1. Spatial Sense Maps, globes, & geographic tools
Spatial Sense Unit
Core Knowledge
World Geography
Spatial Sense
Grade Level 6
4 Lessons
Core Knowledge Level 6

2. Today’s Objectives Identify the 7 continents.
Name the major oceans of Earth.
Read maps and globes using latitude and longitude, coordinates, and degrees.
Lesson 1
Students take notes.
Materials needed:
Wipe board per student
Dry erase marker per student
“The Whole Wide World” worksheet per student
“Understanding Latitude” worksheet per student
“Understanding Longitude” worksheet per student
“Latitude and Longitude” worksheet per student

3. The 7 Continents Europe Asia North America Africa South America
Have the students perform a quick quiz review of the 7 continents. On wipe boards, have students number 1 – 7 and label each number with the correct name of its corresponding continent. Check for identification and spelling accuracy.
South America
Australia
Antarctica

4. Major Oceans 3 2 6
Have the students perform a quick quiz review of the major oceans of Earth. On wipe boards, have students number 1 – 7 and label each number with the correct name of its corresponding ocean. Check for identification and spelling accuracy. 1 4 5 7

5. Maps & Globes Have you ever compared a globe and a flat map?
Did you notice the differences in size of land masses?
Size distortions occur when mapmakers represent our round earth on a flat surface.
Think of an orange…
After asking and discussing the first 2 questions, tell students to look at how much larger Greenland appears on a flat map than on a globe.
Ask students to picture an orange. If you could remove the entire peel from an orange in one piece, what would happen if you tried to flatten it? It would crack and split.
Now think about it a different way. Try and take a large sheet of paper and wrap it around the globe, touching the globe at all points along the equator. What do you notice? The paper forms a cylinder, and the tube does not touch the globe at all at the poles.

6. Reading a Map
We use maps to help us locate places and to measure distances.
The 4 cardinal directions on a map are: North, South, East, and West.
Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest are called intermediate directions.
A compass rose is a representation of these directions on a map or globe.

7. Reading a Map How do you locate a spot on Earth’s surface?
Where is St. George, UT exactly?
Maps divide Earth’s surface into a grid system of lines called coordinates.
These coordinates measure distance in degrees of latitude and longitude.
Grids are helpful when locating places.
This system is very important at helping to find places on maps and globes.
Distribute the worksheet called “The Whole Wide World.” Have students complete this together as a class. Check for understanding together as a class before continuing.

8. Latitude
Parallels are imaginary lines running east/west on maps and globes; measure degrees of latitude north and south of the equator.
The equator is at 0° latitude.
The North Pole is at 90° north latitude.
The South Pole is at 90° south latitude.
Since parallels measure distance in both directions from the equator, they must always be clearly marked as being either north (N) or south (S). Only the equator can be indicated simply by its 0 (degree) latitude location.
Distribute the worksheet called “Understanding Latitude.” Have students complete this in pairs. Check for understanding together as a class before continuing the lesson.

9. Longitude
Meridians are imaginary lines running north/south on maps and globes; measure degrees of longitude east and west of the prime meridian.
The prime meridian is at 0° longitude.
The prime meridian runs through Greenwich, England (near London).
All meridians, except 0 (degree) longitude and 180 (degree) longitude, must be indicated by their degrees of east (E) or west (W).
Distribute the worksheet called “Understanding Longitude.” Have students complete this independently. Check for understanding together as a class before continuing.
HOMEWORK: “Latitude and Longitude” worksheet.
This is the END of Lesson 1.

10. Today’s Objectives
Understand that coordinates tell more than just location.
Investigate the relationship between latitudinal lines and climate.
Lesson 2
Before beginning today’s lesson have students review contents from lesson 1 by playing a game in pairs of students. This game is called “Message in a Bottle.” Model how to play. Give the students 10 – 15 minutes to play before moving into lesson 2.
Students take notes.
Materials needed:
“Message in a Bottle” game board copy per pair of students
Longitude and latitude cards cut apart and separated into envelopes
20 Castaway Markers (i.e. pennies)
“World Continents” map per student

11. What coordinates tell us…
How far a place is from the equator effects the climate of the area.
How far a place is from the prime meridian tells us the time zone the place is in.

12. Climate Zones
There are 3 basic climate zones… 1. Tropic – low latitude climate 2. Temperate – mid latitude climate 3. Arctic – high latitude climate; aka polar

13. Video 1
Have students take video notes.

14. Video 2
Have students take video notes.

15. Climate Zones
As a class have students label, highlight, and color-code the “World Continents” map. Display under the document camera.
This is the END of Lesson 2.

