Suggested Activities Pre-planning Locate ball Assemble equipment In preparation for introducing the notion of geographic coordinates, bring to class in Session One a large ball (e.g., basketball, volleyball or beach ball). In Session Two, students will play a coordinates plotting game requiring that each group of approximately six students have three pieces of equipment: an enlarged map of Canada, a method for determining order of play (e.g., a dice, a deck of playing cards) and three different coloured pencils. Enlarge the map Plotting Canada (Blackline Master #6) to fill ledger size paper (11 x 17) and duplicate sufficient copies so that each group of six students has one enlarged copy. (Every student is given a regular size version of Blackline Master #6 in Session One.) Session One Blackline Masters #6 7 Introduce problem of global location Explain to the class that they will be looking to see what areas of Canada provide the resources that we use. But before beginning this study, the class is going to learn how to find its way around the country. Hold up the large ball and invite students to imagine this as the earth. Ask students, If this was the earth how would we find the spot where Canada is located? Entertain their answers and explain that when explorers were sailing around the world they asked similar questions about how they could find places on the earth that others before them had identified. Lead the class through an explanation of the following key terms. Explain Equator Offer the following explanation about the basis for the Equator: The people who made maps decided to imagine a line drawn around the middle of the earth. (Indicate this on the ball and, on the board, draw a large circle, explaining that it represents the earth. Then draw a horizontal line around the centre of the circle.) The imaginary line was exactly half way between the top end or North Pole and the bottom end or South Pole. (Draw attention to these imaginary points on the ball and label them on the large circle on the board.) Because the distance from the centre line to the North Pole is equal to the distance to the South Pole, they called this line the Equator. (Write Equator on the board and draw attention to the common stem with equal.) knowledge of coordinate terminology Explain Northern and Southern Hemispheres Offer the following explanation for the hemispheres: The imaginary line the Equator divided the world into two parts. Because the shape of the earth was a ball also called a sphere they called each part a half-sphere or hemisphere. The top half was the northern half-sphere or hemisphere and the bottom half was the southern half-sphere or hemisphere. (Print Northern and Southern on the side of the circle and in the middle write Hemisphere with arrows pointing to each half of the circle.) Managing Our Natural Wealth 10 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Explain the designations for latitude Explain Eastern and Western Hemispheres Discuss prime meridian Explain the designations for longitude Offer the following explanation for lines of latitude: Mapmakers could now give directions by saying that a country was in the Northern Hemisphere or in the Southern Hemisphere. But this was not helpful because each part is so large. Consequently, mapmakers imaged more lines running the same way as the Equator. (Indicate this on the ball and, on the board, draw four lines parallel to the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere.) Rather than give these lines specific names, they identified them by saying how far the lines were from the Equator. (Label the lines 20 40, 60 and 80 degrees from the Equator.) They did this below the Equator as well. (Draw and label four lines in the Southern Hemisphere.) The problem was they would have two lines with the same name for example, 20 degrees from the Equator could mean a line in the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere. How might mapmakers avoid having two lines with the same reference? If a line was 20 degrees from the Equator (point to a line in the Northern Hemisphere) how might they refer to it so that it would not be confused with the line below the Equator? Explain that mapmakers decided to mention which hemisphere the lines were in. They referred to the line as 20 degrees North. Point to other lines and indicate a North or South designation. Mapmakers would direct people to go 20, 40, 60, 80 degrees North or South. Ask the class if anyone can identify what problem mapmakers might still have in giving clear directions to explorers. Trace a line around the ball suggesting that any spot on this line would be 40 degrees North. Invite students to offer a solution to this problem. Offer the following explanation for the Eastern and Western Hemispheres: In order to be specific in their directions, mapmakers decided to draw another imaginary line from top to bottom. The line was called the Prime Meridian. (Indicate this on the ball and, on the board, draw a vertical line from the North Pole to the South Pole down the middle of the circle.) This divided the world into two parts so they called each part a half-sphere or hemisphere. One half was called the Eastern Hemisphere and the other half the Western Hemisphere. (Print a large Eastern and Western on the board.) OPTIONAL: If students raise questions about the choice of the dividing line, explain that it is a line from the North and South poles that runs through the town of Greenwich (the site of a famous observatory near London, England where mapmakers would observe the stars to help them plot their maps). Offer