"Longitude and Latitude on the Ceiling" Greg
English Oak Park Middle School
"Needing a large visual
for teaching longitude and latitude I sat in my classroom
staring at the ceiling hoping an idea would come to me - and it did in
the form of the metal grids holding up the ceiling tiles" First: After counting off the number
of grids I had in my room, I went to our school board's media center and
produce small 5" x 9" placards labeled "0 degrees", "10 degrees", "20 degrees",
and so on. I made enough in my case to measure my room from 0-170 degrees
longitude and from 20 degrees south to 90 degrees North. I also taped to
the ceiling grids black arrows labeled N, S, E, and W. (see photos)
Second:
I then labeled index cards with various coordinates to match what I had
in my new grid such as 30N-90W, 10N-120W, 80N-20W. Towards the end of a
class period of teaching longitude and latitude on paper, I divided the
class into teams and gave each member a coordinate. The entire team had
to be in the right places for them to get an extra credit point. They could
help each other just as long as when "TIME" was called, everyone was 'in
their place'.
Third: Later activities will have
teams plot the path of a storm, then when TIME is called,
link hands and show the path of the storm. Another activity has students
plotting on paper where a random group of students are sitting. Using my
new grid gives me all types of possibilities for interactive "plotting".
staring at the ceiling hoping an idea would come to me - and it did in
the form of the metal grids holding up the ceiling tiles"
Second:
I then labeled index cards with various coordinates to match what I had
in my new grid such as 30N-90W, 10N-120W, 80N-20W. Towards the end of a
class period of teaching longitude and latitude on paper, I divided the
class into teams and gave each member a coordinate. The entire team had
to be in the right places for them to get an extra credit point. They could
help each other just as long as when "TIME" was called, everyone was 'in
their place'.
called,
link hands and show the path of the storm. Another activity has students
plotting on paper where a random group of students are sitting. Using my
new grid gives me all types of possibilities for interactive "plotting".
