Standard Indicator 4.3.1 That s the Latitude! Purpose Students will use latitude and longitude to locate places in Indiana and other parts of the world. Materials For the teacher: graph paper, globe showing lines of latitude and longitude, chalkboard, chalk, transparency of Black Line Master (BLM) United States Map, overhead projector For each student: pencil, copies of BLMs United States Map and Using Latitude and Longitude Activity A. What a Grid! 1. Tell students that the location of any place on Earth can be pinpointed by using latitude and longitude. Explain that these two sets of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines form a grid, or series of squares, just like the lines on the sheet of graph paper. Walk around the room holding up the graph paper for students to see. 2. Say: Earth is shaped like a sphere. At the top of the northern half of the globe, which is called a hemisphere, is the North Pole. At the bottom of the Southern Hemisphere is the South Pole. There is an imaginary line that runs horizontally around Earth exactly halfway between the two poles. This is known as the equator. Use the globe to illustrate these concepts. 3. Explain that lines of latitude go around the Earth horizontally, parallel to the equator, and that they are labeled from zero to 90 to the north and from zero to 90 to the south. Explain that they run east to west but measure distance north to south. Demonstrate this concept on the globe. 4. Say to students: Longitude is formed by vertical lines running north to south from pole to pole and is used to measure distances east to west. Lines of longitude start at zero degrees on a line that runs through Greenwich, England. This line is known as the prime meridian. Lines of longitude start at the prime meridian and run from zero to 180 east and from zero to 180 west. (continued) TECHNOLOGY incorporating Have students use the Internet to research Greenwich, England. Ask: Why is this place the location of the prime meridian? Do the people there do anything special because the prime meridian is located there? What time zone is Greenwich in? connecting across the curriculum Mathematics Have students research the distance between each degree of longitude and latitude and then calculate the size of Earth. Ask: How far is it from the North Pole to the South Pole? How far is Indiana from the prime meridian? How many miles an hour is Earth rotating? Standards Link 4.3.2 page 167 Standard 3
Standard 3 Activity (continued) B. Using Latitude and Longitude 1. Give each student one copy each of the BLMs Using Latitude and Longitude and United States Map and display the transparency of the BLM United States Map on the overhead projector. 2. Say to students: We will practice using latitude and longitude to locate places and then we will use what we have learned to answer some questions. 3. Say: Let s do the first two together. Look at question number 1. It asks in which state is the point 30 north latitude and 95 west longitude? First, we look for horizontal lines parallel to the equator. Find the line that represents 30 north. Next, look for vertical lines and find the one that represents 95 west. Where do these two lines meet? Demonstrate this process on the transparency and clarify that these two lines meet in Texas. Ask: Does everyone understand how we found this location? 4. Say: Now let s do number 2. In this one, we are given the place and we have to find its latitude and longitude. Point out Chattanooga, Tennessee, on the wall map. Say: Let s look for the nearest horizontal line. It appears to be 35 north latitude. Now let s look for the nearest vertical line. It appears to be 85 west longitude. So the approximate location of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is 35 north latitude and 85 west longitude. Make sure students understand how you arrived at this conclusion. 5. Tell students to answer the remaining questions on the BLM Using Latitude and Longitude independently, using their BLM United States Map. Questions for Review Basic Concepts and Processes As students are completing their BLMs, ask them questions, such as: How many degrees apart are the lines of latitude on these maps? Why aren t they one degree apart or twenty degrees apart? Why do we need a system of latitude and longitude? Who might use this system as part of their job? page 168
120 W California Pacific Ocean 115 W Idaho Arizona Name: United States Map 110 W 105 W 100 W 95 W 90 W 85 W 80 W 75 W 70 W Minnesota Maine Colorado Illinois Rhode Island Connecticut Delaware Maryland Indiana Kansas Iowa Michigan Kentucky Massachusetts Arkansas Atlantic Ocean Louisiana Georgia Alabama Florida Mississippi Washington Oregon Nevada Utah Montana North Dakota Vermont Wyoming South Dakota Nebraska Missouri Ohio New York Pennsylvania New Hampshire New Jersey West Virginia Denver Wisconsin Pittsburgh Indianapolis Virginia New Mexico Oklahoma Tennessee Memphis Chattanooga North Carolina South Carolina Texas 45 N 40 N 35 N 30 N 25 N Black Line Master 1 page 169
United States Map Teacher Directions Hand out one copy each of the BLMs United States Map and Using Latitude and Longitude to each student. Use the transparency of the BLM United States Map to guide students through the first two questions on the BLM Using Latitude and Longitude. Instruct students to complete the rest of the questions independently. Answer Key Not applicable. Black Line Master 1 page 170
Name: Using Latitude and Longitude Directions: Answer the following questions: 1. In which state is the point 30º north latitude and 95º west longitude? 2. What is the approximate latitude and longitude of Chattanooga, Tennessee? 3. In which state is the point 40º north latitude and 86º west longitude located? 4. What is the approximate longitude of Denver, Colorado? 5. What city is located at approximately 35º north latitude and 90º west longitude? 6. What city is located at 80º west longitude? 7. What is the approximate latitude and longitude of Indianapolis, Indiana? 8. Which would use the higher number to describe its longitude: a city on the east coast of the United States or a city on the west coast? 9. Which state is at the lower latitude, Washington or Florida? 10. If you wanted to describe how far west California is, would you use latitude or longitude? _ Black Line Master 2 page 171
Using Latitude and Longitude Teacher Directions Give each student one copy each of the BLMs Using Latitude and Longitude and United States Map and display the transparency of the BLM United States Map on the overhead projector. Say to students: We will practice using latitude and longitude to locate places and then we will use what we ve learned to answer some questions. Say: Let s do the first two together. Look at question number 1. It asks in which state is the point 30 north latitude and 95 west longitude? First, we look for horizontal lines parallel to the equator. Find the line that represents 30 north. Next, look for vertical lines and find the one that represents 95 west. Where do these two lines meet? Demonstrate this process on the transparency and clarify that these two lines meet in Texas. Ask: Does everyone understand how we found this location? Say: Now let s do number 2. In this one, we are given the place and we have to find its latitude and longitude. Point out Chattanooga, Tennessee, on the wall map. Say: Let s look for the nearest horizontal line. It appears to be 35 north latitude. Now let s look for the nearest vertical line. It appears to be 85 west longitude. So the approximate location of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is 35 north latitude and 85 west longitude. Make sure students understand how you arrived at this conclusion. Tell students to answer the remaining questions on the BLM Using Latitude and Longitude independently, using the BLM United States Map. Answer Key 1. Texas 2. 35 north latitude, 85 west longitude 3. Indiana 4. 105 west longitude 5. Memphis, Tennessee 6. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 7. Approximately 39 north latitude, 86 west longitude (or any reasonably close answer) 8. a city on the west coast 9. Florida 10. longitude Black Line Master 2 page 172