the following explanation for identifying lines of longitude: Mapmakers imagined more lines running the same way as this new dividing line. (Draw four lines in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres). This time they identified the lines by saying how far east or west the lines were from this dividing line. They referred to a line as 10 degrees East or 20 degrees West. (Point to other lines and label them as a certain number of degrees.) Managing Our Natural Wealth 11 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Explain the notion of coordinates Ask students to decide if this system would solve the problem of how to clearly indicate the location of any spot on the earth. Invite students to explain how mapmakers might give directions. Illustrate by tracing the appropriate lines, for example the coordinates or reference points 20 degrees North and 30 degrees West indicate a precise spot on the earth. Discuss degrees OPTIONAL: If students raise questions about the idea of degrees, explain that the ancient Greeks imagined every circle divided into 360 degrees. If someone does a 360-degree turn they would make a complete circle. Using the ball to illustrate, show that there are 180 degrees in the Western Hemisphere and another 180 degrees in the Eastern Hemisphere, thereby making 360 degrees around the entire globe. So too, with the lines of latitude (90 degrees from the Equator to the North Pole, another 90 degrees back down the other side to the Equator, a further 90 degrees to the South Pole, and the final 90 degrees back to the Equator). Introduce map of Canada Ask students if they know in what hemispheres Canada is located. After students suggest their answers, point to the ball indicating the Northern and Western Hemispheres. Distribute a copy of Plotting Canada (Blackline Master #6) to each student and overlay a copy of the map, first on the ball and then on the large circle on the board indicating the region of the earth represented by this map. Explain that since Canada is in the Northern and Western Hemispheres, our coordinates will be in terms of degrees North and West. Draw students attention to the degrees along the side and top of the map. Blackline Master #6 Managing Our Natural Wealth 71 The Critical Thinking Cooperative Introduce latitude and longitude terminology Explain to students the location points (coordinates) are always given in a particular order: first, the (horizontal) lines running around the side of the earth are given and then the (vertical) lines running lengthwise. The sideways lines are called lines of latitude (in football a lateral pass occurs when the ball is thrown sideways) and the lines running lengthwise (up and down) are called lines of longitude. Ask students to locate Latitude 48 degrees North (it will be a line running sideways) and draw a pencil line along it. Ask them to locate Longitude 100 degrees West (it will be a line running up and down) and draw a pencil line along it. Now ask students to identify the city that is located near the point where both these two lines meet. Share the answer (Regina). Managing Our Natural Wealth 12 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Practice locating coordinates Debrief the value of coordinates Create an overhead transparency or duplicate copies for each student of Locating coordinates (Blackline Master #7). Ask students to identify the city nearest each of the coordinates in questions #1 3, and then share the answers: 1. Latitude 48 degrees North; Longitude 115 degrees West (Victoria) 2. Latitude 64 degrees North; Longitude 120 degrees West (Whitehorse) 3. Latitude 52 degrees North; Longitude 105 degrees West (Edmonton) Next, ask students to identify the coordinates for the name of each city listed in questions #4 6, and then share the answers: 4. Winnipeg (Latitude 48 degrees North; Longitude 95 degrees West) 5. Yellowknife (Latitude 64 degrees North; Longitude 105 degrees West) 6. Charlottetown (Latitude 52 degrees North; Longitude 65 degrees West) Name: Blackline Master #7 Locating coordinates Find the city that is near the following points: 1. Latitude 48 degrees North Longitude 115 degrees West (city) 2. Latitude 64 degrees North Longitude 120 degrees West (city) 3. Latitude 52 degrees North Longitude 105 degrees West (city) Identify the coordinates nearest each city. 4. Winnipeg Latitude degrees North 5. Yellowknife Latitude degrees North Longitude degrees West 6. Charlottetown Latitude degrees North Longitude degrees West Longitude degrees West Managing Our Natural Wealth 72 The Critical Thinking Cooperative When completed, encourage students to find a partner to continue this activity: one person provides coordinates in the proper format; the other person identifies the province or territory in which the coordinates are located. In closing the lesson, ask students to share (in writing or orally) what they have learned about the value of coordinates in locating sites on a map. Session Two Blackline Masters #6, 8 10 Identify key places on the map Invite students to look at their copy of the map (Blackline Master #6) and to name a different province or territory until all 13 have been mentioned. Do the same with capital cities, ending with the national capital. knowledge of provinces / territories Introduce the plotting game Ask the class if anyone has visited other provinces or territories. Explain that the class is going to use this map to plan an imaginary trip across Canada. Their challenge is as follows: Plot a trip passing through as many Canadian provinces and territories and passing by as many capital cities as possible. knowledge of capital cities Managing Our Natural Wealth 13 The Critical Thinking Consortium
