Lesson 4 - Understanding Geographic Measurements - Teacher's Guide

Targeted Instructional Objective: Synthesizing different areas of scientific study into a true body of knowledge

Content Focus: Evaluating the relationship between geography and meteorology

Weather conditions change and are changed by geographical characteristics and their influences on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, and so on. Scientists must be able to identify exact locations of given areas in order to evaluate these geographical influences on climate conditions.
 

General Instructional Goal: Interpret measurements of latitude and longitude

Students apply the system of longitude and latitude coordinates to read maps and identify specific locations.

Specific Outcomes: Upon completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

1) Identify the terms of measurement used in longitude and latitude

2) Locate cities on maps by interpreting given coordinates

3) Gather information from detailed "industry standard" maps

4) Gain introductory understanding of the connection between weather and geography

 

Lesson Content

Instructional Processes
  • Set
 Topic Introduction: (Teacher defined)

Suggested preview approaches:\

1) Determine students' present understanding of longitude and latitude by offering a map transparency and asking them to identify the lines

2) Ask students to guess why snow in Colorado is "fluffier" than snow in Maine: why some regions flood while others wither from lack of rain.

  • Purpose

 Using longitude and latitude to identify geographical locations

Linking world geography to world meteorology\

Suggested strategies:

1) Ask students to describe places they've lived or visited that had extremely different climates from their own. Can they identify any geographical components of those places? (Near the ocean, close to a desert, in the Rockies, etc.)

  • Guided Practice
 Teacher may wish to read along with the students, pausing for questions.

Optional Demonstration: To illustrate the divisions made by longitude and latitude lines, the teacher can bring apples or oranges to the class, and cut them up to show students where the Prime Meridian is on the globe, which side is the Eastern Hemisphere, etc. (Students can always snack on these later!)
  • Practice/Application
 Individual or small groups complete the worksheet by correctly identifying the coordinates of the locations. Teacher may wish to demonstrate the first answer.
  • Summary
 Synopsis of material covered

Optional Strategies:

1) Whole group spot check of data answers

2) Quick find contest: groups find coordinates of one location, and give those coordinates to another group. First group to identify their "spot" gets a teacher defined pat on the back (extra credit points, a "no homework" pass, the last apple, etc.)
  • Evaluation
 Recommended score of at least 80% on worksheet to ensure student readiness for subsequent lessons

Necessary Materials:

Maps: U.S. :Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah; European: Paris map

Student Worksheet

Optional: Globe, apples, blow up beach ball for demonstration and illustrations

Supplemental/Cross Curricular Activities and Ideas

Global Graphlines: Strengthening Map reading skills

Small Group Activity sends students to exotic new places as they locate regions on a map, research climates in the given areas, and compare similar geographical elements. (Example: although as distant from each other as it's possible to be, the North and South Poles have extremely similar climates. Do they share geographical similarities as well? What locations grow the most flowers or pine trees? Why is that? What do the plains states have in common?)

The Long Search for Longitude: Investigating the Scientific process

Individual Writing Assignment opens the students' eyes to the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the scientific quest for longitude lines. Far from being an overnight discovery made by a genius, longitude was a scientific concept that evolved very slowly, gaining definition and precision only through the efforts and research of many different people.

Beyond Geography: Analyzing Geographical Influences on Society and Culture

High level Individual or Small Group Research Project gives students the chance to become amateur psychologists as they compare the geography and climate of a region to the lifestyles of the people who live there, and attempt to draw scientifically logical conclusions about the effects of these components on the residents' social attitudes. (For example, tropical weather has long been associated with laid-back societies; the Finnish climate is suspected to be a major factor in the Finn's reputed grim outlook on life.)

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