Abstract
GIS in Science Classrooms: Alignment with the Kansas Science Standards
Track: Teaching with GIS Across the Curriculum
Authors: Katie Heer
In science classrooms today, there are new technologies that are being left behind in the quest for tried and true methods of obtaining high test scores. Teachers are so busy that they do not always have the resources to find or develop lesson plans to resolve the loss of engaging new teaching strategies.
Incorporating GIS into the curriculum can help teachers meet standards and introduce new tools. In addition to covering science standards, implementing geospatial analysis into the classroom teachers provide their students with a multi-disciplinary technology currently expanding throughout the real world. GIS in the science classroom engages and encourages students to participate in inquiry-based lessons, thus increasing higher-level thinking skills. In this project, we have aligned Kansas Science Standards with GIS-based lessons and curriculum to facilitate the use of this modern technology in today's science classroom.