SAMPLE GEOGRAPHY LESSON: MAKULUS JOURNEY

Overview This lesson is one in a series designed to integrate the Reach the World program into a middle school level Earth Science Curriculum. Reach The World is an educational journey; the crew of two small sailboats the Makulu and Aldebaran are circumnavigating the Earth and sharing the experience with under-resourced classrooms via the internet. More information is available on the Reach the World website: www.reachtheworld.org. Objectives Students will be able to plot the latitude & longitude of each location visited by the travelers. Students will be able to calculate the distance traveled and rate of travel between locations. Students will be able to identify geographic features such as the oceans & continents. Standards NYS Intermediate Level Science 1.1f: The latitude/longitude coordinate system and our system of time are based on celestial observations. Materials: (assuming 8 groups of 3-4 students) 8 world maps, showing latitude & longitude 8 student atlases 8 rulers worksheets Motivation Students will have met one or more members of the Makulu or Aldebaren crew, thus the exercise in latitude & longitude will be more real to them.

Procedure 1. The teacher briefly reviews basic concepts of latitude & longitude with the students. The teacher reminds students about the visit by crew members from the Makulu or Aldebaren, and introduces the activity: plotting the journey of the Makulu so far. 2. The students form groups of 3-4, and the teacher distributes materials to each group. 3. The whole class plots the first 1-3 locations together, with guidance from the teacher, in order to review the process. 4. The students work in groups, with teacher help & supervision, to plot the remaining locations which the travelers have visited. 5. Each group uses their atlas to identify and label important features of world geography, and to name each location on the travelers journey. 6. The students answer a number of questions about the journey, including problems asking them to calculate the distance traveled between two locations, and the approximate speed of the boats. 7. The teacher goes over a few of the questions with the whole class as a wrap-up activity. 8. Each group turns in its work and then returns materials to the teacher. Assessment 1. The teacher grades each groups work, taking into account both the accuracy of work and the group dynamics. 2. Each student completes a homework assignment providing additional practice plotting points and finding the names of locations. The teacher grades the homework assignments. 3. The teacher might set up a bulletin board with a large world map and use it to plot the journey of the boats. As the travelers reach new destinations, the teacher can review and strengthen mapping skills with the whole class or individual students.

SAMPLE GEOGRAPHY WORKSHEET

Name:______________________________ Date: ________________ Class:_____

The travelers have already journeyed thousands of miles and have visited many interesting places. You & your group will use your knowledge of latitude and longitude to make a map showing the places that the travelers have visited so far. Where has the Makulu journeyed? Date December 5, 2001 December 21, 2001 December 29, 2001 January 17, 2002 February 1, 2002 February 14, 2002 February 28, 2002 March 7, 2002 April 24, 2002 May 22, 2002 June 26, 2002 July 4, 2002 Latitude 1910.1'N 1757.9'N 1824.0'N 1209.2'N 0900.0'N 0920.5'N 0024.5'N 0044.8'S 0948.2'S 1732.4'S 1903.2'S 2108.3'S Longitude 6916.4'W 6637.1'W 6438.1'W 6816.7'W 7745.7'W 7954.8'W 8816.5'W 9018.4'W 13901.9'W 14934.3'W 16955.4'W 17511.0'W

Reminder! Always double-check whether the latitude is North or South of the Equator, and whether the longitude is East or West of the Prime Meridian. 1. Find each location that the Makulu visited on your map. Mark each place with a dot. 2. Connect the dots in order, starting with the first place the Makulu visited. 3. Label the continents on your map: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica. Use your atlas to help you. 4. Label these three oceans on your map: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. Use your atlas to help you.

5. Use your atlas to find the name of each place that the Makulu have visited. You should find the names of islands or countries, not cities. Label each place on your map. Journey of the Makulu Use your map & atlas to answer each of the questions below. Please answer in complete sentences. 1. Which oceans have the travelers sailed on?

2.

Did the travelers sail in the eastern or the western part of the Atlantic Ocean?

3.

Has the boat traveled mostly north, or mostly south?

4.

When did the boat cross the Equator? (Between what two dates?)

5.

How many degrees west have the travelers journeyed?

6.

How many degrees south have the travelers journeyed?

7. Use the scale in your atlas for this question. How many kilometers did the boat travel between March 7 and April 24?

8. What was the average speed of the boat between March 7 and April 24? (Hint: Find the distance they traveled, & the number of hours they traveled.)

9. How many kilometers did the boat cover during the month of February?

10. What was the average speed of the boat during February?