Latitude and Longitude Lesson Plan
AGE LEVEL
Grades 6-9
TIME ALLOWANCE
Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes
OBJECTIVES
1. Students learn how to find latitude and longitude on a map or
atlas
2. Students work in groups to create maps with the cruise route.
These maps will give students practice at plotting locations given
latitude and longitude coordinates, and at the same time provide
maps for the classroom to reference throughout the cruise.
MATERIALS
Latitude / Longitude handout
Poster board
Markers
Atlases or maps for reference
INSTRUCTION
1. 45 minutes. Lecture. Draw on the board two globes- one showing
latitude, one showing longitude. Discuss Time Zones, Hemispheres,
Prime Meridian, Equator, Arctic Circle, Antarctic Circle, Tropic
of Cancer, and Tropic of Capricorn. Students copy into notes.
2. 30 minutes. Game! Everyone gets an atlas. Divide the class into
teams. Ask each team to find the latitude or longitude of a certain
place, or provide them with coordinates and see who can find the
city at that location first.
3. 45 minutes (or homework assignment). Each student complete the
Latitude / Longitude worksheet (attached).
4. 45 minutes. Student groups (4 per group) use an atlas and poster
board to draw a map of the world. They must plot each cruise waypoint
referenced in the Cruise Plan (excerpt attached). Save these maps
so that additional information can be plotted on each one later
on (temperatures, notes from teacher while at sea, surface currents,
etc.)
EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT
Game! (see above)
Homework assignment (attached).
Cruise route maps
EXTRA CREDIT
What is the significance of 23.5 degrees latitude (north and south)?
WORKSHEET
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
Using your atlas, find the latitude and longitude of each of the
following cities.
| CITY |
COUNTRY/STATE |
LONGITUDE |
LATITUDE |
|
New York
|
New York
|
|
|
|
Philadelphia
|
Pennsylvania
|
|
|
|
Chicago
|
Illinois
|
|
|
|
San Francisco
|
California
|
|
|
|
Boston
|
Massachusetts
|
|
|
|
London
|
England
|
|
|
|
Paris
|
France
|
|
|
|
Berlin
|
Germany
|
|
|
|
Rome
|
Italy
|
|
|
|
Tokyo
|
Japan
|
|
|
|
Rio de Janeiro
|
Brazil
|
|
|
|
Anchorage
|
Alaska
|
|
|
|
Bombay
|
India
|
|
|
|
Perth
|
Australia
|
|
|
QUESTIONS:
1. Which of the cities is farthest north?
2. Which of the cities is farthest south?
3. Which of the cities is farthest east?
4. Which of the cities is farthest west?
5. How many miles are there in each degree of latitude?
6. What distance is represented by one minute of latitude
(60 minutes for each degree)?
5. What distance is represented by one second of latitude
(60 seconds for each minute)?
6. By using your answer to question 5, determine the
circumference of the
earth.
Give the name of the largest city in the vicinity
of the following latitudes and longitudes. Also give the name of
the country in which each of the cities are located:
|
LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
|
CITY
|
COUNTRY
|
|
50N 123W
|
|
|
|
34N 118W
|
|
|
|
26N 80W
|
|
|
|
19N 96 W
|
|
|
|
1S 48W
|
|
|
|
26 S 58W
|
|
|
|
37S 175E
|
|
|
|
38N 128E
|
|
|
|
17N 3W
|
|
|
|
30N 32E
|
|
|
|
40N 33W
|
|
|
|
51N 4E
|
|
|
Find the missing component of information:
|
Place
|
Latitude
|
Longitude
|
|
Vancouver, Canada
|
|
|
|
|
40N
|
75W
|
|
|
52N
|
0
|
|
Rome, Italy
|
|
|
|
Bombay, India
|
|
|
|
Cape Town, South Africa
|
|
|
|
|
38N
|
151E
|
|
|
62N
|
150W
|
|
Moscow, Russia
|
|
|
(excerpt from the EPIC 2001 Operation Plan, dated
7/15/01)
2.3 Cruise Way Points:
LEG 1
| Way Point |
Lat. |
Long. |
Naut. Miles |
Ave. Sp |
Hrs |
Arr Dep Date |
Date |
Comments |
|
1
|
32.7 N
|
117.2 W
|
-
|
0 .0
|
-
|
9/3
|
9/6
|
San Diego
|
|
2
|
20.0 N
|
110.0 W
|
862
|
13.0
|
66.0
|
9/8
|
9/8
|
-
|
|
3
|
12.0 N
|
95.0 W
|
1005
|
13.0
|
77.0
|
9/11
|
-
|
-
|
|
4
|
12.0 N
|
95.0 W
|
-
|
0. 0
|
7.0
|
-
|
9/11
|
Repair buoy
|
|
5
|
10.0 N
|
95.0 W
|
120
|
13.0
|
9.0
|
9/12
|
9/12
|
-
|
|
6
|
8.0 N
|
95.0 W
|
120
|
13.0
|
9.0
|
9/12
|
-
|
-
|
|
7
|
8.0 N
|
95.0 W
|
-
|
0.0
|
7.0
|
-
|
9/13
|
Repair Buoy
|
|
8
|
10.0 N
|
95.0 W
|
120
|
13.0
|
9.0
|
9/13
|
-
|
Repair Buoy
|
|
9
|
10.0 N
|
95.0 W
|
-
|
0.0
|
480.0
|
-
|
10/3
|
ITCZ ops
|
|
10
|
0.0 N
|
95.0 W
|
600
|
9.8
|
61.0
|
10/5
|
10/5
|
CTD section
|
|
11
|
0.5 S
|
91.5 W
|
212
|
13.0
|
16.0
|
10/6
|
10/9
|
Galapagos Is.
|
LEG 2
| Way Point |
Lat. |
Long. |
Naut. Miles |
Ave. Sp |
Hrs |
Arr Dep Date |
Date |
Comments |
|
1
|
0.5 S
|
91.5 W
|
-
|
-
|
70.0
|
10/6
|
10/9
|
Galapagos Is.
|
|
2
|
2.0 S
|
95.0 W
|
228
|
13.0
|
18.0
|
10/10
|
10/10
|
-
|
|
3
|
8.0 S
|
95.0 W
|
360
|
9.8
|
37.0
|
10/11
|
10/11
|
CTD section
|
|
4
|
20.0 S
|
85.0 W
|
932
|
9.8
|
95.0
|
10/15
|
-
|
CTD section
|
|
5
|
20.0 S
|
85.0 W
|
-
|
0.0
|
144.0
|
10/21
|
-
|
IMET mooring
|
|
6
|
20.0 S
|
72.0 W
|
756
|
9.8
|
77.0
|
10/24
|
10/24
|
CTD section
|
|
7
|
20.5 S
|
70.3 W
|
102
|
13.0
|
8.0
|
10/25
|
-
|
Arica, Chile
|
Note for educators: Although Jennifer and Jane's reseearch cruise ended, the EPIC research continues. Please use this web site, Jennifer and Jane's lesson plans, daily logs, the videos, and the photos to educate your students about climate, El Niño, and scientific research in general. Consider this web site, as well as the TAO web site, a resource for teaching your students. Many organizations and countries are involved in funding the EPIC Experiment. Primary U. S. funding is provided by The National Science Foundation and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This website is maintained and frequently updated by
NOAA's Office of Global Programs
ogpwebmaster@noaa.gov.
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