LESSON 5





Title:   Making a Globe

Grade Level: Fourth/Fifth

Subjects:  Social Studies/Math/Art

Learner Outcomes:

Students will locate the equator on a globe.
Students will locate the Prime Meridian and International Date Line on a globe.
Students will locate the lines of latitude on a globe.
Students will locate the lines of longitude on a globe.

Duration of Lesson: four 40-minute sessions

Materials:

Spherical objects previously constructed by the students in art class.
Non-toxic markers
Standard classroom supplies
Globes

Technology Tools/ Courseware:

Computers
Internet sites
Interactive whiteboard/data projector
CDs for enrichment activities

Teacher Notes:


Procedures:

    Day 1  Find the Equator

Step 1: Introduce the idea of position on the earth through the
            discussion of map making, navigating, and other
            social studies topics.

Step 2: Demonstrate the position of the Equator on a globe.

Step 3: Give each pair of students a sphere, marker, and
            a piece of string.

Step 4: Have students stretch the string form the top of the sphere
            to the bottom, marking each point on the string with
            a marker.

Step 5: Fold the string in half so the two marks come together.
            Put another dot on the string with the marker on the point
            of the fold.

Step 6: Put the string back on the sphere with one mark at the top
            and one mark at the bottom of the sphere.

Step 7: Put a mark on the sphere on either side of the mark that is
            the middle of the string.  Do this all the way around
            the sphere.

Step 8: Connect the marks on the sphere.  This represents the
            equator.
 

    Day 2    Mark the Prime Meridian and International Date Line

Step 1: Stretch a string around the sphere, through the top and
            bottom as done in finding the equator.
            Bring both ends together.

Step 2: While one student holds the string, the other puts dots on the
            sphere beside the string using the marker.  Dots are made
            all the way around the globe.

Step 3: The dots are connected to form a line.

Step 4: One half of the line is labeled Prime Meridian 0 degrees and
            the other half is labeled International Date Line 180 degrees.

Step 5: The teacher leads a discussion about the Prime Meridian and
            the International Date Line and lines of longitude.

    Day 3   Adding two more lines of longitude

Step 1: Using the string as used in finding the equator, have students
            find a point halfway between the International Date Line and the Prime
            Meridian on one side of the globe and mark that point.

Step 2: Using the string again, have the students find a point halfway between
            the International Date Line and Prime Meridian on the other side of the
            sphere and mark that point.

Step 3: Wrap a string all the way around the sphere so that it goes through the
            North and South Poles and the two marks just made.

Step 4: Have students draw a line on the globe along this string.

Step 5: Explain the two new lines as being 90 degrees east
            longitude and 90 degrees west longitude.

    Day 4   Adding more lines of longitude

Step 1: Using the string, have students find the halfway points
            between the 90 degree lines, the Prime Meridian, and the International
            Date Line as done earlier.

Step 2: Have students draw these lines on the sphere and label
            them.  The line between the Prime Meridian and 90 degrees is
            labeled 45 degrees. The line between the International Date Line
            and 90 degrees is labeled 135 degrees.

Step 3: (Optional) The 45 degrees between line can now be divided
            into thirds for more lines of longitude. If this is done, each 15
            degrees also represents one time zone which can be used for
            other activities.

Modifications:

-    Modifications may be made based on ability and grade level of students.
 

Enrichment Activities:

-    Continents can be explored by painting on the globes using
      longitude and latitude as reference points.

-    Time zones can be explored using globes.  Each 15 degrees of
      longitude represents one time zone.

-    Read Aloud suggestions:

    The Librarian Who Measured the Earth.  Lasky, Kathryn.  Little, Brown
    and Company. 1944.  ISBN  0316515264.  This imaginative book tells
    the story of Erathosthenes, the Greek mathematician and librarian, who
    accurately measured the circumference of the earth more than two
    thousand years ago.

-    How Big is A Foot?  Myller, Rolf.  Dell. 1991.  Isbn  0833568531  Thrown in
    jail because the bed he made for the queen is too small, an apprentice
    comes up with a more accurate way of measuring size.

Evaluations:

Teacher will observe and question the students concerning terms and position on the
globes.

Teacher will have the students label a map identifying the following aspects:  Equator,
Prime Meridian, International Date Line, Lines of Latitude and Longitude.

State and National Standards:

           West Virginia IGOs

                   Math:  4.35, 4.36,
                   Social Studies:   4.44, 4.45, 5.21, 5.22, 5.23
                   Art:  4.1, 5.4, 5.6

                National Standards

Social Studies--Geography

    Understands the characteristics and uses of maps, globes,
    and other geographic tools and technologies

    Knows the location of places, geographic features, and
    patterns of the environment

    Understands the characteristics and uses of spatial
    organization of Earth's surface

Art--Fine Arts

    Understands the characteristics and uses of spatial
    organization of Earth's surface

    Understands the visual arts in relation to history
    and culture

Math

    Understands how scale in maps and drawings shows
    relative size and distance

    Knows basic geometric language for describing and
    naming shapes (e.g., trapezoid, parallelogram, cube, sphere)

    Understands characteristics of lines (e.g., parallel, perpendicular
    intersecting) and angles (e.g., right, acute)
 

References:

Encarta 99 Encyclopedia
America's Story Harcourt Brace
Math Advantage Harcourt Brace
Math in Geography Evan-Moor
http://www.cgrer.uiowa.edu/servers/servers_references.html
http://www.graphicmaps.com/clipart.htm
 

Authors:
                 Carolyn Shuman
                 Douglas Turner
                 John Sezawich
 
 
 

LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5

 

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