TITLE:  PLOTTING A HURRICANE USING LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE

AUTHOR:  Kathy Mendoza, Redemptorist High School, LA

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:  9 - 12

OVERVIEW:  It is important for students to be able to read
maps and understand the purpose of maps.  Map skills support
instruction in geography by helping students understand the
role played by location.

PURPOSE:  This map skills lesson is to be used in the early
part of the school year.  It is designed to help students
learn how to use the grid system to locate areas on a map
and to help students understand that geography puts emphasis
on "place."

OBJECTIVES:  Students will be able to:
  1.  Define "absolute location."
  2.  Define latitude and longitude.
  3.  Use the grid system.
  4.  Locate on a map or globe the Earth's poles,
      circles, tropics, and beginning points of
      measurements for latitude and longitude.
  5.  Use Cardinal and intermediate directions as well as
      latitude and longitude to locate places on a map.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
Atlas, map and worksheet handouts, colored pencils

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:  Have students practice using
latitude and longitude.
1.   Discuss in class and have students write in their
     notebooks the meaning of the following terms:

absolute location  intermediate directions  parallels
Antarctic Circle  International Date Line  Prime Meridian
Arctic Circle    relative location    latitude
Cardinal directions  location        scale
Equator      longitude        South Pole
grid        meridian        hemisphere
Tropic of Cancer  Tropic of Capricorn    North Pole

2.   On a world map handout have students label global
     reference points such as the Equator, Prime Meridian,
     the Cardinal directions, the North and South Poles.
3.   Have students construct a page-size grid system in
     their notebooks using ten degree intervals and locate
     coordinates written on the blackboard.
4.   Using an atlas and maps and worksheets from geography
     workbooks or worksheets constructed by the teacher
     students will:
     a.  practice locating places on a map using latitude
         and longitude
     b.  list the latitude and longitude of various
         locations on a map

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:  Plot a tropical storm or hurricane
using the latest coordinates from the morning newspaper and
news reports.  Students will have their own personal
hurricane map.  If there is more than one storm or hurricane
to plot use different color pencils for each one.  If there
is no storm to plot, make one up.