Mike Plecker

Van Buren Community Schools

GPS Lesson Plan

Materials Needed:

1. Handheld GPS Units

2. “Master Tree Finders” or other tree identification materials

3. Handout and clipboard

This is a lesson plan that uses handheld GPS units and can be incorporated into a

biology unit covering classification and using a dichotomous key. I have used the GPS to

mark Northing and Easting coordinates at various tree species in the school yard. The

student will use their handheld GPS units and the tree identifier to see if they can identify

the tree species at each location and answer a few questions about each tree.

As an extension activity I could download a map of our home town using GIS and

then have the students plot their tracks and the tree species they located on the map.

Another extension would be to have them mark waypoints every time they saw that

species of tree in the yard, and then come in and map it. If several groups each marked a

different species of tree they could create a map of the entire school yard with all the

locations and species of trees present.

 Mike Plecker
Van Buren Community Schools

Tree Identification using GPS

Directions: Turn on your GPS units and use the page button to go to the screen with the
compass. When you have this page displayed use the arrow keys to change the display to
show the Northing and Easting coordinates. Using just the last three numbers from the
coordinates, find the locations and identify the tree and answer the following questions
about that tree.

1. N 836 – E 041 What type of leaves does this tree have?

2. N 818 – E 018 What has happened to the bark on the branches of this tree?

3. N 850 – E 021 Describe the shape of the leaves on this tree.

4. N 872 – E 050 How does the bark and leaves of this tree compare to tree #2?

5. N 880 – E 058 What kind of leaves does this tree have?

6. N 887 – E 073 How does this tree reproduce? Can you find any of these
structures on this tree? How many different types?

7. N 863 – E 118 How is this tree different then the tree in #6? How are they the
same?
 Mike Plecker
Van Buren Community Schools
Answer Key

1. Pin Oak; Simple leaves

2. Sycamore; Bark has peeled off the branches

3. Redbud; Leaves are heart shaped

4. Aspen; Bark looks similar but the leaves are not the same

5. Honey locust; Compound leaves

6. Scotch Pine; Cones, yes there are two different kinds (male and female)

7. Red Cedar; Leaves are a different color, shape of the tree is different, the
reproduce the same.