Subject Area(s): Earth Science
Associated Unit: none
Associated Lesson: none
Activity Title: Globe Balloons
Header: none
Grade Level 6 - 9
Activity Dependency: none
Time Required: 1 hr
Group Size: 6
Expendable Cost per Group US $2
Summary: Students will learn what longitude and latitude and how to use
them to indicate locations. They will also learn about important biological
features associated this certain latitudes. This activity may precede other
activities where students map features using latitude and longitudinal
coordinates.
Engineering Connection
Structural engineering requires an understanding of how places are located
on Earth. Understanding latitude and longitude and high tech equipment
used in navigation, such as the Global Positioning System, are important for
engineering projects.
Engineering Category
(1) relates science concept to engineering
Level of Inquiry
This lesson has guided questions that make students think about the uses of
latitude and longitude and abiotic and biotic patterns around the earth
associated with them. The level of inquiry can be adjusted according to
different student ability. Students will need to put together information from
several different maps to find listed features and answer questions about
phenomena at different latitudes.
Keywords
Latitude, longitude, direction, Global Positioning System, desert, rainforest
Educational Standards
 State science:
Earth Science
5f.* Students know the interaction of wind patterns, ocean currents,
and mountain ranges results in the global pattern of latitudinal bands
of rain forests and deserts.
6b. Students know the effects on climate of latitude, elevation,
topography, and proximity to large bodies of water and cold or warm
ocean currents.
6c. Students know how Earth’s climate has changed over time,
corresponding to changes in Earth’s geography, atmospheric
composition, and other factors, such as solar radiation and plate
movement.
8a. Students know the thermal structure and chemical composition of
the atmosphere.
Investigation & Experimentation
d. Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.
h. Read and interpret topographic and geologic maps.
i. Analyze the locations, sequences, or time intervals that are
characteristic of
natural phenomena (e.g., relative ages of rocks, locations of planets
over time, and succession of species in an ecosystem).
k. Recognize the cumulative nature of scientific evidence.
Pre-Requisite Knowledge
Students should be familiar with maps and globes, but do not necessarily
have to know what the latitude and longitude lines are.
Learning Objectives
After this activity, students should be able to:




Students will learn what longitude and latitude are, what they are used
for, how they appear on a map versus a globe.
how to use latitude and longitude to indicate locations.
how to write latitude and longitudinal coordinates.
some important biological features (deserts and rainforests) associated
this certain latitudes.
Materials List
Each group needs:
 Balloons (one per student), blue color will simulate the ocean nicely
 pens (black, green, orange)
 student worksheet (attached)
To share with the entire class:
 GPS device for show (optional)
Introduction / Motivation
Vocabulary / Definitions
Word
Definition
latitude
Latitude is an angular measurement ranging from 0° at the
Equator to 90° at the poles (90° N or 90° S).
longitude
Imaginary lines that cross the surface of the Earth, running
from north to south, measuring how far east or west of the
prime meridian a place is located.
Global
A navigational system involving satellites and computers that
Positioning can determine the latitude and longitude of a receiver on Earth
System
by computing the time difference for signals from different
(GPS)
satellites to reach the receiver.
Hadley
A thermal circulation consisting of rising air near the equator
cell
and sinking air near 30 degrees latitude.
Procedure
Background
The teacher can first ask a student to describe how to get to a location (e.g.,
his/ her house) from school. Teachers can then talk about how we describe
where features are on earth (N, S, E, W). They can point out the latitudes &
longitudes on a map in front of the class, indicate the units they are
measured in, and that latitude is indicated as N & S of the equator and
longitude is indicated as E & W of the prime meridian. Teachers may ask
students for ideas on how lat/long are useful (e.g., geography, navigation).
If available, the teacher can show/ demonstrate a GPS (Global Positioning
System) device and explain how satellites are used to find locations at a
specific longitude and latitude.
Before the Activity
 For each group, the teacher should put out in bins 1 balloon per student,
pens (black, green, orange), student worksheet (1 per student, attached)
With the Students
1. Students can do this activity individually or in partners, but should be
encouraged to work with others in their group. Announcing that a couple of
prizes (e.g. candy) will be given to the most accurate globes may encourage
careful work.
2. Students should follow the directions on the worksheet (attached) and
draw and label some major latitudes and longitudes on their balloon using
the given maps.
3. Students should then find a desert and rainforest using their maps and
draw them at the correct latitude or longitude on their balloon.
Attachments
Globe_balloon_worksheet
Safety Issues
 This activity has no safety hazards.
Troubleshooting Tips
Students automatically tend to want to play with the balloons and may break
them. Also, they might break if they don’t write gently with their pens. Tell
them that they are only getting one and to be careful.
Investigating Questions
Assessment
Pre-Activity Assessment
Title: Preliminary questions for students
Ask student the following questions:
1) How would you describe getting from your house to school (Answer:
student should give directions- turn right/ left/ east/ west/ north/ south)
2) How would you give directions to a remote spot on Earth? (Answer:
various ideas)
3) Has anyone heard of the terms “latitude” and “longitude”? Do you know
what they are used for? (Answer: they are used as a coordinate system for
marking locations on earth)
Activity Embedded Assessment
Title: Activity
The teacher should make sure that students are on task and following
instructions. He/she should make sure that the students understand the
difference between longitudes and latitudes and how they are measured
(longitude is measured in E and W and latitude is measured in N and S).
Make sure students are labeling the latitudes and longitudes of the features
listed on the worksheet on the balloon.
Post-Activity Assessment
Title: Class-wide discussion
After the activity, the teacher should go around the room and select a few of
the most accurately drawn balloons (everything labeled correctly, lat or long.
of a desert and rainforest labeled). The students with the best balloons
should be awarded a prize (e.g., piece of candy) and the teacher should
explain in front of the class why the balloons that were selected is the most
accurate ones. He/ she should also reiterate the difference between latitude
and longitude and go over the discussion questions on the worksheet.
Activity Extensions: none
Activity Scaling
 For lower grades, fewer maps (or a single map with all the information)
can be used. The part about finding the latitude or longitude of a
rainforest and desert can be omitted. This activity can also be done as a
whole-class demonstration.
 For upper grades, students can do the “Alternative (More Inquiryoriented) thought question” on the worksheet.
Additional Multimedia Support
Air Current Animation:
http://trc.ucdavis.edu/biosci10v/bis10v/media/ch31/global_circ_v2.html
References:
Earth Science: Geology, the Environment, and the Universe. 2002. The
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. New York.
Chapter 2 “Latitude and Longitude” explains latitude and longitude as well as
mapping and GPS.
Websites:
Lat/Long: http://geography.about.com/cs/latitudelongitude/a/latlong.htm
GPS: http://www.gis2gps.com/GPS/GPSDEF/gpsdef.html
Map sources:
http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/newart/imagee.gif
http://www.uefap.com/images/rainfor1.gif
http://geology.com/records/sahara-desert-map.gif
http://www.newmediastudio.org/DataDiscovery/Hurr_ED_Center/Easterly_W
aves/Trade_Winds/Trade_Winds_fig02.jpg
Other
Owner
UCLA SEE-LA GK-12 Program, University of California, Los Angeles
Contributors
Developer: Brittany Enzmann. This activity was developed as part of the
UCLA Science and Engineering of the Environment of Los Angeles (SEE-LA
GK-12) program and has been classroom tested in several 9th grade
Integrated Coordinates Science classes at University High School in Los
Angeles.
Copyright
© 2009 University of California, Los Angeles. This digital library content was
developed by the UCLA SEE-LA GK-12 program under National Science
Foundation grant number 0742410.