Geography

Welcome Vikings!  This Webquest is all about Geography!  Follow the directions closely and have fun exploring the videos, games, and activities!

Materials Needed:

Pencil

Geography Webquest Form

Computer

Headphones

A Positive Attitude

Today we are learning about Geography and how Geography is divided up.

Therefore, watch the following videos to learn about geography.

Click and watch each video listed.

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/geobee-google-2012?source=searchvideo

Read the following article and answer the questions of the Geography Webquest Form.Longitude and Latitude Article

The grid of intersecting lines on a globe enables us to identify every location on earth with a set of numbers or letters   The ancient Babylonians divided any circle or sphere into 360 degrees.  The symbol for degree is °.  Ptolemy was a Greek thinker who borrowed the Babylonians’ ideas as he wrote one of the first books on geography.  Ptolemy wrote that the furthest point at the right or left side of a circle or a sphere is 90 degrees from the top.  There are 180 degrees between any two sides of a circle or sphere.  This means that the north and south poles are 180 degrees apart from one another, and both poles are 90 degrees from the equator.  Geographers use Ptolemy’s calculations to create Lines of Latitude and Lines of Longitude. The horizontal lines that circle the globe are called Lines of Latitude.  Lines of Latitude are also known as parallels because they parallel, or run in the same direction as the equator. Lines of Latitude are imaginary lines that circle the globe from east to west.  Lines of Latitude are called parallels because the lines parallel, or run in the same direction as the equator. The equator is the imaginary line that is as far away from the North Pole as it is from the South Pole. Lines of Longitude intersect the equator at right angles but end at the North and the South Poles.  Lines of Longitude are also called meridians.  Meridian comes from a Latin word that means midday.  The sun crosses each meridian in the middle point between sunrise and sunset.In 1884, the International Meridian Conference chose to make the line at 0° longitude run through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, though they could have chosen any spot on earth. They called the line at 0° longitude the prime meridian. Meridians are counted east and west from the prime meridian. St. Louis, Missouri is 90° west of the prime meridian, so it is one-fourth of the way around the earth from the prime meridian. The International Date Line is 180°--as far away as possible--from the prime meridian. When it is noon along the prime meridian, it is midnight along the International Date Line.Geographers also divide the earth into hemispheres.  Hemi- is a prefix that means half.  Everything north of the equator is in the Northern Hemisphere while everything south of the equator is in the Southern Hemisphere. The Western Hemisphere is west of the prime meridian and the Eastern Hemisphere is east of the prime meridian.  The hemispheres both end at the International Date Line. The United States is in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. The White House in Washington, D.C. is 80 degrees west of the prime meridian and 26 degrees north of the equator, or 39°N,77°W.

Answer in complete sentences

1.  How many degrees are in a circle?

2.  What is the equator?

Answer in complete sentences

3.  What imaginary lines parallel the globe from east to west?

*4.  West Palm Beach, Florida is at 27oN,80oW.  Explain what 27oN,80oW means.

When finished watching all the videos, continue learning about Geography with BrainPop Videos.  You will need to use the username and password to access videos. 

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/geography/latitudeandlongitude/

BrainPop Videos - Watch the Videos that are listed below and then take the quiz. Record Quiz on Webquest Forms: 

Videos to Watch:

Longitude and Latitude

Map Skills

GPS

Geography Themes

Read the following article to learn more about Longitude and Latitude.  This information will help you with the games. 

Basic         Geography: The Equator and the Prime         Meridian

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/geography/equatorprimemeridian.htm

Next, click on the following link and play the following game.  Make sure you read the game directions before playing!

Game 1

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-games/latitude-longitude-map-game.php

Score:________

Game 2

Still need more practice?  Play this game!

http://www.softschools.com/social_studies/geography/map_games/latitude_and_longitude_games/

Score: _______________

Game 3

Since you have mapping down, lets go find a treasure!

http://www.abcya.com/latitude_and_longitude_practice.htm 

Record your score on your sheet: ___________

Here are some more Geography Games:  Play ONE or ALL!

http://www.abcya.com/search.htm?text=geography

Want a job in Geography now?

Read about some of the Geography Jobs:

http://geography.about.com/od/careersingeography/a/jobsgeography.htm

Top Ten Reasons to Study Geography

A Humorous List of The Top Ten Reasons to Study Geography

By Marcia Holstrom, Guest Writer President Barack Obama looks at a map donated to the White House by the National Geographic Society, in the Oval Office, June 10, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza).  White House/Pete Souza

While this list of the top ten reasons to study geography, there is a more serious article answering the question Why Study Geography? here on this website.

10. You'll know the way to San Jose.

9. History will make a lot more sense.

8. You'll actually know where those coffee beans come from!

7. One of the most admired women in history, Mother Teresa, was a geography teacher.

6. Michael Jordan was a Geography major so you can be like Mike and make millions of dollars.

5. You might get to meet Alex Trebek.

4. You won't buy an Amtrak ticket from California to Hawaii.

3. You will be able to "find your way out of a paper bag".

2. You can catch Letterman's geography mistakes.

1. "Lost"? No way!

Thanks for learning about Geography!

We will use this information in class when we are learning about People, Places, and Historical Events.

If you finished earlier, go back to any website on the Webquest and play additional games or watch other movies provided.

Have fun! 

Turn in your worksheet to the Teacher!