Adirondack Curriculum
Project
NYS Content Area Standard
The Arts
CDOS
ELA
Health, PE, Home & Careers
LOTE
MST 3. Mathematics
Social Studies 1. History of the United States & New York
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Title: Mapping the Adirondacks (DRAFT)
Grade Level: 8th Grade Math
Author: June Dewhirst
Email:
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Adirondack Curriculum Content Area
___ Natural History
__X_ Human History
___ Culture & the Arts
___ Government & Civics
___ Economy
___ Health, Recreation & Life Skills |
Investigative Question or Issue: How were the
Adirondacks mapped?
Challenge:
Can
you identify mountains using degrees/compass and a map after climbing a
local mountain?
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Quality Standards:
1.
Can you identify points on the New York State map, Crown Point and
Westport. (towns with the two lighthouses used by Mr. Colvin to begin
his mapping project.)
2. Can you figure out how Mr. Colvin used these two points and
the known distance between them to figure out how far it is to Bald
Peak Mountain? (He used triangulation. the students are not
expected to repeat this math, but should understand the concept of
determining the exact measure of angles and sides to determine any
unknown angles or sides of a triangle. Triangulation will be
presented as needed.)
3. Imagine you are on mountain A (Mt. Arab) with a compass and
map. How might you find the distance on the map from your location to
Fish Creek State Park? The distance betwen Mount Arab and Mount
Morris is known. (Which side of the triangle will be the
shortest? Longest? How do you know?) Using a handout with
North, South, East and West on the sides of paper with cooresponding
degree designations and a given point of orientation in the center,
your location, like having a compass in one's hand, use a protractor to
measure the two angles and draw rays.
4. Can you and a partner come up with a list of what Mr. Colvin
needed to do this work? (Students should come up with tools he needed
and practical items: food, proper clothes, and so on, as well as
specific measuring tools. Excerpts and maps from the books below could
be used as resources.
"Adirondack Explorations: Nature Writings of Verplanck Colvin" by Paul
Schaefer
"Footsteps through the Adirondacks: the Verplanck Colvin Story" by Nina
Webb.
(Ideally a guest with a transit could come to the classroom and
demonstrate its use.)
5. On another day students climb Panther Mountain. Use a compass and
map to identify lakes and mountains we can see from here?
Notes: The mountains, Arab and Morris, and the Fish Creek Park
create a right triangle for trigonometry. Panther Mountain offers a 180
degree view. Both Arab and Coney mountains have 360 views.
Arab has a tower with a map - contact Friends of Mount Arab for
access. |
Adapted for the Adirondack
Curriculum Project from
the work of Education By Design TM and Leading EDGE, LLC
©ACP 2002
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