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II. Where Am I?

Activity Summary

This activity explores geospatial systems so that students can create 

waypoints and record latitude and longitude of places in a watershed 

as a first step in monitoring a local waterway. These skills are basic to 

understanding how locations are found on earth with the use of 

maps, coordinates, and technology. 

Learning Objectives: 

Students will be able to:

• Explain the concept of locating a site on Earth with 3 satellites.

• Use latitude and longitude coordinates to identify features on 

a map. 

K-12 Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay

Module I

Grade Level: Middle 

School 

Teaching Time: 2-3 class 

periods

Materials:

Student handouts 1-3

For each group doing the 

Trilateration activity:

• 4 pieces of different 

colored string

• pencil or pen

• large map

GPS receivers or smart phones 
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• Use a GPS receiver or a smart phone to locate the waypoint of a local feature on the 

school grounds.

Background Information

Humans have looked to the skies to find their way since ancient times. Ancient sailors used the 

constellations in the night sky to figure out where they were and where they were going.

Today, all we need is a simple hand-held GPS (short for Global Positioning System) receiver to 

figure out exactly where we are anywhere in the world. However, we still need instruments

high in the sky to figure out where we are and how we get to other places.

Instead of stars, we use Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, to help determine a location 

on the planet. The concepts behind GPS positioning are very simple, but the application and 

implementation require amazing precision. Over 30 navigation satellites are zipping around 

high above Earth. These satellites can tell us exactly where we are. GPS is a system. It’s made 

up of three parts: satellites, ground stations, and receivers. 

(http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/gps/en/)

Key Words

Latitude - Imaginary (unreal) lines drawn on maps to easily locate places on the Earth. Latitude is 

distance north or south of the equator (an imaginary circle around the Earth halfway between the 

North Pole and the South Pole). The latitude of the North Pole is 90° N, and that of the South Pole 

is 90° S. The latitude of every point in between must be some degree north or south, from 0° to 

90°. One degree of latitude covers about 69 miles (111 kilometers).

Longitude - Imaginary (unreal) lines drawn on maps to easily locate places on the Earth. 

Longitude is distance east or west of the prime meridian (an imaginary line running from north to 

south through Greenwich, England) and is measured in terms of the 360 degrees (symbolized by 

°) of a circle. Longitude is measured in degrees east or west of the prime meridian. 

Geospatial – Recent term that describes the data and technology used to determine a geographic 

location on, above, or in the Earth, referring to data that is geographic and spatial. 

Global Positioning System - Using the Global Positioning System (GPS), every point on Earth has

its own unique address -- its latitude, longitude, and height. The U.S. Department of Defense 

developed GPS satellites as a strategic system in 1978. Now anyone can gather data from them. 

GPS is a constellation of satellites that orbit approximately 11,000 miles above the Earth and 

transmit radio wave signals to receivers across the planet. By determining the time that it takes 

for a GPS satellite signal to reach your receiver, you can calculate your distance to the satellite 

and figure out your exact location on the Earth.
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Watershed - The area that drains to a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, estuary, 

wetland, aquifer, or even the ocean.

Waypoint – Coordinate of a specific location as indicated by a GPS device.

Activity Procedure

Engagement

View “Geospatial Revolution, Chapter I” and discuss the first four questions in Student Handout 

#`1.Resources:

• http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu

• Alternative video at NASA’s Spaceplace: http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/gps-pizza/en/

1. Give 3 examples of common uses of GPS receivers. Aircraft monitories, transportation 

tracking, mapping cities, railroads, identifying important sites, finding your place on Earth, 

find restaurants or other places

2. What are 2 benefits of this technology of the uses of this technology in emergency situations?

Provide information about the extent of damage and locations so that appropriate help 

can be sent to the area to specific areas. Provide maps of a damaged area to provide 

better flow of humanitarian relief.

3. Give another example of emergencies where GPS information might be crucial. Track the 

transport of aid or rescue workers. Identify places where text messages indicate people 

might be buried in rubble. 

4. How would you use GPS technology in the study of water quality and organism like oysters?

Track places where living oyster reef are located, where there might be sources of 

pollution, and where to start new beds of oysters (oyster reef).

Option 1 Exploration/Explanation

Students will investigate latitude and longitude coordinates on a USGS map of a small mining 

town, Triumph, Idaho, and in the Chesapeake Bay. Provide Student Handout #2 to the students. 

