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Subjects

• Arts & Humanities
  Visual Arts
• Educational Technology
• Science
  Physical Science, Earth Science, Space Science
• Social Studies
  Geography

Grades

• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-12

Brief Description

Students use photo images from space to create a large map of Earth! They then find where they live and label some other places they know.

Objectives

• be exposed to a Web resource that allows them to view photo images of Earth taken from space,
• search for a photo that shows their neighborhood from space,
• put together a large map made of images from space,
• use library or Internet atlases and other resources to identify and label on their maps landforms, bodies of water, and other features.

Keywords

map, world, atlas, photography, space, astronaut, Earth, longitude, latitude, landform, oceans, features

Materials Needed

• an overhead projector connected to the Internet (optional)
• Internet access or printed sections of the clickable map of Earth from space (alternative sources are listed in Lesson Plan section)
• tape or glue and large sheets of kraft paper
• online or library atlases and other map sources

Lesson Plan

Arrange students into groups of four. Explain that each student will be responsible for printing one-quarter of the map (12 of the 48 sections) and attaching those 12 sections to a large sheet of kraft paper. Each student then should use library or Internet atlases/resources to identify and label at least ten specific places, landforms, or water features on the map.

Younger students can identify continents, countries, and major bodies of water. Older students can identify more detailed locations (for example, cities, the equator or other marks of longitude or latitude, or small bodies of water).

Next, have each student in a group exchange his or her map with another member of the group; each student should label five more places or features on the piece of the map he or she receives. Then ask the four students in each group to join their sections to create a large world map.

Finally, have two groups of students compare their maps. What different places or features did members of each group identify? Were all the places correctly identified?

Earth from Space: Astronaut Views of the Home Planet
Click on the map to see photographs of Earth from the space shuttle.

TerraFly
Insert a street name and ZIP Code to see a view of a specific neighborhood from a space satellite.

Assessment

Lesson Plan Source

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

FINE ARTS: Visual Arts

• GRADES K - 4
  NA-VA.K-4.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

• GRADES 5 - 8
  NA-VA.5-8.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

• GRADES 9 - 12
  NA-VA.9-12.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
  

• GRADES K - 12
  NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills

• GRADES K - 4
  NS.K-4.4 Earth and Space Science
  NS.K-4.5 Science and Technology

• GRADES 5 - 8
  NS.5-8.4 Earth and Space Science
  NS.5-8.5 Science and Technology

• GRADES 9 - 12
  NS.9-12.4 Earth and Space Science
  NS.9-12.5 Science and Technology

• GRADES K - 12
  NSS-G.K-12.1 The World in Spatial Terms
  NSS-G.K-12.2 Places and Regions

• GRADES K - 12
  NT.K-12.1 Basic Operations and Concepts
  NT.K-12.5 Technology Research tools

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