Activity
6: A Local Field Trip (120-180 minutes)
In this
activity, students develop a simple land-use classification map from fieldwork
to discover local land uses. Students apply this classification to their own
country.
Teacher
Note:
Taking the
class on fieldwork through the local neighborhood requires considerable
pre-planning. Be sure to follow all school regulations for field trips (see Pre-Planning
Suggestions) and always preview the route. In some areas it is possible to
complete a walking tour in a morning or afternoon that will include many
different land uses. (See Strategy 5.) In some areas
it may be necessary to hire a bus to be able to see varied land uses in a short
period of time. Take a camera.
Expectations
- identify and describe the
types of land use;
- use appropriate vocabulary to
describe their inquiries and observations;
- locate relevant information
from a variety of sources;
- construct
a variety of graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, and models to organize
information.
Assessment
- formative assessment by
teacher through observation of students while on the field trip and based
on the criteria established by the class
- criterion-referenced peer
assessment of completeness and accuracy of local land-use map
- formative assessment by
teacher of completeness of land use homework assignment
Teaching/Learning
Strategies
- Students develop a land-use
map marking scheme based on their expectations of what constitutes an
"effective map". Map Rubric, Appendix 6.1, provides a
sample.
- Classes develop a list of
expectations for behavior while on a field trip and for field notes that
are handed in. Explain that this will be the basis for a summative
assessment of their performance during the field trip.
- As a class, create a sketch
map of the major streets and a few key land uses on the blackboard or
overhead before the trip. The students complete this draft map by adding
land uses during the trip.
- Provide instruction on the
terms site and situation using examples from the school and the local
community. Site is the physical location of a place. Situation is the
relationship between a place and its surrounding area. Describe the
location of the school or a local pizza shop in terms of site and
situation. This is also an opportunity to review absolute and relative
location from Unit 1 of the Grade 7 program.
- Students observe and record
on their draft map different local land uses during the trip. Where
possible, students record local names for areas of single family homes,
apartment blocks, townhouses, commercial plazas and stores, local
businesses, streets and highways, local utilities, institutions (church,
library…), industries, agricultural areas, parks and recreation areas and
open space.
- Students group these land
uses into a simple classification system: residential, commercial,
transportation, open and recreational space, agriculture, industry, and
institutional so that they have a common classification of local land
uses.
- Select one distinctive color
to represent each land use class, e.g., yellow for residential. See
text/atlas for examples of color conventions.
- Students create a finished
sketch land-use map from the field trip draft version and submit it for
peer assessment based on the criteria established in Strategy 1.
- As an assignment, each
student researches to find and copy pictures of various land uses
associated with their country for their scrapbook. See Pre-Planning Suggestions.
Modifications/Expanded
Opportunities
- If a field trip is not
possible, the class brainstorms local land uses as in Strategy 5 and uses
that list to classify local land uses and create a map.
- Students predict the meaning
of the terms site and situation, then compare results or
read reference material to confirm or revise their definitions.
- For students having
difficulty with land use classification:
- Provide students with
a local land-use map as a sample. These maps are available from local municipal
offices, real-estate agencies, or planning departments.
- Play a game where
students receive a page with colored squares – one for each land-use
class. This is used in a "bingo" format where the teacher pulls
an example and the student has to place a marker in the square with the
correct label until a line of markers occurs.
- Research the career of a
local politician, town planner or resource manager using Career
Explorer or other Internet sources.
- Investigate local zoning
regulations.
Resources
- shared knowledge of the
local area
- squared or blank computer
paper, colored pencils, atlas, textbooks
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