How many NYLAs from Kalamazoo to Timbuktu?
Today, we are going to make up a measure of distance. We will call it a NYLA.
A NYLA is the distance from New York (NY) to Los Angeles (LA) – about 2500
miles.
 New York is the largest city on the east coast of the United States.
 Los Angeles is the largest city of the west coast of the United States.
 To go from New York to Los Angeles, you have to go all the way across the
United States. (That’s almost exactly one-tenth of the way all the way
around the entire world.)
How long will this trip take?



In a fast airplane, a NYLA takes about 5 hours. That’s a long time to sit!
In a car, a NYLA takes two whole days and nights, with only a few short
stops for gas.
If you drive only during daytime, it will take almost 4 days to go one NYLA.
Here is a NYLA for a 12-inch globe (a typical size for a classroom use).
1. Cut a piece of string or ribbon (or just a strip of paper) about 20
(If you have a
different globe,
ask your
teacher how
long to make
each NYLA.)
inches long.
(That’s almost twice as long as this whole sheet of paper.)
2. Hold one end of the string on the LA end of the NYLA. Stretch it out along the
NYLA. Put a mark on the string where it crosses the NY end of the NYLA.
3. Then put the mark on the LA end of the NYLA, stretch the string along the
NYLA, and put a mark at the NY end.
4. Repeat step 3 three more times. You now have a string that is 5 NYLAs long.
You can use that string to measure distances of a globe.
What is the distance from New York to Los Angeles? 1 NYLA.
(Duh! That’s the definition )
How many NYLAs from Kalamazoo to Timbuktu?
Here are a few distances between important cities.





Los Angeles to Hawaii = 1 NYLA
Los Angeles to Fairbanks, Alaska = 1 NYLA
New York to Moscow = 2 NYLAs
New York to Rio de Janeiro = 2 NYLAs
New York to Shanghai, China = 3 NYLAs

New York to Sydney, Australia = 4 NYLAs
Use your NYLA
string to measure
these distances on
a globe to check
your technique.
5. Now it’s your turn. Measure the distance between these places:
(Remember to use the words “more than” if you need to)

Hawaii to Shanghai, China = ____________ NYLAs

New Orleans to London, England = ____________ NYLAs

Capetown (southern tip of Africa) to Mumbai (west coast of India) = ______
NYLAs

_______________ to _______________ = ____________ NYLAs

_______________ to _______________ = ____________ NYLAs

How many NYLAs to go all the way around earth? ___________ NYLAS
Teacher’s Guide:
How many NYLAs from Kalamazoo to Timbuktu
Overview: measuring distance is a basic geographical skill,
because distance in a key influence on human activity in a place.
Measuring distance is also an essential step in math readiness.
The human brain processes the concept of distance in exactly
the same place it later uses for mathematical analysis.
Grade: 1-2
Related Discipline: Math
CC Standard: 5.OA-3
Time: occasional short times
Preparation:
Find a 12-inch globe for every group of students. If possible, use a permanent marker
to mark 15-20 important cities with distinctive symbols and their initials – suggested cities include
your home town, New York, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Fairbanks, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Paris,
Rome, Moscow, Tokyo, Shanghai or Hong Kong, Mumbai (Bombay) or Kolkata (Calcutta), Sydney,
Capetown – and Timbuktu. This lesson is not about memorizing the locations of cities, nor is it about
finding important cities amid the clutter on a typical classroom globe, but incidental learning of the
locations of important cities is a worthwhile byproduct. So make finding them as easy as possible!
Cut 19-inch pieces of ribbon or string, one for each globe plus some spares for demo.
CAUTION: You need to make NYLAs and strings to fit your globes if they are not the standard 12
inches in diameter (37.7 inches around). A 16-inch globe has a circumference of 50 inches and a
NYLA of 5 inches. A 9-inch globe has a circumference of 28.3 inches and a NYLA of 2.8 inches.
For globes of other sizes, measure the circumference and make the NYLA one tenth as long.
Setup:
Tell students that we are going to learn how to measure distances on a globe. We will use a
special unit of measurement, called the NYLA. A NYLA is the distance from New York (NY) to Los
Angeles (LA), about 2500 miles, or one-tenth of the distance all the way around the earth.
NYLAs are easier to use than miles or kilometers on a globe, because the numbers are smaller. They
can therefore be counted, which is an important step in making a mental link between concrete length
and abstract number. This activity is therefore a way to teach some geography while reinforcing math.
Procedure:
The worksheet is self-explanatory, but teachers should think of several ways to diagnose
class readiness and provide assistance in finding places and making measurements.
Answers:
Hawai’i to Shanghai, 2 NYLAs
Capetown to Mumbai, 3 NYLAs
New Orleans to Paris, 2 NYLAs
Going all the way around the earth, 10 NYLAs
Debrief:
Later, we will learn how to measure distance with rulers, which are more accurate but a little
harder to use, especially on a globe.
Vocabulary:
distance measurement
unit length continent city
circumference?
Extension:
Measure distance on a flat map (e.g., of the local community or home state) with a ruler.
Students in one of our classes in Harlem “invented” another unit of measurement called a “scholar.” It
is equal to one child with arms outstretched. Students had a good time measuring rooms in the school,
lining up with arms outstretched and fingers touching in order to compare their classroom with the
lavatory, science room, cafeteria, hallway, and so forth. Linking those measurements with ruler
measurements on a map of the school was an “Aha” moment for many students (it helps to draw a
“scholar” to scale on the school map). This was part of a long series of short activities about making
maps of their classroom, school, playground, etc. See the *“Representing our Earth” packet on the
CD.
* Teaching Geography, 3rd edition, New York: Guilford Press, 2014, Phil Gersmehl