Grade Level: 1-2
Expedition 25◦ N
Post-Lesson
Grade 1: SS.1.G.1.2; SS.1.G.1.3; SS.1.G.1.4;
SS.1.G.1.5; SS.1.G.1.6
Grade 2: SS.2.G.1.1; SS.2.G.1.2; SS.2.G.1.3;
SC.2.E.7.1; SC.2.E.7.2; SC.2.N.1.5
Time Allotment
45 minutes
Materials
Globe
A few maps that depict different themes (i.e.
population vs. topography)
Vocabulary
Compass Rose: Image on the map
that shows the cardinal directions: North,
South, East, West
Legend: A key that shows what signs or
images on a map represent
Equator: An imaginary line that runs
across the middle of the Earth, dividing
the globe into a Northern and Southern
Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere: The area of the
globe north of the equator
Southern Hemisphere: The area of the
globe south of the equator
Tropic of Cancer: An imaginary line
that runs across the globe in the northern
hemisphere that represents the highest
point of the earth that the sun will directly
shine on during the year
Tropic of Capricorn: An imaginary line
that runs across the globe in the southern
hemisphere that represents the lowest
point of the earth that the sun will directly
shine on during the year
Prime Meridian: Imaginary line that
runs down the middle of the Earth
through Greenwich, England, dividing the
globe into an Eastern and Western
Hemisphere
Eastern Hemisphere: The area of the
globe east of the prime meridian
Western Hemisphere: The area of the
globe west of the prime meridian
Per student:
• 1 printout of color by number map with
latitude and longitude lines
• Strip of red yarn
• Strip of yellow yarn
• Strip of green yarn
• Strip of purple yarn
• Glue stick
• 5 different colored crayons or colored
pencils
Advance Preparation
• Copies of color by number map with
•
latitude and longitude lines
Cut strips of colored yarn
Lesson Objectives
Students will be able to:
•
•
•
•
Locate the equator
Locate either the Tropic of Cancer or
Tropic of Capricorn
Create and interpret a legend
Identify general location of two habitats
learned in the aquarium program on a
map.
Sunshine State Standards
Category:
Kindergarten: SS.K.G.1.1; SS.K.G.1.2;
SS.K.G.1.3; SS.K.G.1.4; SS.K.G.3.2;
SC.K.N.1.5
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The Florida Aquarium • 2009
Grade Level: 1-2
Expedition 25◦ N
Post-Lesson
Latitude: Imaginary lines that run
east/west or side to side. Each line has a
number, starting at 0 and increasing as
you move closer to the poles. The
number is then followed by a North or
South to indicate which hemisphere it is in
Longitude: Imaginary lines that run
north/south or up and down. Each line
has a number starting with 0 and
increasing as you move away from the
Prime Meridian, which passes through
Greenwhich, England. The number is
then followed by a East or West to
indicate which Hemispere it is in
Habitat: the space in which an organism
naturally lives; all its basic needs can be
met
Tropical Rainforest: An area
characterized by warm climate, lots of
rainfall, and lots of plants and tall trees
Desert: An area distinguished by less
than 10 inches of rainfall a year
Beach: a shore of a body of water
covered by sand, gravel or large rock
Deep Sea: Area thousands of feet below
the surface of the ocean where there is
very minimal to no light.
also have a legend. The legend allows
us to easily interpret what the map is
trying to convey. The legend will provide
different colors or patterns that represent
different ideas on a map. The legend, for
example, may show that a triangle
represents a mountain range. In this
case triangles would be drawn on the
map where mountain ranges are located;
helping you to interpret the topography of
the area.
On world maps a few imaginary lines are
drawn. The one that travels across the
center is the Equator. This line divides
the Earth into two halves and makes our
determination for the Northern
Hemisphere and the Southern
Hemisphere. The area around the
equator is almost always the same
distance from the sun. Florida is located
in the Northern Hemisphere. Another
imaginary line lies north of the equator; it
is called the Tropic of Cancer. This line
represents the highest point of the Earth
the Sun will directly shine during the year.
When the sun is directly overhead, that is
also the longest day of the year for the
Northern Hemisphere. The opposite
imaginary line lies south of the equator; it
is called the Tropic of Capricorn. This
is the lowest point of the Earth that the
Sun will directly shine during the year.
Likewise, that will be the Southern
Hemisphere’s longest day of the year.
Background Information
Maps are useful tools for depicting a
variety of information in a quick, easy to
read format. Maps can show topography
of an area, population, geographical
boundaries, rainfall, etc.
Most maps have a few general rules that
all abide by. A compass rose is used to
depict direction: North, South, East, and
West. This helps us locate items on a
map in relation to one another. Maps
Ecosystem is a relative term used to
describe a specific community of living
and non-living things that interact with
one another. An ecosystem can be as big
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The Florida Aquarium • 2009
Grade Level: 1-2
Expedition 25◦ N
Post-Lesson
as a desert or as small as a puddle.
