CIENCIAS SOCIALES 1

When I finish this Didactic Sequence I will be able to...

• Understand the main idea and supporting details of information
presented orally about orientation, geographical coordinates, time
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT zones and geographical maps.

LISTENING
SPEAKING
• Take part in simple conversations, asking and answering questions
about maps, places, location using an atlas, distances, etc.
• Describe a journey around Europe, giving information about trip
schedule, places visited, location, distances, etc.

• Understand key ideas of written texts with visual support on

geographical location, time zones, maps,...
• Understand and follow simple instructions about location, time
OBJECTIVES

calculation and distance measurement using the scale.

WRITING
READING

• Write simple texts, using the appropriate vocabulary, on location of

continents, map types and a trip project (general information about
itinerary, trip schedule and places visited)

• Use the Internet to do online revision/extension activities and to

search for information.
• Use ICT tools to edit information and prepare a collaborative project
ICTs

on a journey around Europe.

• Locate places using geographical coordinates.

• Learn to calculate the time of a specific place using the standard
time zones map.
SUBJECT

• Identify and interpret the different types of maps using their key.
• Calculate distances using the scale.
• Plan a trip using maps skills.
• Learn and use specific vocabulary related to geographical location
and map skills, both in Spanish and English.
• Value the practical application of Geography to everyday life.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

• Understand simple texts about geographical location, time zones, map skills and
map types.
• Identify the main idea and understand the key information of texts about
geographical location, time zones, map skills and map types.
• Write simple texts about maps and geographical location.
• Take part in simple conversations about time zones, map reading and location
using an atlas.
• Locate places on a map using coordinates.
• Calculate the time using a standard time zones map.
• Obtain information from maps using their key and to be able to communicate
conclusions both orally and in writing.
• Measure distance between two places using the scale.
• Identify and use specific vocabulary related to geographical location and maps
correctly.
• Plan and do, in groups, a project about a trip around Europe, using the ICTs and
present the final product to partners.

2 Locating places and representing the Earth

LOCATING PLACES
AND REPRESENTING THE EARTH
Pre-Task
After this task, I will have got familiar with
Geography words in English and I will have checked how
much I know about Geography.

GEOGRAPHY… IN ENGLISH?
Geography words in English are not difficult to understand, for many of them are similar to the Spanish translation
(“friendly words”) and you may know others as well. The following charts are a good example.

Try to complete them:

ENGLISH SPANISH
The Earth i.e. La Tierra
The Universe
Satellite images
The Solar System
Map
Atmosphere
Ocean
Continent
Sea

Geography
With a little help…
words
Complete the table with the words in the yellow circle:

ENGLISH SPANISH CLIMA

Relief MONTAÑA
Plain LAGO RELIEVE
Mountain RÍO
SELVA
Tectonic Plates DESIERTO
Climate PAISAJE
Landscape PLACAS TECTÓNICAS
Forest BOSQUE
Jungle LLANURA
Desert
River
Lake

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 3
 HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT GEOGRAPHY?

1 Geography...what is it? (Pairwork)

Look at the pictures on the left and try to match them with the words in the middle. Then, relate them both
with the boxes on the right to see how all these things relate to Geography.

1
COMPASS

2
A
INSTRUMENTS OF GEOGRAPHY

GPS
(Global Positioning

B
System)
PEOPLE WHO STUDY
THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE
3 EARTH
MAP

C
EXPLORER
(J. Livingstone)
WAYS OF REPRESENTING THE
EARTH
5
SATELLITE

D
GEOGRAPHER

TRAVELLERS OR ADVENTURERS WHO

DISCOVERED NEW LANDS
7

CAN YOU THINK OF MORE THINGS

TO ADD TO BOXES A AND D?

4 Locating places and representing the Earth

 2 Check your prior knowledge about the world, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Look at the pictures on the left and try to match them with the words in the middle. Then, relate them both with the boxes
on the right to see how all these things relate to Geography.

4 3
b
1
a A
c
2
C
B
6

E
5

2.1. Look at the world map and write the name of the correct continent, ocean or sea in the correct blank.
Use the yellow boxes to help you.

CONTINENTS
1......................................
AFRICA, ASIA, 2......................................
AMERICA, EUROPE, OCEANIA, 3......................................
ANTARCTICA 4......................................
5......................................
6......................................

OCEANS
ARCTIC OCEAN, INDIAN OCEAN, A......................................
PACIFIC OCEAN, B......................................
SOUTHERN OCEAN, ATLANTIC C......................................
D......................................
OCEAN
E......................................

SEAS
MEDITERRANEAN SEA, a......................................
CARIBBEAN SEA, b......................................
RED SEA c......................................

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 5
 2.2. Find the United Kingdom and Spain in the map above and colour them.

2.3. Read the following texts about the Geography of Spain and the United Kingdom and choose the correct options
from the words in brackets to complete the blanks. Then, listen and check.

