Objectives
The students will locate and identify the Equator, North Pole, and South Pole on the globe.
Vocabulary
Equator, North Pole, South Pole
Materials Needed
globe, globe marker, World Political Map
Lesson
Pass the globe among the students. Tell the students there are specials features on the globe that help us find other places. Today the students will locate the North Pole, South Pole, and Equator on the globe. Write these vocabulary words on the board.
Pull the World Map all the way down. In the upper left corner of the map is a Location Skills inset map with two global projections. The North Pole and South Pole are identified. Using the map marker, circle the North Pole on the globe. Read to the students the definitions stated on the map. Ask the students if they think it is cold or hot at the North Pole. Is there land or water at the South Pole? (water - Arctic Ocean)
Circle the South Pole on the map and read the definition. Have another student locate the South Pole on the globe. Is the climate hot or cold at the South Pole? If you lived there what type of clothes would you need? Is there land or water at the South Pole? (land - the continent of Antarctica)
Next locate the Equator on the globe. Explain to the students that the Equator is an important line drawn on maps and globes half way between the North Pole and the South Pole. Have a student use the map marker and draw a line all the way around the globe at the Equator. Do the same on the map. Ask the students to name the continents the Equator "runs through". (South America, Africa, Asia) Ask the students if they think it would be warmer at the Equator than at the North and South Poles. Find your approximate location on the globe. Do you live closer to the Equator or to the North Pole?
Lesson .pdf file (Printable Lesson)