Week 9 of 28 • Page 1
Week 9 of 28 • Page 4
Across
7. the line of longitude where one day turns into
another
9. a guide to what map symbols mean
10. the line at 0 degrees latitude
11. imaginary vertical lines on the Earth are lines
of ______________
Down
1. another word for a map key
2. halves of the Earth
3. a round map of the world
4. a type of map that shows highways, cities and
towns
5. the line at 0 degrees longitude
6. imaginary horizontal lines on the Earth are lines
of ______________
8. the physical features on the Earth’s surface
Labeling the World
Vol. 3 Issue 2
WORD LIST
latitude
longitude
globe
prime meridian
equator
map key
road map
topography
Eastern Hemisphere
legend
hemispheres
International
Date Line
Southern Hemisphere
Second Quarter
World Geography
• Maps and Globes
• Hemispheres
• Make a Globe
Last week we took a trip across the United States and discovered some pretty cool lakes, rivers and mountains. This week you
are going to learn about some more amazing things. Pack your bags again. We’re off on a worldwide adventure!
Different Kinds of Maps
The first thing you need when you go on a long trip is a
map. The question is, what kind of a map do you need? There
are lots of different kinds of maps.
Answer the following questions about the figures on the right.
Week 9
THIS WEEK
World
Geography
Topographic
Maps
_____________________________________
A road map comes in handy when you
are driving to your destination.
It shows you where the main
highways and roads are located. It
also shows you where to find cities
and towns.
Topography is a
word that means “the
physical things on the
Earth’s surface.” These
maps show physical
features like oceans
and mountain ranges.
They can also show us how high a mountain is or how deep
the ocean is. The height of a place is called the elevation. It is
measured in feet above or below sea (ocean) level.
_____________________________________
Globes vs. Flat Maps
Other Maps
1. Find the equator on the first map. Trace the equator with a
colored pencil or marker.
Road Map
2. Write all the names of the parts of continents that are found
in each hemisphere.
Northern
Southern
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Eastern
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Western
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Northern Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
3. The United States is located in which hemispheres?
_____________________________________
Did you know that a globe is a kind of map? Actually,
it’s the best map for seeing the real size and shape of the
continents. A globe is round, and so is the Earth, sort of. That’s
why a globe is the most accurate map of the Earth. But a
globe is really hard to fit into your
back pocket or the glove box in
your car. That’s why we have
flat maps. Since they are flat,
they distort (change) the size
and shape of the continents,
especially near the North and
South poles. The closer you get
to the poles, the more distortion
you see. Compare a globe and a
world map in your classroom. What
differences do you see?
There are lots of other kinds of maps, too. Product maps
show where things are made or grown. Maps that show where
people live are called population maps. These types of maps
are called thematic maps because they give us information
about one particular thing, or theme.
A map key is your guide to
reading the map. Another word for
the map key is legend. Be sure to
check the key to find out what the
symbols and colors stand for on a
map.
4. Put an X on the spot where the South Pole is located. On
which map did you draw the X?
_____________________________________
Here’s an easy assignment.
This week you can write a story
about anything you want. The
only requirement is that you have
to include one thing about world
geography in your story—a map or
globe, the North and South poles,
latitude, longitude or anything else you learned
in Democracy Studies Weekly this week. Write a
creative, fun story to share with your class.
GPS is Getting Around!
Global Positioning Systems, also called
GPS, are really getting around! These devices
can tell you exactly where you are on Earth.
They use a network of 24 satellites that orbit
the Earth 12,500 feet above the planet. These
satellites work together by using a grid system
to locate places where you want to go. GPS
have even been used to find missing hikers.
These amazing tools have gotten smaller and
smaller since the time they were invented.
At first they were very large, but now you
can find them in watches, bracelets and cell
phones. The newest place to find a GPS is in
your shoes! Many different kinds of shoes are
now being equipped with a small GPS device.
Some military boots are also getting them.
That means if someone is missing, all you
have to do is call a number and the system can
find the missing person (as long as they have
their shoes on). This would be great for hikers,
mountain climbers or members of the military
in dangerous places. Where will these little
devices show up next? Anywhere they are
needed to help people keep from getting lost!
Now that you know a little bit
about maps, it’s time to take that
around-the-world trip. Turn the
page and let the journey begin!
