Theme: Location

Objectives: To be able to use special parallels to correctly locate continents.
                  To understand the terms "Low",  "Middle", and "High" latitudes

Materials/Resources:  Atlas for each student.
                                  Tape, ribbon, balloons (one for each pair of students)
                                   Markers (one blue and one black for each pair of students)

Procedures:
 1. Use tape to secure ribbon and divide the room in half to identify the northern and southern hemispheres. Ask students to identify which "hemisphere" they are sitting in. Students are the asked to name a "country" they could be.

2. Other special parallels: Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Arctic Circle, Antarctic Circle are added and students again are asked to name a "country" they could be in depending on their location. The idea of low, middle and high latitudes is introduced.

3. The Prime Meridian is added and students are again asked to name which "hemispheres" they are sitting in.

4. Students are grouped into pairs and each pair is given a balloon, and  blue and black markers. Students inflate the balloon, then add special parallels using the black markers. Students then use the blue marker to draw on continents using the world map in the atlas for reference and the special parallels as a guide.

Homework: Students are asked to color a world map identifying the low, middle, and high latitude regions of the world.