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Subject

Social Studies

Assessment

Students will be assessed on their in-class responses.

Duration

One class period

Essential Question

Why is it important to understand longitude and latitude?

Instructional/Environment Modifications

If your curriculum focuses on American History, you may want to use a map of the United States instead of a world map. Students can locate states instead of countries and also specific places that you will be talking about throughout the school year.

Procedure

1. Pass out a world map for every student. Any basic map that can be found in an atlas or textbook will do, as long as it includes the lines of latitude and longitude.
   
2. As an anticipatory set, discuss the following with the students: How many of you have ever been lost? In a shopping mall? While camping? How were you found? Imagine this scenario: You and a friend each had a fishing boat. You both sail off the coast of Florida to do some deep sea fishing. Before you know it, it becomes dark and you lose sight of your friend's boat. You contact him/her over the radio. How are you going to describe where you are?
   
3. After the student discussion, explain that ships navigate the seas and planes know where to land all by using the lines of latitude and longitude.
   
4. Ask the students to locate the latitude lines on their map. Explain that these are the lines or "parallels" that run horizontally, parallel with the equator.
   
5. Ask the students to locate the longitude lines on their map. Explain that these are the lines or "meridians" that run vertically on their map.
   
6. Explain that there are many ways to remember which way these lines run. For example, the latitude lines can be compared to the steps on a ladder, so you can remember them as "ladder-tude." See if the students can come up with their own ways to remember the lines.
   
7. Have the students locate the Equator. Explain that this is 0 degrees latitude. As you get further away from the equator, the numbers increase until you get to 90 degrees north, the North Pole, and 90 degrees south, the South Pole. Have the students then locate the Prime Meridian. Explain that just as the Equator is zero degrees latitude, the Prime Meridian is 0 degrees longitude, and so forth.
   
8. Place the following coordinates on the board: 40N 100W. Ask the students to figure out which country is located there. If a student responds with the correct answer, ask him/her to explain how they found the country to the rest of the class. Then, have the class locate the country at 30S 20E. Continue placing coordinates on the board until students are comfortable finding the location of the country.
   
9. Now get a little more specific with the coordinates. Students can locate countries that aren't located directly on intersecting latitude and longitude lines drawn on the map, or they can locate specific cities rather than countries, or, depending on the students, you can explain how you can get even more specific with the coordinates. For example, ask them, "What city is located at 42 degrees 53'11'' Latitude and -78 degrees 52'42'' Longitude?"
   
10. Next, place the students in pairs and ask the students to think about the following question: What country would you like to visit? Instead of sharing the name of the country with their partner, they are to share the coordinates to see if the partner can locate the country. Other questions can include: What country do you think is the most different from where you are now? Where is the furthest you have ever been? Locate a country that you think has a very hot climate.
    
11. Finally, as an exit poll out the door, give the students the coordinates of a place that interests you, maybe a place where you went on vacation, or a country that your ancestors came from. Have the students write down the name of the place located at those coordinates.
    

Reflections and Feedback

The website listed above has some great maps for printing and copying.

Student Work

Throughout the lesson, students will be asked to locate certain places on a map using lines of latitude and longitude.

Related Resource

Great Mapping Site

Description

The objective of this lesson is for students to familiarize themselves with using latitude and longitude to locate places on a map.

Related Academic Standards

New York State

SS.5.4.c.1 Students will map the regions within the Western Hemisphere and locate major physical features within each region.

SS.6.1.a Maps can be used to represent varied climate zones, landforms, bodies of water, and resources of the Eastern Hemisphere.

SS.6.1.c.2 To understand scale, students will work with maps at a variety of scales so they can compare patterns in population density and land use, economic activity, and political connections across the present-day Eastern Hemisphere, within a region of the Eastern Hemisphere, and in a specific country. In doing so, students will examine maps of the hemisphere, three regions within the present-day Eastern Hemisphere, and one specific country within each region.

SS.SSP.5.1.2 Recognize and effectively select different forms of evidence used to make meaning in social studies (including primary and secondary sources such as art and photographs, artifacts, oral histories, maps, and graphs).

SS.SSP.5.5.1 Use location terms and use geographic representations such as maps, photographs, satellite images, and models to describe where places in the Western Hemisphere are in relation to each other, to describe connections among places, and to evaluate the benefits of particular places for purposeful activities.

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