UNITED KINGDOM SPAIN

Orkney
Islands
Area CANTABRIA
ASTURIAS FRANCE
South PAIS VASCO
Uist GALICIA NAVARRA

SCOTLAND CATALUNA
North CASTILE AND LEON
Atlantic Muli
Ocean Islay North ARAGON
Sea

IRELAND
Northern
Island PORTUGAL

EXTREMADURA CASTILE-LA MANCHA BALEARIC ISLAND

Irish Sea VALENCIANA

ENGLAND MURCIA
CANARIAS
London ANDALUCIA
WALES

Mediterranean Sea

Great Britain,(Scotland/Ireland/Iceland), Spain and Portugal form the

and more than 6000 smaller islands (Italian / Iberian / Scandinavian)
form the British Isles. They are located Peninsula, located in the extreme
in the west of southwest of Europe.
(America / Asia / Europe)
and are surrounded by the It is bordered by the
(Atlantic / Pacific / Indian) (Mediterranean / Cantabrian / North )
Ocean. sea on the south and east and by the
Atlantic Ocean on the north and west. In
This archipelago contains two states: the northeast the
(The United Kingdom / France / the (Pyrenees / Betic Systems / Alpes)
United States) connect the Iberian Peninsula with the
and the Republic of Ireland. rest of Europe. In the south it
approaches the northern coast of
The British Isles cover 301 000 km2 (America / Asia / Africa).
(116 miles).
The Iberian Peninsula covers 582 000
The British Isles are at low altitude and km2 and it has a high average altitude.
have a Most of its territory has a temperate
(temperate / tropical / mediterranean) (equatorial / mediterranean / tropical)
oceanic climate. climate.

The European countries closest to the Spain has some territories out of the
British Isles are Iberian Peninsula: the Canary and the
(France / Russia / Italy), (Balearic / Shetland / Galapagos)
Belgium and the Netherlands. Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.

6 Locating places and representing the Earth

Task 1
Finding my bearings...
After this task, I will be able to use the cardinal points to get oriented.

CARDINAL POINTS
1 Read and listen. East

When we want to find our way, we can

do it by looking at the positions of the
sun in the sky. In the morning, the sun
rises in the East and in the evening it
sets in the West. If you stand facing
East and hold your hands out, your
left hand will point North and your right North South
hand will point South.

North
West

West East

Late evening Early morning

South
Midday

So, these are the four cardinal points: North, South, East and West. You can find them in the Compass
Rose. Maps have the points of the compass marked on them, but if not, then the top of the map
should always be north.
The points of the compass can be divided into four points: north-east, south-east, north-west and
south-west.

• Can you write them on the compass below?

www.enchantedlearning.com

• English children learn the arrangement of the cardinal points with the saying ‘Never Eat Shredded Wheat’, beginning at
the top and going clockwise. Could you make up a similar saying in Spanish?
N.......................... E.......................... S......................... O........................

If you need some practice on orientation, give it a try in

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/02/popup/orient.html

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 7
 2 Match the two columns so as to make meaningful sentences about orientation:
1) The sun rises... A) can be used for orientation.
2) The four cardinal points ... B) the Compass Rose.
3) West is ... C) in the East.
4) You can find the cardinal points in... D) are North, East, West and South.
5) The position of the Sun in the sky... E) where the sun sets.

3 Extra Activites
3.1. CULTURE BOX. Cardinal points throughout History

Did you know...

• the compass was invented in China in247 BC?
• the entrance of Ancient Egypt pyramids was always set exactly in its north face?
If you want to know more about cardinal points in History, go to http://www.bookrags.com/tandf/cardinal-directions-tf/

3.2. Let’s explore other ways to find direction. Can you match the pictures with the different ways to get oriented?

1. You can use a compass, whose magnetized pointer always points North.
If you want to learn about the parts of the compass, go to
http://www.westone.wa.gov.au/toolboxes/water/toolbox_11_04/uoc5/html/p1basic_bear.htm
If you want to check how much you know about compasses, do the “Compass Quiz” in
http://www.janbrett.com/piggybacks/compass.htm
If you want to know more about the Earth’s magnetism and magnetic north, go to
http//www.ruf.rice.edu/~feegi/magnet.html

2. You can locate the North Star (Polaris) in the night sky.
In the southern hemisphere, the Southern Cross constellation indicates the
direction of the South Pole.

3. You can use the gyrocompass, widely used in navigation.

It points true North.

4. You can use a Global Positioning System (GPS), which uses the signals from
satellites orbiting the Earth to calculate the exact position of any place.

8 Locating places and representing the Earth

Task 2
Locating places clipart provided by:
www.worldatlas.com

After this task, I will be able to locate any place on Earth using its geographical coordinates.

LOCATING PLACES: LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE

1 Understanding latitude and longitude.
1.1. Listen to a text about geographical coordinates and underline the words you hear
from the following list. (It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the meaning of all of them now).