The problem will be that other teams will also be planning a trip and no one is allowed to meet up with anyone else (the travel paths of two teams cannot cross). A further obstacle is that everyone must travel by car or boat at the end of the game, only those locations that are joined together in a single line will count for travel points. criteria for successful trip Explain the rules Play the game Create an overhead transparency or duplicate copies for each student of Plotting Canada instructions (Blackline Master #8). In addition, duplicate for each pair of students Plotting sheet (Blackline Master #9). Enlarge this sheet to ledger size (11 x 17). Explain that students will work with a partner(s) and compete against two other teams to see which team can accumulate the most travel points. Walk students through the Sequence of play and Winning the game as described on Blackline Master #8. Explain the role of Blackline Master #9 in recording the proposed coordinates and the province or territory indicated by the coordinates (if coordinates fall outside a province or territory, students should leave the Province/ Territory space blank). Indicate to students that they can record coordinates in several ways, either as 40 degrees North or 40 N or 40N. Point out that Longitude 40 N would be incorrect since 40 N is a line of latitude. When everyone is clear about the rules, organize students into teams (two or three students each) and allocate three teams in each group. Give each group an enlarged copy of the map (Blackline Master #6), a dice and three coloured pencils. Students can use their small size map during the game for individual plotting of coordinates. When each group has completed 10 turns of the game, distribute a copy of Score card (Blackline Master #10) and assist each team in recording its score. Team colour At each turn, use the proper format to plot the coordinates for four points on the map. If appropriate, write the province or 1 1. Latitude Longitude 2 1. Latitude Longitude 3 1. Latitude Longitude 4 1. Latitude Longitude 5 1. Latitude Longitude Names: Blackline Master #9 Territories Provinces territory indicated by the coordinates. Plotting sheet 6 1. Latitude Longitude 7 1. Latitude Longitude 8 1. Latitude Longitude 9 1. Latitude Longitude 10 1. Latitude Longitude Plotting Canada M. Woloshen, 2002. Reprinted with permission. Score card Managing Our Natural Wealth 75 The Critical Thinking Cooperative Managing Our Natural Wealth 74 The Critical Thinking Cooperative At the end of the game, place a check mark for every location that your team has connected in a SINGLE CONTINUOUS line. Add the number of travel points and write the total at the bottom of the column. Location Team colour: Team colour: Team colour: Team colour: Capital Cities Points Points Points Points Whitehorse Yellowknife Iqaluit 1 Victoria 1 Edmonton 1 1 Regina 1 1 Winnipeg 1 1 1 Toronto 1 1 1 1 1 1 Quebec City 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 Fredericton 1 1 1 1 1 1 Halifax 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Charlottetown 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 St. John s 1 1 1 1 1 1 OTTAWA 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 2 Northwest Territories Nunavut 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan 2 Manitoba 2 2 2 Ontario 2 2 2 2 Quebec 2 2 2 2 New Brunswick 2 2 2 2 2 2 Nova Scotia 2 2 2 2 2 2 Prince Edward Island Newfoundland 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Total points Names: Blackline Master #10 Plotting Canada M. Woloshen, 2002. Reprinted with permission. Managing Our Natural Wealth 14 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Debrief the experience When all teams have tallied their scores, share the best results with the class. Invite students to comment on the usefulness of using coordinates and begin what could become a daily routine of asking students questions about Canadian place names and locations (e.g., What is the provincial capital of Saskatchewan? What are the three territories? What province is immediately west of Manitoba?). game tactics Repeat the game OPTIONAL: If students enjoy the game they will likely want to play again. You may want to schedule a few class sessions as students conduct research into different regions of Canada, or suggest that students play the game in their free time. In subsequent playing of the game, you may want students to play on their own (perhaps four teams of one student each per game) and you might extend the game to 12 turns. Ask students to share strategies that they found helpful. The following strategies might be discussed: Build for a continuous line. Throughout the game, look to join as many circles as possible with one unbroken line. Secure key coordinates. Although at the end of the game the circles must be joined (travel points are awarded only for locations joined in one line), it may be effective at times during the game to plot coordinates in different places across the country. Block other teams. Since no two teams travel paths can cross, it may be effective at times during the game to try to block the path of the other teams. Evaluation Blackline Master #11 Assess knowledge of terminology Assess each student s knowledge of coordinate terminology by assigning Global vocabulary (Blackline Master #11). Award one mark for each correctly labeled feature for a total of eight marks. Name: Blackline Master #11 Global vocabulary In the large circle below, draw and