Point out to students that the latitude and longitude of the cursor is found at the bottom of the 

page and demonstrate the map tools. If students need a quick refresher about latitude and 

longitude, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swKBi6hHHMA; then have them find the 

address of a favorite landmark using this tool, http://www.latlong.net/.

Ask students to copy and paste the site’s URL. The latitude and longitude are displayed at the 

bottom of the map. Triumph, Idaho:

http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/maps/TopoView/viewer/#13/43.6501/-114.2636 Alternatively, you can 

print topographic maps for groups of students to investigate. 
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Demonstrate the use of the tools on the map site. 

Ask them to answer the following questions on Student Handout #1.

1. What feature do you find at 43o38’46”N and 114o14’40”W (Lucky Mine)

2. What feature do you find at 43o38’12”N and 114o14’46”W (Pumphrey Canyon)

3. What feature do you find at 43o39’13”N and 114o15’32”W (Courier Mine)

To look at something more local to the Chesapeake Bay. Go to this map 

http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/maps/TopoView/viewer/#11/38.6346/-76.0697

Move/slide the dot at the top of the page all the way to the right so that the map reflects a 2010 

date. 

• You will see the latitude and longitude displayed on the bottom of the map. 

• Click and drag Cambridge to the center of the screen and scroll in to magnify. 

• Click and drag the map so that Cambridge moves to the right of your screen; your map is 

centered on Cornersville. 

• Have students find the latitude and longitude of these airports. 

4. Rossneck airport (38034’8” N, 76014’8” W)

5. Big Oak Farm airport (38034’9” N, 76017’11” W)

6. Pokety airport (38036’44” N, 76010’19” W)

Option 2 Exploration/Explanation

Activity from National Geographic, 

http://education.nationalgeographic.org/activity/introduction-gis/

1. This activity that will help students understand how GIS works. Pictures of the Practice 

Photo Gallery at the website give students a preview of the hands-on activity. 

2. Invite a small group of 4-5 students to use the rope to create a map of the continental 

United States on the floor. Allow students to use reference material if they are not familiar 

enough with the shape of the country. Make sure students understand they do not have to use 

all of the rope, but it should take up a large part of the floor. Ask: To create the United States, 

you created a shape, or a polygon. What are some other shapes you could have 

created? (Possible responses: counties, cities)

3. Choose 3-4 different volunteers and ask them to create a major river with blue rope. 

Ask: When you created the river, you created a line. What are some other lines you could have 

created? (Possible responses: roads, trails, pathways).

4. Once the floor map is in place, ask each student to stand on a location they either have 

visited or would like to visit. Ask: When standing on the place you’d like to visit, you created a 

point. What are some other points you could have created? (Possible responses: home, school, 

grocery store)
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5. Explain to students that you are going to touch their shoulder and ask them where they are 

standing, and why they chose to stand there. Take enough time that you can interact with as 

many students as possible. Then explain to students that when you touched their shoulders, or 

“clicked” on them, they told you information about why they chose to visit that place. You 

queried students, and they provided you with information. Common vocabulary terms used in 

GIS are shapes, polygons, lines, points, and query. Working together, the class simulated a 

simple, low-tech GIS.

Option 3 Explanation

Alternative Activity for more advanced students

Provide Student Handout #3. Trilateration is the process of using satellites to find a position in 2 

dimensions (lat/long) or in 3 dimensions (lat/long and altitude). Students will simulate GPS 

positioning using 4 satellites. Full activity instructions and the map file can be found at 

http://www.gps.gov/multimedia/tutorials/trilateration/ and are included as student instructions 

with this activity. Students will pretend to be a GPS receiver somewhere on the map and will 

figure out where they are based on the 4 "signals" they receive.

A GPS receiver must be locked on to the signal of at least 3 satellites to calculate a 2-D position 

(latitude and longitude) and track movement. With four or more satellites in view, the receiver 

can determine the user's 3-D position (latitude, longitude and altitude). Four satellites are used to 

determine the three-dimensional position of a location on Earth. One reason for this is that three 

satellites actually establish two possible positions for an object. Since one of these is usually 

impossible (e.g., a position that is inside the Earth or out in space), the true position can often be 

worked out from three satellites alone. Ask students to complete Student Handout #2.