LONGITUDE • GEOGRAPHY • PARALLELS • EARTH • GREENWICH • EQUATOR •

COORDINATES • HEMISPHERES • NATIONS • MERIDIANS • EUROPE • LATITUDE • SPHERE •
POLES • CONTINENTS • PLANET

1.2. Read the following statements. Then, listen again and say if the following statements are True or
False. Correct the false ones if possible:

1. Geographical coordinates give us the exact location of a place._____________________________________

2. The Equator divides the Earth into two hemispheres: East and West.________________________________
3. You can’t see parallels or meridiens.____________________________________________________________
4. There are 360 parallels._______________________________________________________________________
5. The Prime Meridian crosses Washington.________________________________________________________
6. The latitude of the Equator is 90º.______________________________________________________________

1.3. Now read the text and try to fill in the numbered blanks with suita-
ble words from the list in 1.1. Then listen to check:
Imagine you have a pen pal from the United Kingdom and you want to tell him/her where
you live. You could say, ‘I live in Huelva, Spain’, that’s very general. You could also say, ‘Well,
it’s in southwest of Spain, near Seville’. That’s better. But, what if your pen pal wants to know
exactly where Huelva is? You can give him/her Huelva’s geographical ______________ (1)
so that he can find it on any map. Difficult to do? No, you just have to imagine the
______________ (2) as a globe on which there are imaginary lines for-
ming a grid. These imaginary lines are called _________________ (3)
and parallels.

________________ (4) are horizontal lines running in a west-east direction. They are perpendi-
cular to the _______________ (5) or parallel 0º. This is the largest parallel and divides the Earth
into two identical halves or_______________ (6), North and South. There are 180 of them, 90
north of the Equator and 90 south of it. As we approach the _______________ (7), parallels are
smaller and smaller.

Meridians run from North Pole to South Pole in a north-

south direction. There are 360 meridians, 180 east of the
Prime Meridian and 180 west of the Prime Meridian. But,
what is Prime Meridian or Meridian 0º, if all meridians
are the same length?

In 1884, 41 delegates from 25 _______________ (8) met

in Washington, D.C., USA, for the International Meridian
Conference. This conference selected the
_______________ (9) Meridian as the official Prime Meri-
dian. Greenwich is a village near London where a Royal
Observatory is located.

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 9
 Because meridians and parallels form a grid on a
_____________ (10), the units of measurement of latitude
and longitude are angular, so they are shown in degrees (º),
minutes (') and seconds ("). ________________ (11) shows
how far a place is from the Equator and it can be North or
South.
________________ (12) shows how far a place is from the
Prime Meridian and it can be East or West.

The latitude of the main parallels is:

• The Equator: 0º
• The Tropic of Cancer: 23º North
• The Tropic of Capricorn: 23º South.
• The Arctic Circle: 66º North.
• The Antarctic Circle: 66º South.

So, what is the exact location of Huelva? Huelva is at 37º North and at 6º West. Amaze your pen-pal!

1.4. After reading the text, read the following questions and tick the correct answer.

1) Meridiens are imaginary lines which join the _________

a) Parallels
b) Poles
c) Tropics
2) Parallels are imaginary lines perpendicular to the _________
a) Prime Meridian
b) Equator
c) Arctic Circle
3) Longitude is the angular distance from any place to the _________
a) Equator
b) Greenwich Meridian
c) Antarctic Circle
4) There are _________ main parallels
a) Two
b) Four
c) Five
5) The ______________ is the largest parallel
a) Equator
b) Tropic of Cancer
c) Prime Meridien
6) The Poles are at _________ North and South respectively.
a) 180º
b) 360º
c) 90º
7) The Arctic Circle is three quarters of the way between the Equator and the ________________
a) South Pole
b) Tropic of Capricorn
c) North Pole
8) The Tropic of Capricorn is a quarter of the way from the Equator to the _______________
a) North Pole
b) South Pole
c) Tropic of Cancer

10 Locating places and representing the Earth

 2 Complete the following grid with the missing information.

HOW MANY? DIRECTION SIZE VALUE MAIN LINES

Equator
They get smaller ____________ ____________
180 ____________ ____________
as they approach ____________
the Poles. Arctic Circle
____________

0º-180º East
____________ ____________ ____________ ____________
0º-180º West

3 Look at the maps below and give the location of continents. Write some sentences as in
the example, then work in pairs and say your sentences to each other and then in front of the
class.
e.g. Europe is north of the Equator, so it is in the northern hemisphere.
Most of Europe is east of the Prime Meridian, so most of Europe is in the eastern hemisphere.

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 11
 4 On-line reinforcement activities.
If you are still having problems with the Geographical coordinates system, you can watch:

A cool animated movie:

http://www.factmonster.com/p/brainpop/latitudeandlongitude.html

A Power Point presentation:

http://geography.pppst.com/latitude-longitude.html
“Latitude and Longitude - Finding your location on a sphere”

You can also do some easy on-line revision activities:

• http://www.claseshistoria.com/bilingue/1eso/exercices/paralelos-huecos-eng.htm
• http://www.claseshistoria.com/bilingue/1eso/exercices/meridianos-huecos-eng.htm
• http://www.claseshistoria.com/bilingue/1eso/exercices/longitud-latitud-eng.htm
• http://www.claseshistoria.com/bilingue/1eso/exercices/coordenadas-eng.htm

5. ‘Practice makes perfect!’