clearly label each of the following: Equator, Prime Meridian, Northern Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere, two lines of latitude, Assess use of coordinates Assess each student s ability to use coordinates on Locating coordinates (Blackline Master #7) by assigning one mark for each question for a total of six marks. two lines of longitude. W E N S Managing Our Natural Wealth 76 The Critical Thinking Cooperative Managing Our Natural Wealth 15 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Blackline Master #6 Managing Our Natural Wealth 71 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Name: Blackline Master #7 Locating coordinates Find the city that is near the following points: 1. Latitude 48 degrees North Longitude 115 degrees West (city) 2. Latitude 64 degrees North Longitude 120 degrees West (city) 3. Latitude 52 degrees North Longitude 105 degrees West (city) Identify the coordinates nearest each city. 4. Winnipeg Latitude degrees North Longitude degrees West 5. Yellowknife Latitude degrees North Longitude degrees West 6. Charlottetown Latitude degrees North Longitude degrees West Managing Our Natural Wealth 72 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Plotting Canada instructions Blackline Master #8 Sequence of play 1. Individual plotting Each team individually writes on its Plotting Sheet the coordinates and the names of the province/territory (if applicable) for 4 locations it intends to plot in that turn. 2. Determine order Each team rolls a die (or draws a card) to see who goes first for that turn. The highest number goes first, the next highest goes second and so forth. In the case of a tie, the teams who tied try again until one has a higher number. 3. Check coordinates Each team hands its Plotting Sheet to the team to their left for checking. If coordinates have an incorrect form (the latitude and longitude must be in correct order and style) or incorrect location (name of applicable province/territory) they are not approved and cannot be plotted. 4. Plot on map Each team, proceeding in order, plots its approved coordinates on the large map using its coloured pencil to fill in the small circle. Circles that are already coloured, cannot be coloured by another team. Each team, in order, joins its coloured circles provided (1) the circles are next to each other (they must be horizontally, vertically or diagonally adjacent) and (2) joining the circles does not require crossing an existing travel path. 5. Next turn Repeat entire procedure until 10 complete turns have been played. After 10 turns, determine the winner. Winning the game At the end of the game, the winning team is the one with the most travel points. Travel points are earned by connecting as much of Canada as possible, but not all locations have the same value. Since the trip must be made by car or boat, only those circles that are joined in one continuous travel path will count for points. If a team has two or more segments, it must determine which segment will earn the most travel points. Using the Scoring Card, total the number of travel points based on the system indicated below. Location How to qualify Travel points pass through a province at least one circle in the province or territory must or territory be on the travel path 2 pass by the capital city one of the four circles surrounding the city dot of a province or territory must be on the travel path 1 pass by Ottawa one of the four circles surrounding Ottawa (national capital) must be on the travel path 3 Plotting Canada M. Woloshen, 2002. Reprinted with permission. Managing Our Natural Wealth 73 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Plotting sheet Names: Blackline Master #9 Team colour At each turn, use the proper format to plot the coordinates for four points on the map. If appropriate, write the province or territory indicated by the coordinates. 1 1. Latitude Longitude 2 1. Latitude Longitude 3 1. Latitude Longitude 4 1. Latitude Longitude 5 1. Latitude Longitude 6 1. Latitude Longitude 7 1. Latitude Longitude 8 1. Latitude Longitude 9 1. Latitude Longitude 10 1. Latitude Longitude Plotting Canada M. Woloshen, 2002. Reprinted with permission. Managing Our Natural Wealth 74 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Names: Blackline Master #10 Score card At the end of the game, place a check mark for every location that your team has connected in a SINGLE CONTINUOUS line. Add the number of travel points and write the total at the bottom of the column. Location Team colour: Team colour: Team colour: Team colour: Capital Cities Points Points Points Points Whitehorse 1 1 1 1 Yellowknife 1 1 1 1 Iqaluit 1 1 1 1 Victoria 1 1 1 1 Edmonton 1 1 1 1 Regina 1 1 1 1 Winnipeg 1 1 1 1 Toronto 1 1 1 1 Quebec City 1 1 1 1 Fredericton 1 1 1 1 Halifax 1 1 1 1 Charlottetown 1 1 1 1 St. John s 1 1 1 1 OTTAWA 3 3 3 3 Territories Yukon 2 2 2 2 Northwest Territories 2 2 2 2 Nunavut 2 2 2 2 Provinces British Columbia 2 2 2 2 Alberta 2 2 2 2 Saskatchewan 2 2 2 2 Manitoba 2 2 2 2 Ontario 2 2 2 2 Quebec 2 2 2 2 New Brunswick 2 2 2 2 Nova Scotia 2 2 2 2 Prince Edward Island 2 2 2 2 Newfoundland 2 2 2 2 Total points Plotting Canada M. Woloshen, 2002. Reprinted with permission. Managing Our Natural Wealth 75 The Critical Thinking Consortium
Name: Blackline Master #11 Global vocabulary In the large circle below, draw and clearly label each of the following: Equator, Prime Meridian, Northern Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere, two lines of latitude, two lines of longitude. N W E S Managing Our Natural Wealth 76 The Critical Thinking Consortium