Mapping the World with Art
by Ellen Johnson McHenry
activity #1 - Directions Game
activity #2 - Tapes: The Game of Wacky Measurements
activity #3 - Making a Floating Compass
activity #4 - cardinal & intercardinal directions, Word Find Game
activity #5 - Migration Books & Poetry, secondary intercardinals
activity #6 - look at a compass (math), circular protractor
activity #7 - The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky
activity #8 - measure the length of your stride
activity #9 - make a sundial, Wristwatch as a Compass
activity #10 - why 360?
activity #11 - Spaghetti Angles, semicircular protractor
activity #12 - look at a compass (geography), taking a bearing
activity #13 - Coin Game
activity #14 - Get Your Bearings
activity #15 - Schoolyard Compass Game
activity #16 - true north vs. magnetic north (map, p.9)
activity #17 - declination, Topographic Mapping Exercise
Monday, Sep 5
activity #1 - Directions Game
have each child choose a spot in the yard and place there a copper plant marker with another child's initials on it, then create a set of step-by-step written directions for that child to get to exactly that spot without any help
things to discuss: how to explain which way to turn without N, S, E, W; measuring distance in steps and how different that is for each person
Tuesday, Sep 6
activity #2 - Tapes
(estimating using non-standard units of measurement)
Tapes! The Game of Wacky Measurements
things to discuss: the value of standardized units of measurement!
Wednesday, Sep 7
activity #3 - Making a Floating Compass post
(this is a great use for a rusty, broken, or bent felting needle)
activity #4 - Word Find Game post
(inspired by this Points of the Compass worksheet)
in round one, we only used the four cardinal directions
in round two, we added in the four intercardinal directions
Thursday, Sep 8
activity #5 - Migration Books & Poetry post
things to discuss: review cardinal and intercardinal directions, explain secondary intercardinals
activity #6 - look at a compass (math)
of course the immediate question from students was how far does it go? discuss the circle being broken into 360 degrees (and each degree 60 minutes and each minute 60 seconds), look at a circular protractor
things to discuss: consider that < compass > means both
"an instrument containing a magnetized pointer which shows the direction of magnetic north and bearings from it" and
"an instrument for drawing circles and arcs and measuring distances between points, consisting of two arms linked by a movable joint, one arm ending in a point and the other usually carrying a pencil or pen"
hypothesize why this might be the case, look up < compass > in etymonline to see its origin
Monday, Sep 12
activity #7 - read
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky
Tuesday, Sep 13
activity #8 - measure the length of your stride
explain that in orienteering two steps = five feet for an average adult (each time your right foot hits the ground is considered 1 pace), have the children use a 6 foot measuring stick to measure the length of their stride
things to discuss: a compass is actually used for walking in a straight line and not really for finding North (think of it as North is zero and then from there you know which direction you should walk)
activity #9 - Wristwatch as a Compass
set up sundial (slender stick in the center of a piece of newsprint, trace the shadow on the newsprint every hour), recall yesterday's story and look at the angle of the shadow on the sundial
do sun height experiment on pages 8-9 of Anno's Sundial by Mitsumasa Anno, teach "Wristwatch as a Compass" trick (page 1 of PDF)
activity #10 - why 360?
review that Ancient Babylonians worked in base 60 as well as base 10 (and decided 7 days in a week, 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute... as well as 360 degrees in a circle), investigate why 360 degrees was chosen for the divisions of a circle
factor 60
(it is the lowest number evenly divisible by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6)
divide 360 by 7, 8, 9, and 10
(360 is evenly divisible by all the numbers 1 through 10 except for 7)
Wednesday, Sep 14
activity #11 - Spaghetti Angles
make Spaghetti Angles using two raw spaghetti noodles and a semicircular protractor; I chose a few angles for them to make as practice (60, 120, 190, 270) and then each child got to choose an angle for them to make with the spaghetti (40, 97, 124, 179, 333)
it is best if they make their angles with a semicircular protractor but check their answers with a circular protractor (this gives them a better understanding of a semicircular protractor)
Thursday, Sep 15
activity #12 - look at a compass (geography)
teach how to take a bearing using a compass (rotating bezel, put red in the shed), spot a box turtle briskly walking across the yard (very convenient!) and take its bearing (240 degrees), recall the Spaghetti Angles protractor activity from yesterday and gut-check 240 degrees for reasonableness
Red Fred in the Shed: Using a Compass
activity #13 - Coin Game (page 6 of PDF)
stand in a grassy meadow
drop a coin on the ground at your feet
take a bearing of 60 degrees, walk 10 paces
take a bearing of 180 degrees, walk 10 paces
take a bearing of 300 degrees, walk 10 paces
you should be back at your coin!
Wednesday, Sep 21
activity #14 - Get Your Bearings (pages 10-11 of PDF)
note: we did this this excercise using circular protractors
(page 1 of Four Compass Points activity works well as an answer key for page 10)
Tuesday, Sep 27
activity #15 - Schoolyard Compass Game (pages 7-9 of PDF)
Monday, Oct 3
activity #16 - true north vs. magnetic north
discuss the difference between True North and Magnetic North
watch the first part of How to Use a Compass
stop video at 3:15
pass out copies of the map on page 9 of Orienteering (PDF) and have the students find our location and estimate our declination
watch video to the end
Tuesday, Oct 4
activity #17 - topographical maps
pass out copies of topographical map of our area
USGS 7.5-minute image map for Carbondale, Illinois (PDF)
the date on this map is July 24, 2015
(there is a newer map but I find it harder to read)
note: these maps print quite small so we used our jeweler's loupes
find Carbondale and the location of my house, look at declination at the bottom of the map and see whether our prediction was correct, discuss contour lines and what they mean
break into two groups, do two version of a Contour Map lesson, and decide which one we like better
Hubbard Scientific Contour Model Kit
Topographic Mapping Exercise 2: The Concept of Contours
(print page 4 of PDF)
note: for both of these you will need a grease pencil
we liked the free homemade version better because it's easier to draw on a rock than the plastic of the kit version
follow with worksheet (page 6 of PDF; answer key on page 5 of PDF) and Mariana Trench Topographic Map (PDF)
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