Let’s get some practice in using geographical coordinates. You can work in pairs to help each other if necessary.

5.1. Look at the world map and write the name of the correct continent, ocean or sea in the correct blank. Use the yellow
boxes to help you.

90º N 180º W 45º E

45º N 135º W 90º E
0º Latitude 90º W 135º E
45º S 45º W 180º E
90º S 0º Longitude

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/label/latlong/. EnchantedLearning.com 1996

12 Locating places and representing the Earth

 5.2. Try an easy on-line exercise on geographical coordinates.
http://geographyworldonline.com/tutorial/practice.html
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-games/latitude-longitude-map-game.php
(A challenging activity to test how fast you can do it! )

5.3. One step further!:

• Mark the following cities on the map with red numbers:

1. Beijing: 40°N, 116°E 6. Mexico City: 20°N, 100°W

2. London: 51°N, 0°W 7. Moscow: 55°N, 37°E
3. Cairo: 30°N, 31°E 8. Dublin : 55º N, 5º W
4. New Orleans: 30°N, 90°W 9. Barcelona: 40º N, 2º E
5. Sydney: 34°S, 151°E 10. Durban: 30º S, 30º E

clipart provided by: www.worldatlas.com

• In which ocean is the location 10º S, 75 º E located?

Mark it on the map with a blue "X" and write the name of the ocean.
• In which ocean is the location 30º N, 150 º W located?
Mark it on the map with a blue "Y" and write the name of the ocean.
• Look at the road sign in the picture. Which English speaking country can it
be? Have a look at the map above to help you.
Name of the country _________________________________________

i t y ! !
o l
Co ac t i v
If you want to see any of the cities in the orange boxes as viewed from space go to
http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vlatlon.htm and type in their latitude and longitude.

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 13
 Revision
‘LOCATING PLACES’ CROSSWORDS

ACROSS
4. TWO OF THE MAIN PARALLELS WHICH ARE AT 23º
5. UNIT OF MEASUREMENT FOR GEOGRAPHICAL COORDINATES
6. WHERE THE SUN RISES
8. ANGULAR DISTANCE FROM ANY PLACE ON EARTH AND THE EQUATOR

DOWN
1. INSTRUMENT CONTAINING A MAGNETIZED POINTER
2. IT DIVIDES THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE FROM THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
3. THE PRIME MERIDIAN CROSSES IT
7. THERE ARE 360 OF THEM AND THEY JOIN THE POLES

1 2 3
4

5
6
7
8

e l l
W done!!
Did you get them all?

14 Locating places and representing the Earth

Task 3
What time is it?
After this task, I will be able to find out what time it is anywhere in
the world
TIME ZONES
1 Check your prior knowledge. Work in pairs to find the answers to these questions:
What time is it in Spain right now? All over Spain? What about the Canary Islands?
• …and in the United Kingdom?
If you travel to Argentina, will you have to put your watch back? or forward?
• …and if you travel to India? Why?

Are these statements True or False?

• There are 360 time zones.
• The limits between time zones are meridians.
• Time zones are related to Latitude.

2 Now read and listen to find out more about Time Zones:
You already know the Earth is constantly rotating, which means that, for example, when it's midday in Chicago, USA,
it's early evening in Spain. So we can't have just one time zone for the whole world. But, did you know the Earth has
exactly 24 different time zones? And did you know this is related to longitude? The Earth is a sphere and it is divided
in 360º of longitude lines (meridians). You already know that the Earth rotates on its axis from west to east. The Earth
turns 360º in 24 hours, so if you divide 360º in 24 hours, it means the Earth turns 15º in one hour. So this is why
there are 24 time zones (one for each hour of one day) and this is why time zones are 15º wide.

(360º : 24 hours = 15º)

15º = 1 hour

All the points on the same time zone share the same time, but how do we know the
exact time of any country on Earth? Using the Prime Meridian time as a reference
(called Greenwich Mean Time or Universal Time, UT) we add one hour for each time
zone that is moved towards the east and we subtract one hour for each time zone
moved towards the west.

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 15
 Example: If it is 5 pm in London (Universal Time), what time will be in Moscow? It’s very easy! Follow these steps:

1. If you don’t know where Moscow is, use a political map to find out where it is.
2. Then, go to the time zone map below and find out in which time zone Moscow is.
3. As Moscow is 3 time zones to the west of London time zone, we have to add 3 hours: 5+3= 8 pm
4. So, it is 8 pm in Moscow when it is 5 pm in London.

If you look at the map below you will see the time zone limits are not straight. This is because they have been adjusted
to fit the frontiers of countries as much as possible. But if a country is very big, such as the USA or Russia, it has
more than one time zone!

Image provided by www.mapsofworld.com

3 Now, it’s your turn to try!

When it is 9 am in London, what time is it...
• …in Madrid?
• …in in Washington?
• …in Beijing?
• …in Nairobi?
• …in Lima?
Do you want to know the exact time right now anywhere in the world?
• …So go to http://www.worldtimezone.com/

4 Revision activities
• Go to:
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/geography/timezones/ where you can watch a cool movie and
do the quiz.
• Go to:
http://www.claseshistoria.com/bilingue/1eso/exercices/husoshorarios-huecos-eng.htm and do the on-
line quiz.