Within these ecosystems are specific
habitats. Similar habitats can be found
throughout the world. Habitats are
described based on shared climate
characteristics, vegetation or animal
species. The desert, for example, is
distinguished from other habitats by the
amount of rainfall over the course of a
year. Tropical rainforests that have the
same climate year round are usually
found near the equator. The climate
remains constant because the equator is
always the same distance from the sun.
All of the named oceans are saltwater. As
we descend down into the ocean, light
becomes minimal to non-existent. We
refer to this as the Deep Sea.
world map. Are we in the northern or
southern hemisphere?
3. Then show students the imaginary
lines above and below the equator.
Explain how these correspond to the
highest and lowest point the sun will
directly shine on the Earth during the
course of a year. The Tropic of
Cancer is in the northern hemisphere
and the Tropic of Capricorn is in the
southern hemisphere. We have
summer when the sun is closest to the
Tropic of Cancer. When do they think
the southern hemisphere has summer?
Is it the same time as our summer?
4. Show students the imaginary line that
runs north and south that divides the
earth into an eastern and western
hemisphere. Are we in the eastern or
western hemisphere?
5. Now show students a map with a
legend. Explain that there are
different kinds of maps so that various
features of the earth can be depicted
in varying degree of details. . Show
students at least two different types of
maps (i.e. topography, rainfall,
population, etc.). Show students how
to interpret the legend. Then give
them questions that are going to
require them to use the legend to
answer.
Initial Discussion
1. Start by introducing the compass rose
on a map. Explain how the compass
rose and understanding our cardinal
directions can help us locate items on
a map. Give the students an example,
Florida is East of Mississippi. Begin to
quiz students on various locations in
relation to another point of interest.
Continue with this until the students
grasp the concept of the cardinal
directions as it relates to using a map.
2. Show students a world map. Then
explain the imaginary lines of the
equator and how that divides the
globe into a northern and southern
hemisphere. Ask students what are
some differences they notice between
the two hemispheres (i.e. which has
more land mass). Find Florida on the
Hands-On Activity
1. Give students each a handout of the
world color by number map.
2. Instruct students to pick a different
color and fill in all the areas with that
same number a different color.
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The Florida Aquarium • 2009
Grade Level: 1-2
Expedition 25◦ N
Post-Lesson
3. Once they determine which color will
be which number they should fill in the
numbered rectangle in the key that
corresponds with the number on the
map.
4. Next, have the students glue down the
red yarn across the middle to
represent the equator.
5. Then take the yellow yarn and glue
down over the pre-drawn line that
represents the Tropic of Cancer.
6. Finally, glue down the green yarn over
the pre-drawn line that represents the
Tropic of Capricorn.
7. Are deserts limited to one area of the
globe? What is the main characteristic
a desert has? Does it have anything
to do with temperature and being hot?
8. Look at where the beaches are located.
What bodies of water do the beaches
provide a shoreline for? Write the
geographic location for several of the
beaches. Think about what
characteristics might be the same,
different (climate, plants, animals).
Assessment
Once the lesson is finished, review the
vocabulary with the students. Ask them
to identify a continent and locate a
rainforest, a desert, or a beach. Have
them name one ocean.
Relate Activity to Concept
1. Now look at each ecosystem one at a
time and make inferences about them
based on their location on the globe.
2. Start with the ocean. Are the oceans
separated? No, it is all connected.
There are no physical boundaries
between the named oceans.
Extension
Encourage students to follow a different
latitude line than they did in the
classroom program. What are different
ecosystems they come across? Find a
latitude where they run across the most
ecosystems; the least. What latitudes are
they?
3. Look at the areas that represent
tropical rainforests. What do you notice
about them on the map; what are they all
near? The equator. This helps the
rainforests remain at a constant
temperature. They do not have a winter
where it snows. This is because the
equator is always the same distance from
the sun.
Now try a longitude line. Are the
ecosystems you run across more varied
going through a latitude or longitude line?
4. What latitude does the Equator run
through? 0◦
6. What latitude corresponds to the
Tropic of Cancer? 23◦ N What about
the Tropic of Capricorn? 23◦ S.
As the students encounter a new habitat,
such as the arctic, challenge them to
prepare for the expedition. Remind the
students that they need to pack the
appropriate items in order to survive.
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The Florida Aquarium • 2009
Grade Level: 1-2
Expedition 25◦ N
Post-Lesson
Give each student a suitcase and packing
list worksheet. Have students cut-out the
items they need and glue inside the
suitcase. Before ending the lesson be
sure to ask students why they are
bringing such items to the arctic. Use
questions such as what is the climate like,
how would they travel there, how would
they find food, what would they use as
shelter and what kinds of animals could
they encounter? Wrap-up by reinforcing
the idea that everything has an address
using latitude and longitude. Habitats are
found across the globe and are
characterized by different or similar
factors. The animals and plants that are
found living in specific habitats are there
because they have everything they need
in order to survive.
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The Florida Aquarium • 2009