Today's Classroom Activities :

Exploring the Globe

Go Santa!
Poetry/Geography Enjoy the following poem together, taking note of the rhythm, the rhyming and the geography included within it. After reading the poem, give groups of students maps or atlases and challenge the class to find all the places mentioned in the poem. Then rewrite the poem together, substituting different destinations. Try to choose destinations that will rhyme with other words in the poem.

Hip! Hip! Hooray!

by Beverly McLoughland

Hip! Hip! Hooray!
For Santa C.
He knows the way
To you and me.

No matter where
On earth we are –
From Paris, France
To Zanzibar,

From New York City
To Santa Fe,
He never, ever
Goes astray

Or has to stop
On Christmas night
To ask if it's
A left or right

To Montreal
Or Tokyo –
At longitude
He is a pro.

Hip! Hip! Hooray! For Santa C.
Good thing he aced
Geography.

Where in the World? Using a Geographic Perspective to Identify Destinations for a Class Trip
In this lesson, students will use a geographic perspective in identifying and comparing features of physical and political maps of the world. They will use information from these map sources, as well as other National Geographic resources, to make decisions about the best place to go on a class trip. Once students identify this place, they will relay their findings in a presentation designed to convince the principal that it’s an ideal place for a class trip.

Finding Your Spot in the World
How better to introduce students to maps, location and movement than to see exactly where their house is located and where their ancestors have lived. This activity does that.

Crisscrossing the Country: Plan a Trip!
Students plan a trip to five national landmarks! The student work sheet is provided.

Map Making
This activity acquaints students with some of the problems associated with map making, especially with transferring a round shape into a flat shape. It also raises their awareness of location of continents, latitude and longitude, and other map skills.