Now go back to 1. ‘Check your prior knowledge’ and check if all your answers were right.

16 Locating places and representing the Earth

Extra information
If you want to learn more about time zones, go to:
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/geography/timezones/, “Questions and answers” and “Read more” sections.

A BIT OF HISTORY...

Before the advent of railways in the 1800s, all time was local. Noon was simply when the sun
was directly overhead wherever you were, which is called solar time. Each town's citizens would
set their clocks and pocket watches according to the official town clock or timekeeper. When
they travelled to another town, they would simply change their watch when they arrived.

All that changed when railroads began to move people across great distances quickly. In the
early days of the railroads, train schedules were totally confusing because they were based on
local solar time! This problem was particularly pronounced in the United States and Canada
where transcontinental railroads moved people over thousands of miles relatively quickly.

In 1878, Sir Sandford Fleming (1827–1915) developed the system of worldwide time zones that
we still use today. He proposed that the world be divided into 24 time zones. The subject was
finally resolved in 1884 at a conference held in Washington, where the meridian passing through
Greenwich, a Royal Observatory near London, was adopted as the initial or prime meridian for
longitude and timekeeping, so Greenwich time is called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or
Universal Time (UT) since then.

You will find more information on the history of time zones in

http://www.nist.gov/pml/general/time/world.cfm

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 17
Task 4
Representing the earth: Maps
After this task I will be able to understand
and to use maps and atlases.

Maps are part of our lives, you have probably used them lots of times in theme parks or
in museums so as not to get lost and find your way. But now you are going to learn a bit
more about geographic maps, which are representations of the Earth or of part of it.

18 Locating places and representing the Earth

 1 Read the following text about geographic maps and try to fill in the blanks
with the suitable words from the box below. Then listen and check:

CARTOGRAPHERS - GLOBES - MAPS- FLAT - EARTH

As the Earth is a sphere, ______________(1) are the most accurate
way to represent it. But the problem is that they do not contain de-
tailed information because of their small size. ________________(2)
are a better way to represent the________________(3) or part of it
because they can include more informa-
tion and are easy to use. Humans have
used maps for hundreds of years. Nowa-
days satellite pictures have made maps
more and more accurate. However, the-
re’s still a problem with maps: They
are_________________(4), two-dimen-
sional, so ____________________(5) or
mapmakers have developed different ways to show a sphere on a flat piece of paper.
These are called Projections.
"NASA/courtesy of nasaimages.org

2 Types of projections. Match the images with the names of the three main types of projections,
then with the correct definition:

CONIC The Earth’s surface is projected onto a circle.

PROJECTION It is good to represent the Poles.

CYLINDRICAL The Earth’s surface is projected onto a cylinder.

PROJECTION This is the most common projection.

PLANAR The Earth’s surface is projected onto a cone.

PROJECTION It is good to represent only one hemisphere.

REMEMBER: THERE IS NO PERFECT PROJECTION, ALL OF THEM DISTORT REALITY. THE USE OF ONE OR ANO-
THER DEPENDS ON THE PURPOSE OF EACH MAP.

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 19
 i t y ! !
o l
Co ac t i v
Go to http://www.claseshistoria.com/bilingue/1eso/earthplanet/representation-projections.html and click on each pro-
jection to watch an animation of each of them.

To go further…

Extra information
If you want to learn more on one of the most famous map projections and his creator, Mercator, go to
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/geography/mercatorprojection.htmhttp://www.socialstu-
diesforkids.com/articles/geography/gerardmercator1.htm

3 Map types.
The main types of maps are:
• Political maps. They give information on the location of countries and of the main cities.
• Physical maps. They use colours to show oceans, rivers, mountains, lakes, plains, and the height of the land.
• Topographic maps. They are a type of physical map which includes a great deal of information and manmade fea-
tures, such as roads, railways, etc. They show a detailed representation of relief with “contour lines”, which join
points of equal elevation. Official organisations are responsible for produ-
cing topographic maps:
I. The British Ordnance Survey in Britain.
II. The US Geological Survey in the USA.
III. The “Instituto Geográfico Nacional” in Spain.
• Thematic maps. They give information on the location, distribution or inten-
sity of particular features. They are a good way to present information con-
cisely.

Label the following maps, then, write sentences as in the example:

Ex: “Map number 1 is a physical map because it gives information on rivers and mountains of Andalusia”

3 4

........................... MAP

royalty free clipart provided

bywww.freeusandworldmap.com

........................... MAP ........................... MAP

........................... MAP

20 Locating places and representing the Earth

 4 Elements of maps. Maps have some essential elements: the title, parallels and meridians, the
compass rose and the scale.