Extension 

A good overview of watersheds in general can be found here: https://vimeo.com/14030972 

Provide Student Handout #4. Have students investigate the location addresses of the part of the 

Chesapeake Bay watershed where they live. A widget on this page will identify their watershed

by zip code. http://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/baywatershed

Students can also investigate the use of GPS locally. Select 4 or 5 locations around your school 

yard and have students, individually or in small groups, find the addresses of what you have 

selected. Students should record their responses on Student Handout #4. 

Option 1. If you have a few GPS receivers, students can find locations around their school in 

small groups. 

Option 2. If students have access to smart phones, the compass app will provide GPS locations. 
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Option 3: You can use this online site to find lat/long addresses. http://www.latlong.net/

Finally, if time permits, introduce your students to geocaching, a popular activity for all ages. A 

cache or geocache is a hidden container housing a logbook, pen or pencil, and trinkets for people 

to exchange. Officially they are registered on the geocaching website 

(http://www.geocaching.com) but not if you are doing a more low-tech version around your 

school. Consider the ages of the students you are working with, and be sure to create ‘caches’ 

that they will enjoy finding!

http://www.natureplaywa.org.au/library/1/file/Geocaching/Lesson1.pdf

Evaluation 

Checking for Understanding: Students should provide answers to the questions in each activity,

which can be evaluated for completeness and understanding. 

Three Dimensional Learning How the Dimensions are 

Addressed.

Core Disciplinary 

Idea(s)

MS-ESS3.B Natural Hazards. Mapping 

the history of natural hazards in a 

region can help forecast the locations 

and likelihood of future events. 

Being able to find a location on 

Earth is key to doing ecological 

mapping, water monitoring, and 

impacts from natural weather 

events. This activity sets the 

foundation for being able to use

location-finding devices for their 

own investigations. 

Science/Engineering 

Practice(s)

Developing and Using Models.

Modeling builds on experiences and 

progresses to developing, using and 

revising models to describe, test, and 

predict more abstract phenomena 

and design systems. 

Students will model GPS systems 

on paper to see how 3 and 4 

satellites can pinpoint a location 

on Earth. 

Cross-cutting 

Concepts

Scale, Proportion and Quantity. Time 

and space phenomena can be 

observed at different scales.

Influence of science, engineering,

and technology on society and the 

natural world. 

Students use simple algebraic 

equations to determine location of 

a GPS coordinate with time and 

speed.

Students will investigate the 

various uses of GPS technology 

and its effect on society’s needs. 
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Ties to Common 

Core

Mathematics Grade 6. Apply and 

extend previous understandings of 

arithmetic to algebraic expressions. 

Reason about and solve one-variable 

equations. 

Mathematics, Grade 7. Solve real-life 

and mathematical problems using 

numerical and algebraic expressions 

and equations. 

Students use simple linear 

equations to determine GPS 

coordinates. This real-life 

application of mathematics 

simulates how GPS receivers work, 

the same technology found in 

many everyday devices. 

Ties to MD 

Environmental 

Literacy Standards

Standard 2 Interactions of Earth’s 

Systems. Topic B: Systems Thinking.

Use Models and computer 

simulations to extend his/her 

understanding of scientific concepts. 

Students will model GPS systems 

on paper to see how 3 and 4 

satellites can be used to pinpoint a 

location on Earth, and is key to 

doing ecological mapping, water 

monitoring, and impacts from 

natural weather events. 

Module References 

Definitions of latitude and longitude. http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Slatlong.htm

How GPS Works poster. http://www.gps.gov/multimedia/poster/

Official website for U.S. Government information on GPS. http://www.gps.gov/NASA Space Place 

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/gps/en/

Maryland Environmental Literacy Standards

http://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Environmental/MDEnvironmentalLitSt

andards.pdf

Additional Resources

Find It with GPS Lesson, http://tryengineering.org/sites/default/files/lessons/finditgps.pdf

Tutorial on Global positioning,

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_geodesy/geo09_gps.html

Free GPS poster, http://www.gps.gov/multimedia/poster/

GPS Scavenger Hunt,

https://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/cub_/activities/cub_navigati

on/cub_navigation_lesson09_activity3.xml

Hide and Seek with Geocaching,

https://www.sedl.org/afterschool/lessonplans/index.cgi?show_record=16

Map Stats for Kids,

http://www.geovista.psu.edu/grants/MapStatsKids/MSK_portal/concepts_latlg.html