Study a Dreaming story, then create one of your own. Does it relate to a prominent landmark in your area? What significance does this landmark have to the local community?

A topographic map shows mountains and valleys. People who know how to read these maps can tell by looking at one how steep a certain hill may be. They can plan the easiest place to cross a mountain or hill. This project will help you understand how to read a topo map.

Make a topographic map with contour lines:

Materials:

• lump of clay twice as big as your fist
• 2 sticks: 3 inches (7.6 cm) long
• cardboard, 12X12 inches (31X31 cm)
• ruler
• wire coat hanger
• white paper: 2 foot (61 cm)
• pencil
• piece of dental floss

Procedure:

• Make a fist size mountain out of a lump of clay. Place it on the cardboard.
• Straighten the coat hanger, and then use one end to poke two holes straight down through the center of the mountain all the way to the cardboard base.
• Tie each end of the dental floss to one of the short sticks and stretch the dental floss taut. Hold each stick and, using the floss, cut horizontally across the ‘mountain’, one-inch (2.5-cm) down from the top.
• Remove this clay slice and place it on the paper. Using the pencil, carefully trace around the clay. Using the pencil, push through one of the coat hanger holes and mark the paper. Mark the second hole in this same manner so those two dots are in the middle of your first tracing. Put this first clay piece aside to save for later.
• Cut a second slice, 1 inch (2.5 cm) down from the first. Lay the second slice over the first tracing, making sure the holes line up with the first set. (You can use the coat hanger for this, scratching the surface to make sure your second set of holes lines up with the first). Trace around the second slice. Your tracing will form a circle enclosing the first.
• Cut as many more slices as you can, cutting each piece 1-inch horizontally down from the top of the clay. Be sure to line up the holes each time and trace each new section you cut. Your end tracing will be of several rings outlining the first, with a pair of holes in the center of the circles.
• Stack the clay sections on top of each other to recreate the original mountain. Be sure the holes line up.
  

Analyze:
Compare the topographic map you have made to the model mountain. Why are some of the traced lines closer together than others? What kind of slope gives you lines that are close together? What kind gives lines that are farther apart? On your topographic map, where are the steepest slopes? Where would be the best place to plan a trail to the top of the mountain?