In this geospatial project, students have been given a grant that will fund the planting of trees on the property of their school. They will…
- Develop a proposal to plant trees in at least two different areas on the property of their school using at least two different species.
- Identify the different species that should be planted.
- Identify and explain the optimal locations to plant the trees.
- Create a map in Web GIS that shows where the trees will be planted.
- Write a proposal that describes their tree planting plan.
As students work on their proposal, they are to consider the following factors:
a) Native and non-native trees
b) Fast growing trees / growth rate
c) Wind blockage
d) Shade benefits
e) Size of the tree
f) Promoting tree diversity in an area
g) They must also justify why they select certain locations.
The students use Web GIS to illustrate their proposed locations.
In the written proposal, students:
- Describe how the proposed tree planting locations take into account existing trees and other features around the school.
- Justify why trees should be planted in their proposed locations, supporting their justifications using data from the Web GIS.
- Discuss the major benefits (such as shade, wind blockage, carbon sequestration) that their tree species provide for the area.
- Discuss how their recommended tree planting areas will impact or change the existing environment.
Important Notes:
- Prior to implementing the investigation, be sure that you have set up an ARCGIS.com account for your classrooms.
- The instructional materials, including the list of tree species on the tree fact sheet, have been developed for use in a specific geographic location. The MS Word versions can be modified for implementing the investigation in other locations.
- There are four important documents for this learning activity. These include:
(a) Tree Planting Proposal – This provides students with an overview and details about the project.
(b) Student Planning Document – This provides students with a series of questions to consider for their tree planting locations.
(b) Student Planning Document – This provides students with a series of questions to consider for their tree planting locations.
(c) Tree Fact Sheet – This provides students with important facts about trees students should consider for their project
(d) Tree Planting Rubric – This is a valid and reliable criterion-based assessment measure for the project that focus on geospatial thinking skills.
Important Implementation Notes:
- To help illicit prior knowledge about why trees are important for the natural and built environment, have students brainstorm the benefit of trees.
- Tell students to be specific about specifying tree planting locations. Prompt students to use geographic terms “north” or “south”. Model how to use the Measure tool to measure distance away from the school to tree planting locations. Show students how to select the distance tool and change units to meters. You may also want to show students how to use the area tool to specify a specific area for planting trees.
- Call attention to the root system distances of the trees on the Tree Species data chart. The length of the root system is a diameter. Tell students to keep this in mind when selecting locations. Trees should be planted with enough distance between them so the root systems do not overlap.
- We recommend that a paper copies of the Tree Planting Proposal and Tree Planting Rubric are placed in front of the students during this activity. This helps students with focusing on the main objectives of the project.
- We recommend that students review their responses from their Planning Document before they begin their tree planting proposal.
Materials Needed:
Handouts
ArcGIS