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South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Using Coordinate Geometry by Land, Sea and Outer Space. (Grade 6-8)

Master Teacher

Brian Kennedy

Time Allotment

Two 50-minute periods

Overview

If you discover a tropical storm or hurricane forming, you would want to warn people. The challenge for scientists is to predict where a hurricane is going and how fast it will get there. A hurricane's speed of travel and the direction of its path are important information for boats at sea and for people who live on islands or near the ocean. Hurricane data tells people where a hurricane will "hit" and when.

The French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist Rene Descartes originated the Cartesian coordinates and Cartesian curves. The coordinate plane is often called the Cartesian plane. Our concepts of latitude and longitude reflect our understanding of the Cartesian plane. This proves to be very useful when making predictions in case of evacuation for tropical storms, which give birth to hurricanes

Subject Matter

Geometry and Space Science

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Complete a table of values and plot points, as well as construct a graph on a coordinate grid;
• Construct two graphs on the same coordinate system, and identify the point of intersection;
• Represent and record patterns using tools such as tables and graphs and organize data using tables and graphs.

South Carolina Standards

Visit the SC Standards Web site

Grades 6-8 Geometry

Standard II. Specify locations and describe spatial relationships using coordinate geometry and other representational systems.

A. Use coordinate geometry to represent and examine the properties of geometric shapes.

Media Components

Video

MI 10. Mathematical Investigations, Lesson 20: "Time Graphs. This is a 1985 British Broadcasting Company Production. The segment is called MI 10 because each segment in the series is supposed to be 10 minutes long.

Web Sites

• Planet Hop!
• Mighty Math Cosmic Geometry
• Kennedy Space Center Hurricane Plan Summary
• Virtual Manipulative Geo Board
• Atlantic Basin Hurricane Tracking Chart (PDF)
• Hurricane Tracking Chart

Materials

• rulers
• pencils
• markers
• crayons or colored pencils
• erasers
• Hurricane Tracking Chart
• overhead transparency

Equipment

• computers with Internet Access or Laptop Lab with wireless cards
• Gateway Destination for Large Group Viewing
• overhead projector
• TV and VCR

Prep for Teachers

• 0 Activity 2 requires that a Hurricane Tracking Chart be downloaded and printed from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Web site. The Chart can be found at the following Internet location: Hurricane Tracking Chart
  
  Make sure that the latitude and longitude numbers are labeled on your map before you close the page on the computer. If they did not print clearly on your map, write them in with a pen or pencil. The longitude numbers across the bottom of the page should read from right to left 45 through 105 degrees. The latitude numbers on the right side of the chart should read from bottom to top, 10 through 45 degrees. If part of the right side of the chart does not print, that's okay. Make a copy for each student.
  
• Before you use the Web sites, create bookmarks under Add Favorites on your Microsoft Explorer menu or Netscape Navigator. Load the Macromedia plug-ins "Flash" and "Shockwave" on to each computer. These are located at www.macromedia.com/. You can watch the segment from the site if you have a fast network connection or broadband. The Maths File site contains games that are only available if you have the Shockwave plug-in installed.
  
• When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Insert the videotape on "Time Graphs" into your VCR. FAST FORWARD to the last scene of the "ball on the string" graph. The tape will show a transition to the scene where Hillary is sitting in the car. She says, with a marker and graph paper in her hand, "Here comes another picture." STOP. This is where you want to start the tape with the class.

Step 2: Provide your students with a Focus for Media Interaction by telling them "You are going to see a short video segment that involves a woman creating a graph for an everyday activity. Make a note of how she sets up her graph."

Step 3: Press PLAY. Hillary starts to draw a graph denoting TIME for the x-axis and MILES for the y-axis. Her driver begins their journey in a car and they both ride about town. Hilary uses graph paper, a stopwatch, and the car's odometer (mileage indicator). She reads the odometer at equally spaced intervals of time and enters each reading as a point on the graph.

(Note to Teacher: Let the segment run until the end of the clip at approximately 4 minutes and 24 seconds.)

The clip ends with Hilary revealing that her graph progresses up the chart but that they turned around half way through their trip to come home.

Step 4: Have students discuss the video clip. Using a large model of a coordinate chart, preferably a chalkboard with graph lines already imprinted on it, tell the students that they will learn about the coordinate plane. Point and say, "The plane has two axes and four quadrants. The two number lines form the axes. The horizontal number line is called the x-axis and the vertical number line is called the y-axis. The center of the coordinate plane is called the origin. It has the coordinates of (0,0). Locations of points on the plane can be plotted when one coordinate from each of the axes is used. This set of x and y values is called ordered pairs."

Step 5: Tell students that they will now practice working with coordinates in groups of two using the computer. Tell them that they can locate the two sites Planet Hop and Mighty Math Cosmic Geometry in their bookmarks. Indicate that they will have a time limit that you can modify according to your situation. You are now ready to begin the Learning Activities.

Learning Activities

Planet Hop! The premise of this Web site is that you are traveling through deep space and you are a bit hungry. Provide your students with a Focus for Media Interaction by telling them to find the coordinates of the four planets on the grid, and then find the equation of the line, which you created. This activity is brief and after playing it two times each, students should go to the next site. Approximate time is 5 minutes per student, 10 minutes for each pair to one computer.

Step 2:  Mighty Math Cosmic Geometry. This futuristic practice coordinate game shows an x and y axis from 0 to 20. Only one option is active and that is a head and body of Elvis. A robot voice is activated once the game begins. Students must input correct coordinates to line up the Elvis head and costume to the arms and legs that are already on the grid. (This is the student's Focus for Media Interaction.) The mouse is used to help the student determine the coordinate pair by lining up a pair of "electronic crosshairs." After you build your robot you can make it groove.

(Note to Teachers: This game is only a demo of what is available from Harcourt. Only one option is available. Approximate time is 5 minutes per student; each student should play two times each, 10 minutes for each pair to one computer.)

Step 3: Tropical Storm Tracking Activity Regroup students from computers and have your materials on hand ready to distribute.

Step 4: Hand out Activity Sheet 1: Tropical Tracking Data Sheet (Hurricane Charts) to each student. Provide the following directions orally and demonstrate on an overhead transparency saying the following:

• "On your Tropical Tracking Data Sheet, locate the latitude and longitude of the first advisory. Together, the latitude and longitude give you the tropical storm's first coordinate."
• "Plot the first coordinate on the Tropical Storm Tracking Map The first coordinate marks the position of the eye, or center, of the hurricane. Plot the coordinate of the second on the Tropical Storm Tracking Map. Continue for the remaining coordinates."
• "Draw a line to connect all of Arthur's coordinates. This line represents the storm's path."

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Social Studies: Study the relationships between hurricanes and the travel routes of explorers and demonstrate the use of map skills.

Language Arts: The student may develop an e-mail questionnaire to determine weather in different parts of the United States, and how the weather in other areas determines the weather where they live.

Community Connections

Invite the local emergency director from the county to come in and discuss emergency evacuation plans in relation to hurricane developments.

Student Materials

• rulers, pencils and markers
• crayons or colored pencils
• erasers
• graph paper

Activity Sheets (PDF)

• Activity Sheet 1
• Activity Sheet 2

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