Students in Life Science complete hands-on lessons that focus on VA SOL

Lessons incorporate the 5 E’s› Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, and

Evaluate Students are expected to analyze data

they collect during investigations and apply their understanding to new problems, settings, and situations

Incorporate spatial thinking Prepare our students for future careers Incorporate Science Technology

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Provide strong inquiry-based learning

opportunities that develop synthesis-level thinking

Modify and field test GIS-based watershed-related lesson› Start in the GT Center classes› Gather data from students during process

Modify other existing lessons that relate to biomes, watershed, nutrient pollution, wetlands, development, etc. to include the use of GPS and/or GIS

Expand students’ understanding of spatial thinking; promote visualization

Provide a learning experience in which students synthesize information

Develop students’ fluency in the use of GIS using ArcView

Offer teachers a model for using GIS and hand held GPS units with students

Build a support model for schools to facilitate their implementation of GIS

Work with existing curriculum › Use familiar curriculum format› Package data sets as projects in ArcView

Plan and execute professional development by qualified trainers

Develop teacher leaders Work with technology staff at each school Provide installation instructions and

access to data sets

Compare and contrast land area of each state that contributes runoff to the Bay

Examine elevation and topographic features in the Bay watershed

Locate and name four regional watersheds in Virginia

Analyze a three-dimensional watershed model of Fairfax County

Conduct schoolyard walk to collect GPS waypoints and note features

Upload waypoints to aerial map of school grounds and annotate map in ArcView

Locate the school’s “watershed address”

Create a presentation that synthesizes student learning

Comparing ratio of land area of states in the Bay watershed

“Through this new and innovative software we learned how to look at a map spatially and to notice the importance of the smallest details such as the rivers and states that contribute to the Bay. We also learned how to use GPS to locate and record way points and bring them up on a geographically accurate map…”

Ensure that everyone has the same version of ArcView

Secure help with data set acquisition Include students in the development of

curriculum Package data sets as projects for

students and teachers to facilitate their use during a lesson

Revise lesson as needed to increase level of inquiry

Include “screen shots” and icons in directions to help students navigate and become fluent with the program

Use the curriculum format students and teachers are most familiar with

Encourage students to check off each step as they work through the directions

Make sure to empower teachers to take an active role throughout the process