Map the Area: Survey and Illustrate Flora and Fauna
(an integrated science, math, and language arts inquiry activity

Background:
      Prior to investigating an area (school site), it is important to first map the area to identify what plants and animals are present. Mapping the area allows you to establish baseline data - a benchmark to measure change and a starting point for development of the area.

Objective:
Students will :

  1. Identify and record the plant and animal diversity in an area
  2. Use math coordinates, legends, direction, scale, and elevation to map the area.
  3. Develop a plan to plant flora ( trees, shrubs, perennials) and place structures (bird feeders, bird boxes, suet feeders) to attract wildlife species to the area.
Materials:
  • Book (Roxaboxen), 6-topographical maps of the area (teams of 4), 24- wooden or metal steaks, (4 steaks for each team of 4 students), 6-meter tapes or trundle wheels, 6-balls of string, pad of centimeter squared paper (1 sheet per student), 24-clip boards (1 per student), pencils, 6-packs of colored markers, tape, a variety of lawn and garden catalogs

    •  Procedures:

    1. Read Roxaboxen. Discuss the recollections of how grandmother and her childhood friends mapped their community as children.
    2. Have students work in teams of four.
    3. Pass out topographical maps of their community to the teams. Using the maps, have teams locate the scale, legend, direction, and elevation. Discuss how each is represented on the map. Have teams use the map coordinates (latitude and longitude) to pinpoint their school and other landmarks in their community (library, post office, park).
    4. Explain that students will go outdoors in teams to map their school community. Decide before the activity the area each team will survey, and the legend (e.g., triangles represent trees), the scale ( e.g., each centimeter square represents 10'), and directions (north, south, east, west) used to make their maps uniform. Give team members clip boards, pencils, centimeter squared paper, and four stakes. Direct them to "stake out" (mark corners) of their area on the school grounds.
    5. Teams attach string from stake to stake ( around the borders of their area) to form a rectangle. Then team members measure the length of the sides to record the perimeter and area.
    6. Team members divide their rectangular area into four sections. Each team member records the plants and animals in his or her portion on centimeter-squared paper.
    7. Teams members tape their centimeter-squared paper together indoors to form their entire rectangular area. Together, they browse through a variety of lawn and garden catalogs to illustrate plants (trees, shrubs, and perennials), a pond, structures (bird feeders, suet feeders, boxes) and other improvements that will attract wildlife to their area.
    8. Teams share their maps with the class. The class tapes the team maps together. As a class, students decide the design features that best utilize the school site to attract wildlife to the area and make recommendations to interested community members (parents, and school and county administrators).
    Evaluation: Resources:
    1. Book: McLerran, A. (1991). Roxoboxen, Scholastic Inc., New York. 28 pages
    2. NatureMapping Classroom Activities: VA Game Department, P.O. Box 1104, Richmond, VA 23230-1104
    3. Roxaboxen Activity: Ney, C. UNITES: Using Literature to Unite the Curriculum Volume 2, BEM Publishing, Inc. Blacksburg, VA p. 24, 25
    4. CES Wildlife Web Site
    Return to Wildlife Mapping

    Date Entered: March 21, 1999
    Date Updated: March 21, 1999