Week 9 of 28 • Page 2
Week 9 of 28 • Page 3
Where in the
World Are You?
You find out your
cousin is really
Map makers divide our planet into halves called
sick and you need
hemispheres. Why? Sometimes we need to know exactly
to go see her right
where on Earth we are talking about. Knowing the
away. How could
hemispheres helps us do that. Imagine drawing a line across
a helicopter ever
the middle of the Earth so you have a top and a bottom (like
find you to take you
when you cut an orange in half). The top half is called the
off the ship? That’s
Northern Hemisphere, and the bottom half is the Southern
Hemisphere. The line through the middle is called the equator. where latitude and
Of course, there isn’t a real line through the Earth, but in a lot longitude lines come
in. To keep track
of places they put up a sign that says, “The equator is here.”
of things on Earth,
Next, imagine drawing a line through the middle of the
Earth from the top to the bottom. Now you have the Eastern map makers have
drawn horizontal
Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere.
lines called lines of
latitude and vertical
Latitude and Longitude
lines called lines
Pretend for a minute that you are in the middle of the
The map above shows the International
of
longitude.
The
Date Line. Can you see where it turns to
Pacific Ocean. You’re on a ship far away from any land.
latitude lines start in go around Kiribati?
small circles near the
Eastern
Hemisphere
poles and gradually
Northern
get bigger as they get near the middle. The equator is the
Hemisphere
longest line of latitude.
Western
Hemisphere
Map makers use degrees to describe the location of lines
of latitude and longitude. The equator is the line of latitude
at 0 degrees. The equator runs east to west through South
America, Africa and the Indian Ocean. The prime meridian
Northern
Southern
Hemisphere
is the line of longitude at 0 degrees. The prime meridian runs
Hemisphere
north and south through Europe, Africa and Antarctica. All
of the longitude lines criss-cross at the poles.
If you want to know exactly where a place is, you can use
Southern
latitude and longitude. For example, look at the map on Page
Hemisphere
3. You will see a big red dot on Texas.
Equator
What numbers are on the lines of latitude and longitude
that cross near the red dot? ______ (latitude) ______
(longitude)
Hemispheres
Trustworthiness
D
o you know what it means to be
trustworthy?
It’s simple, really. Being trustworthy
means people can trust you!
It means that if someone gives you a
job to do, you do it. If someone tells you a
secret, you keep it. If you say you’re going
to do something for someone, you follow
through.
It’s easy to see that, when people are
trustworthy, there are good feelings,
understanding and peace.
On the other hand, when people are not
trustworthy, there are angry feelings,
confusion and suspicion.
Being trustworthy is important, but it’s just
one step on the road to being a great person.
© Democracy Studies Weekly • Toll free phone (800) 361-0502 • For pricing information go to www.studiesweekly.com • For ordering information or questions e-mail [email protected] • For editorial comments and feedback e-mail
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Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
Latitude Prime Meridian
International Date Line
The International Date Line is the line of longitude on
the opposite side of the Earth from the prime meridian.
Why did it get that name? There are 24 different time
zones around the world, so there has to be a place where
one day stops and another one begins. The problem is, if
you draw a straight line from one pole to another, there
Equator
Longitude
Intersection
will be a place where it’s Monday on one side of the
street and Tuesday on the other side of the street. That
just won’t work! In fact, that very thing happened in a
country called Kiribati. It was so confusing that they
moved the line to make it go around their country. That’s
one of the reasons the International Date Line wiggles
and squiggles from one pole to another.
Make Your Own Globe
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
one large blue balloon
construction paper
glue
black string
one black permanent marker
(fine point)
• scissors
Instructions
1. Blow up the blue balloon. This
will be the globe.
2. Look at a map or the globe
in your room. Then draw each
of the seven continents on the
construction paper and cut
them out.
3. Use the marker to write
the name of each continent on
the continent piece. Glue the
continents onto the balloon in the
correct places. Make the knot of the
balloon the North Pole of your globe.
4. Tie a piece of black
string around the balloon
globe horizontally where
the equator is located. Tie a second
piece of string around the balloon globe
vertically where the prime meridian is
located.
5. With your marker,
carefully label the
five oceans (Atlantic,
Pacific, Indian, Arctic
and Antarctic) on your
balloon globe.
6. Tie a third piece of string onto
the knot of your balloon globe and hang
it up to enjoy.