SUMMATIVE PERFORMANCE TASK
How do longitude and latitude help us analyze data and solve problems?
OUTLINE
*For more detailed instructions, see the full lesson plan.
The students will write a short essay about how longitude and latitude can be used for citizen science.
Prompts:
- How can GPS technology enhance the value of citizen science projects?
- How can GPS technology be used to create a map that proves a point?
- How do scientists use longitude and latitude to solve problems? Offer multiple examples from this lesson.
- How could we use longitude and latitude to solve problems in our own community?
- Offer multiple ideas
- Be sure to reference the specific technology you used during our geocaching activity
- Consider how GPS could help with the different steps of the scientific method (conducting experiments, analyzing data, sharing data, etc.)
ASSESSMENT
Grade the students’ essays based on the following criteria:
- Did the student list multiple ways that GPS technology can be used for problem-solving, citing specific examples from the lesson
- Did the student recognize that GPS technology can benefit citizen science projects by allowing for more accurate re-testing?
- Did the student explain how creating a map with GPS coordinates can reveal important patterns or trends in data?
- Did the student acknowledge that creating a map is a great way to share data with an audience visually
- Did the student come up with multiple ways that GPS technology could be used for problem-solving in their own community?
- Did the student come up with at least one way that the GPS technology they used for the geocaching activity could be used for problem-solving in their own community
- Did the student explain how GPS technology can benefit multiple steps of the scientific method?