Middle School in Louisiana. I would thank him for the wonderful lesson plan he shared on the web site www.louisiana101.com. Like Greg, I was struggling to find a way to teach latitude and longitude to my fourth graders. Using the metal grids holding the ceiling tiles in place was a great way to make the concept real to the students. Using index cards, I labeled the classroom from 50˚S to 50˚N and 30˚W to 30˚E. I taped cardinal direction signs on each wall, labeled the equator and prime meridian, and created a compass rose at 0˚ 0˚. Students were given cards with various coordinates and asked to find their place in the room. The activity was a huge success (and really fun too!)

As a follow-up, students visited the website Kidsgeo.com to play a latitude and longitude game.

A Geocaching First

Last Tuesday, I took my four 2nd grade classes geocaching for the first time. We had so much fun. I was amazed at how easily they took to using the handheld GPS. They learned how to turn on the device, acquire satellites, and use the built-in compass to navigate the 450 feet to the cache (located in a field next to our campus). My 10 -minute introductory lesson included:

Asking the students how many of their parents have a GPS in their vehicles and how they are used. We talked about how some of the GPS found in cars are built into the consoles while others are mounted to the dash and portable.

Defining GPS for them, sharing graphics explaining how the satellites work, and brainstorming reasons why a handheld GPS might not always work (indoors, bad weather, tree cover).

Displaying images of the various screens they would see on the GPS device.

I think I have created monsters. Now all they want to do is talk about geocaching.

Travel Bugs a Hit!

Using travel bugs with my second grade students has been a big hit. I was really worried that the bugs would sit in caches for long periods of times without being moved. So far, in the month since they were released, all four travel bugs have been picked up and moved. And I just got an email from a geocacher who is willing to take one of the bugs to Rome, Italy if I could wait two months. I’m going to ask the kids what they would like to do, but I’m guessing they will say “Yes.”

In a previous post, I discussed about how we made the travel bugs together by drawing them on the SmartBoard. We also included a description to go along with them. Adding the description to the actual travel bug is the reason why this project has been successful. Many of the geocachers that move the bugs comment on how they want to help out the kids. So, if you plan on releasing a travel bug with students, I strongly suggest you include a “note” from the kids. It does seem to make a difference.