16. Today’s Objectives
Explore the relationship between longitudinal lines and time zones.
Examine the relationship between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the seasons and temperature.
Lesson 3
Students will take notes.
Materials needed:
“What Time Is It?” worksheet per student

17. Time Zones
The Earth is divided into 24 time zones, corresponding with 24 hours in a day.
As the earth rotates, the sun shines in different areas, moving from east to west (generally speaking) during the course of a day.
Places that have relatively the same longitude will be in the same time zone.

18. Point to the International Date Line
Point to the International Date Line. The International Date Line is located at 180 degrees (longitude). Explain to the students that this imaginary line yesterday becomes today and today becomes tomorrow. At any given time, we have two dates happening. Yes, we do! Think about it. When it's 12:01 a.m., November 1st, in Chicago, what is the date in New York? It's also November 1st. But what is the date in San Francisco? It's still October 31st, and will be for almost two hours. See? Different places, different dates.
So, we need some way to divide the Earth into two dates. One way is obvious: to the west of midnight it's one date, and to the east of midnight it's the next date. But we still need another dividing line, because it's only midnight at one meridian at a time. We have a line running from one pole to the other, dividing the globe between pre- and post-midnight. But we need another line connecting the poles, to clearly divide the Earth into two dates. That line has been arbitrarily set at the 180 degree meridian, zero degrees being also arbitrarily set at Greenwich, England.
Distribute the worksheet called “What Time Is It?” to each student. Read aloud to the class the 3 paragraphs on this page. Have students highlight key terms and phrases before answering the questions independently. Continue to the next slide before grading the worksheet as a class.

19. Check for student understanding on each question of the worksheet.
This is the END of lesson 3.

20. Today’s Objectives
Understand the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn relate to the changing seasons and temperature.
Explore the Arctic and Antarctic Circles as imaginary lines and boundaries of the polar climates.
Lesson 4
Students will take notes.
Materials needed:
“North America” worksheet per student
Study Guide ½ sheet per student
Spatial Sense Test and Test Map per student

21. Tropics of Cancer & Capricorn
Areas between are known as “The Tropics”
Where the imaginary lines lie are where the tropical climate ends and the temperate climate begins.
Each lie at 23.5 degrees latitude.
The Tropic of Cancer is located at 23.5° North of the equator.
The Tropic of Capricorn lies at 23.5° South of the equator.
The Tropic of Cancer runs through Mexico, the Bahamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and southern China.
The Tropic of Capricorn runs through Australia, Chile, and southern Brazil.

22. Tropics of Cancer & Capricorn
The tropics are where the sun is directly overhead at noon on the two solstices - near June and December 21.
The reason for the location of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5° north and south respectively is due to the axial tilt of the Earth.
These areas do not experience seasons because the sun is always high in the sky.
The sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Cancer on June 21 (the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere) and the sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Capricorn on December 21 (the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere).
The Earth is titled 23.5 degrees from the plane of the Earth's revolution around the sun each year.
Only higher latitudes, north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn, experience significant seasonal variation in climate.

23. Tropic of Cancer
The sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Cancer on June 21 (the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere) and the sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Capricorn on December 21 (the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere).
The Earth is titled 23.5 degrees from the plane of the Earth's revolution around the sun each year.
Only higher latitudes, north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn, experience significant seasonal variation in climate.

24. Tropic of Cancer
The sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Cancer on June 21 (the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere) and the sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Capricorn on December 21 (the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere).
The Earth is titled 23.5 degrees from the plane of the Earth's revolution around the sun each year.
Only higher latitudes, north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn, experience significant seasonal variation in climate.

25. Tropic of Capricorn
The sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Cancer on June 21 (the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere) and the sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Capricorn on December 21 (the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere).
The Earth is titled 23.5 degrees from the plane of the Earth's revolution around the sun each year.
Only higher latitudes, north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn, experience significant seasonal variation in climate.

26. Tropic of Capricorn
The sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Cancer on June 21 (the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere) and the sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Capricorn on December 21 (the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere).
The Earth is titled 23.5 degrees from the plane of the Earth's revolution around the sun each year.
Only higher latitudes, north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn, experience significant seasonal variation in climate.

27. Arctic and Antarctic Circles
The Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle, situated at latitudes 66.5 degrees north and south of the Equator, form the limits of what are known as the Polar Regions.
As a review, have students label the parts of the “North America” worksheet.
Give a half sheet copy of the “Study Guide – Geography” page to each student to study as homework. Review together. TEST tomorrow!
This is the END of lesson 4.