4.1. Look at the following map and try to fill in the boxes with the correct element.

Numeric scale: 1: 10 800 000 www.worldatlas.com

4.2. Now read and listen to the information below and do the activities to learn more about the ele-
ments of maps.

1. The TITLE tells you what the map is about.

2. An ARROW or a COMPASS shows direction and points North.
3. PARALLELS and MERIDIANS forming a grid.
4. The KEY or LEGEND shows the meaning of the symbols used on a map.
These symbols can be colours, lines, numbers, drawings, geometrical shapes, …
Understanding the key is essential to ‘read’ a map.

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 21
Map reading pairwork.
Ask each other questions about the following maps as in the example. You can use a political world map to help you.
• Firstly, think of a question for each map as in the example and write it.
• Then, ask each other questions and answer them in turns.

Example: Where is iron produced? / What minerals does Spain produce?

Image provided by www.mapsofworld.com

Example: What is the Daily Food Consumption in Brazil?
"Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries,
The University of Texas at Austin."

Example: How many inhabitants did New York have in 2000? / What’s the estimation for 2015? /
What is the most populated city in the world?

22 Locating places and representing the Earth

 4.3 Another important element of maps is SCALE. Read the following text and do the scale practice.

Scale shows you how smaller a map is compared to real life. There are two types of scale:

a. Graphic scale. It is a ruler or ‘line scale’ divided into segments. The

numbers represents the real distance in km.

b. Numeric scale. It is a fraction (i.e. 1:100 000) which indicates the ration
between the map and the real world.
i.e.: A 1:100,000 map is 100,000
Smaller scale times smaller than real life. This means that 1 cm on the map represents
1:40 000 000 100,000 cm (or 1 km) on the ground.

As the denominator increases, the level of detail on the map decreses. Ord-
nance Survey maps or Topographic maps have large scales (and small deno-
minators) because they represent small areas in great detail.

Larger scale
1: 5 000 000

Scale practice
Scale also helps you measure the distance between two places. Imagine we want to know the distance between London
and Leeds using the UK map in activity 4. You can do it using either the graphic or the numeric scale:

• Graphic scale. Place the edge of a sheet of paper on the two cities and tick a mark on each of them. Then place
the paper on the ‘line scale’ and work out the distance on the ground. What is it?

TICK MARKS ON PAPER STRIP

• Numeric scale. The numeric scale of this UK map is 1: 10 800 000, which means that 1 cm on the map= 10 800
000 cm on the ground, or 108 km. Use a ruler to measure the distance between London and Leed on the map,
which is 3.3 cm. Now you have to do a mathematical calculation:

1cm 3.3 cm 108x3.3

= ; x= ; x= 356.4 km
108 km x km 1

Ex: “The distance between London and Leeds is 3.3 cm on the map, but in real life the distance is 356.4 km in a
straight line”.

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 23
Scale pairwork
Now use either the graphic or the numeric scale of the same UK map to find out the distance between:
• London and Bristol.
• Leeds and Glasgow.
Then, say sentences as in the example above.

4.4. Some maps also have an ALPHANUMERIC GRID to locate places or other features easily. It is mainly used in
street maps or in atlases (collection of geographical maps).

A1 A2 …

Pairwork activity
Take turns to tell each other places to look for in the atlas.
• Go to the alphabetical index pages (at the end of the atlas), look for the name of the place, page number and its alpha-
numeric coordinates.
• Then look for the place as quickly as possible and show it to your partner.
Time each other to see who’s the fastest!

Online revision activities

• Try this online activity to check your knowledge on maps:
http://www.tv411.org/lessons/cfm/reading.cfm?str=reading&num=8&act=1
• Try an easy game to move around an island using the key of a map:
http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/toolsforadventure/games/adventure.html
• Try this game to find places on a ordnance survey map:
http://schools.geograph.org.uk/games/
• Do this easy activity on alphanumeric grid referencing:
http://www.westone.wa.gov.au/toolboxes/water/toolbox_11_04/uoc5/html/prac_grid.htm

Extra activity
To read an interactive map, go to http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps and then click on Interactive maps. You will
explore the effects of sea-level rise on Chesapeake Bay (USA)

24 Locating places and representing the Earth

Final Task
Project: Our tour around Europe
After this task I will be able to plan a trip and to tell my partners
about it.

clipart provided by: www.worldatlas.com

TEAMWORK ACTIVITY
You are going to work in groups of 5/6 students to plan a tour around Europe using the atlas and the Internet. You are
going to travel by car or train –not plane!– during 2/3 weeks and you are going to visit some cities (as many as team
members). You have to decide on the best itinerary, trip timing...You also have to search for some information about
the cities and countries you are going to visit. Finally you will present your trip project to your classmates. It must be as
attractive and original as possible!

For your project presentation you can choose among:

• A digital presentation in Power Point format or in interactive poster format (http://edu.glogster.com/)
• A traditional poster.
• Both formats.

Your project must include, at least:

• General itinerary.
• Distance between the cities you visit.
• Trip schedule.
• Other cities and main geographical features you will go through or pass by (rivers, lakes, mountains,...)
• Information about cities you will visit (population, landmarks, sightseeing activities, cultural events occurring at
the time you go there, things to do, youth hostels,...) and the countries (language, flag, time, currency, typical
food, climate,...)

Use images and pictures and be as creative as possible!

HERE WE GO... FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

1 Here you are the geographical coordinates of some European cities. Use an atlas to find out their
names:

COORDINATES CITY COORDINATES CITY

44º 25’ N 26º 7’ E 51º 32’ N 0º 5’ W
47º 30’ N 19º 5’ E 45º 45’ N 4º 50’ E
46º 56’ N 7º 26’ E 52º 30’ N 13º 25’ E
45º 27’ N 9º 10’ E 48º 14’ N 16º 20’ E
50º 5’ N 14º 26’ E 50º 5’ N 14º 26’ E
48º 48’ N 2º 20’ E 44º 52’ N 20º 32’ E
43º 36' N 1º 26' E 48° 12' N 16° 22' E

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 25
 2 Locate all the cities on a political map. Then, choose 5/6 of them (one for each member) and
decide on the best itinerary. Remember it is important you all get to a joint decision! You can go to
http://www.viamichelin.es/web/Mapas-Planos.

Example of a possible itinerary:

3 Calculate straight-line distance between cities using an atlas and the scale as you have learnt.
Remember the larger the scale is the more accurate the calculation will be. Go to
• http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm
to get the straight-line distance and
• http://www.manups.co.cc/dd/driving-distance-calculator.html
to get distance by road and approximate time.

Compare the results:

Names of cities Approximate distance Real distance Real distance and time
on map (Scale calculation) (Straight-line) (By road)
Ex: Seville- Lyon 1295 km 1631 km (about 15 hours
50 mins)

26 Locating places and representing the Earth

 4 Trip schedule.
Let’s say you are going to take this trip next month. Decide on trip chronology (date of departure, days
spent in each city, date of arrival, etc.). Don’t forget to take into account the time spent on journeys!
The trip can’t last more than 3 weeks.
If you are going to travel by train, go to
• http://www.interrailnet.com/interrail-prepare-your-trip
• http://www.eurail.com/eurail-timetables (You can see average travel times between important cities by clicking on
the map)
• http://www.raileurope.co.uk/
If you are going to travel by car,
• http://maps.google.com/ is the easiest tool.

5 Locate other important cities and the main geographical features that you will go through or pass by
(rivers, lakes, mountains,...) during the journey. You can use an atlas or online maps, such as the following.
• http://mapsof.net/uploads/static-maps/physical_map_of_europe.gif
• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/eu.htm

Example:
“When travelling from Bern
to Bucharest we are going to
pass by Lake Leman and to
cross River Danube”.

6 Each member has to choose one of the cities you are going to visit during your tour and look for the fo-
llowing information about it and the country the city is in. Then all the members work together to incorporate
the individual contributions into the final project.
COUNTRY :________________ CITY :________________
• Flag and other emblems. • Location in the country (Ex: This city is in the south-
• European Union country ? east of Romania)
• Is this country in our time zone? • Population.
http://www.worldtimezone.com/ • Main landmarks (monuments, castles, palaces, cathe-
• Population. drals, statues, river crossing the city, ...)
• Currency. • Sightseeing activities (museums, parks,...)
• Language and some basic expressions: • Main things to do at that time (concerts, festivals,...)
http://www.ipl.org/youth/hello • Youth hostel you are going to stay in:
• Typical food. http://www.europeanhostels.com/
• Climate and typical weather at that time of the year (type http://www.hostelworld.com/hostels.php
of clothes you will need) http://www.hostels.com/europe
• Main geographical features.
Useful websites: Useful websites:
http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/menu_infopays.html http://www.city.net
http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/mapindex.html#countries http://viajes.viamichelin.es/
then click on the country, then on travel information http://www.countriesandcities.com/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com
http://www.countriesandcities.com/

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 27
 7 Make your poster.

You can make a traditional poster or a digital one in a Power Point presentation format, or using one of the following
tools:
• http://edu.glogster.com/
• http://www.softonic.com/s/movie-maker
Include only the essential information. You can add more details when presenting your project orally. Your classma-
tes will assess your project as well as you will assess theirs. Try to be original and creative and use attractive pictu-
res. There will be a prize for the project which gets the highest mark!!

This collaborative class project will be included in the Dossier section of your ELP.

8 Project presentation and evaluation.

All the team members must have a similar contribution to the oral presentation of their project. Each one presents the city
he/she has chosen.
• Time limit: 15 min.
• Allow 2-3 minutes for questions.

Some tips for project presentation: PROJECT PRESENTATION TIPS

1. Be as calm as possible. After all, these are your friends, your
classmates and you are going to show them a good work!
2. Use your hands: We use gestures naturally while talking to so-
meone.
3. Speak with a loud and clear voice so that people in the last
row can hear. And don’t rush!
4. Maintain eye contact: look at your classmates in the eye.
5. Stand aside when you are pointing out pictures, maps, etc.
6. Know your material, you can have a look at some notes but
don’t read long passages!
7. Rehearse your speech in front of a mirror, family or friends.
8. Don’t let mistakes bother you. Presentation time is a time to
focus on positive things ☺

Project evaluation
While a group is presenting their project, the rest of classmates will be listening attentively. Each student will fill in
a Questionnaire and a Project Assessment Chart (next page) while listening.

The project with the highest score will win a prize!

28 Locating places and representing the Earth

 NAMES AND SURNAMES: TEAM’S NAME:

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS PROJECT ASSESSMENT CHART FOR STUDENTS

Evaluate items from 1(lowest mark) to 4 (highest mark)

1. Name of cities visited.

1 (-) 2 3 4 (+)

2. How long will the tour take? 1. CLEAR DISPLAY

3. First city visited after leaving Spain. 2. CREATIVITY

CIENCIAS SOCIALES

4. Last city visited before leaving Spain. 3. CONTENT

5. Name of a language mentioned (apart 4. CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

from English or French)

6. A basic expression (Gracias, por 5. USE OF VISUALS

favor,...) in another language (not En-
glish or French)

7. Name of the farthest city. 6. DELIVERY

8. Name of the most populated city.

TOTAL___ /24
9. Think of a question to ask them.
29
SELF-EVALUATION CHART FOR ORAL PRESENTATION
Evaluate items from 1(lowest mark) to 4 (highest mark)

Self-evaluation of the oral presentation

After your exposition, fill in the Self-Evaluation Chart below to evaluate your own oral presentation:

I have... 1 (-) 2 3 4(+)

1. ...tried to stay calm.

2. ...used gestures and my hands

naturally.

3. ...spoken with a loud and clear

voice and I haven’t rushed.

4. ...looked at my classmates in the

eye.

5. ...not read long passages.

6. ...rehearsed my part of the

presentation.

Total __/24

Intensive reading activity:

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS- Jules Verne- (See appendix)

PORTFOLIO UPDATING
Once you have finished this didactic sequence it’s time to update your ELP
(European Language Portfolio):
1. Check your progress in English by updating your Language Biography.
2. Include your project presentation in the Dossier Section of your ELP.

30 Locating places and representing the Earth

LISTADO DE PROCEDENCIA DE IMÁGENES

(La procedencia del resto de las imágenes de la secuencia, o bien aparece citada a lo largo de la misma, o bien no
se cita porque se trate de imágenes que están en el Dominio Público).
1. Rosa de los vientos antigua: By Joaquim Alves Gaspar (Own work) [GFDL (<a
href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html" class="external free"
rel="nofollow">http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html</a>), CC-BY-SA-3.0
(www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) via Wikimedia Commons. En:
http://ia.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reinel_compass_rose.svg#file
2. Imagen Polaris NASA: NASA/courtesy of nasaimages.org.
3. Girocompás: By KenWalker (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/3.0) or GFDL (<a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html" class="external free"
rel="nofollow">http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html</a>)], via Wikimedia Commons. En:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Algonquin_gyro_compass2.jpg
4. Globo dos planos: http://www.kowoma.de/en/gps/geo/longitude_latitude.htm
5. Globo paralelos:http://homepages.ius.edu/PGALVIN/lat_long/Geographic%20Grid.htm
6. Foto Meridiano Greenwich: By ChrisO CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) via
Wikimedia Commons. En: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prime_meridian.jpg
7. Globo latitud y longitud angular: Copyright © Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
8. Globo paralelos en español: By Maose (Treball propi) [GFDL (<a
href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html" class="external free"
rel="nofollow">http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html</a>) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0
(www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. En:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Paralelos_notables1.png
9. Globos meridianos y paralelos tabla: http://homepages.ius.edu/PGALVIN/lat_long/Geographic%20Grid.htm
10. Hemisferios: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/hemispheres.htm
11. Earth rotating: http://tasaclips.com/illustrations/Earth_Rotation_Direction.jpg
12. Globo husos horarios: http://recursostic.educacion.es/bancoimagenes/web/ Autor: José Antonio Bermúdez
(Licencia Creative Commons)
13. Plano de Disneyland Paris.
14. Plano del Ulster Museum (Belfast).
15. Mapa antiguo: http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0026-maps-are-not-perfect.php
16. Curvas de nivel: By Geologicharka (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/3.0) or GFDL (<a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html" class="external free"
rel="nofollow">http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html</a>)], via Wikimedia Commons. En:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Paralelos_notables1.png
17. Mapa físico: http://recursostic.educacion.es/bancoimagenes/web/. Autor: Antonio Ortega Moreno.
18. Mapa temático “More and Less developed regions”:
http://www.maps.com/ref_map.aspx?cid=679,1037&pid=12875
19. Leyenda: http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0027-map-key-and-scale.php
20. Escala gráfica: http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0028-map-scale-types.php
21. Mapas España en tres escalas. http://recursostic.educacion.es/bancoimagenes/web/ Licencia Creative
Commons.
22. Atlas. Autor: thenoodleator. Licencia CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, en
http://www.flickr.com/photos/noodle/2507241722/sizes/l/in/photostream/
23. Mapa de Europa: By User:Highpriority [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via
Wikimedia Commons. En: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Europe_capitals_map.png

CIENCIAS SOCIALES 31