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PRIMARY TEACHER’S GUIDE FOR USE WITH WORLD PIN MAPS

Written By Doris Jones PRIMARY GUIDE FOR WORLD PIN MAP (AGES 3-6) You will use your map to introduce continents, equator, compass rose, cardinal directions and biomes to young children. No pins, flag labels, or foam board are needed. The flag labels are only used as an extension for beginning readers after they have become familiar with the map. You may choose to present continents or biomes first on the World pin map or you may begin with biomes on the North America map. There is a beginner's lesson for each. Go to page 17 if you wish to present continents and oceans first.

Lesson on care of the pin map Lesson on care of the pin map Maps can be torn or bent. Never step on the map. Care must be taken not to bump into furniture, walls, or another person when carrying the map. The map must always be placed carefully on a flat surface such as a table or rug supported by cardboard on the floor. Do not try to use the map unless you have room to lay it flat. Do not lay papers on the map or use it as support for writing or coloring. Never write or color on the map. Make sure to return the map to its place where it will not be bumped or bent. Teachers, please remember there are replacements for every pin map for $9.98 each.

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WORLD BIOMES (AGES 3-6) You will use the biome sorting cards found in the free teaching materials, but since you will be presenting a lesson on each biome, save the cards to present one set at a time during the biome lessons.

Photos by Deb Chitwood, Living Montessori Now

Lesson I: Biomes Introduce the word "BIOME" and the biome pictures along the bottom of the World pin map. Print and cut out the biome picture cards (next page). Materials needed are World pin map and a set of picture cards below. Invite the children to observe a lesson on the biomes.  Present the World pin map and explain that the map shapes represent real places and the colors show places on the earth where different kinds of plants and animals live.  Invite the children to look at the pictures at the bottom of the map.  Explain that because some places on the earth are cold and others are hot, different kinds of plants and animals are found in different places.  These places where we find different kinds of plants and animals are called BIOMES. o There are ten biomes on the pin maps. Invite the children to read the names of the biomes or read the names to them.  Point out the band of color above each picture and explain that that is the color of the biome on the pin map.  There are no real boundaries for biomes and the same kind of biome can be found in many places on the earth.  The pin map makes it possible to see where these biomes are by matching the shades of color.  Show the children the set you have printed, which are the same pictures as those on the map. o Invite a child to take the ice sheet picture card and lay it on the map where he sees the ice sheet. o Repeat with each card. Tundra is always next to the ice sheets because it is cold and only small plants can grow. o It is difficult for young children to differentiate the shades of green for the rain, deciduous, and coniferous forests. Tell them that as long as they come close on the shade, it is okay. There are three kinds of forests and they will learn more about them later. o Grasslands are more yellow-green on the map and children will be able to pick these out. o Children will notice that there are several deserts on the earth. o They will find several mountain ranges.

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o Explain that fresh water is found in rivers and lakes. They will enjoy looking for the bright blue on the map. o The last picture of salt water will be easy, and a good place to end this lesson. Explain that the salt water is found in oceans and seas.

Follow up Place the picture cards which match the map pictures with the map on the shelf and the children will enjoy matching the pictures with places on the map.

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Lesson II: Ice Sheet ICE SHEETS are near the North and South poles. They are very thick sheets of ice. It is freezing all year. You will use the World pin map and the six ice sheet matching cards (next page or find larger cards in the Free Teaching Materials). You may have three part cards of polar animals or pictures of animals, use miniature toy animals if they are available. You also will use the globe.

Presenting the Ice Sheet Show the children the photo cards of the ice sheet. Ask the children  Would you like to visit the ice sheets? Why or why not?  What would you wear if you went there?  Why do you think the penguins are by the water? They eat fish.  What would you eat if you lived there?  Do you think all of the snow melts in the summer? No, it does not get warm enough for all the snow and ice to melt even in the summer. Invite the children to think of an animal that lives on the ice sheets.  Show them a photos of a polar bear, penguin, walrus, and seal or animal miniatures. Explain that plants cannot grow on the ice sheets so the only food for the animals must come from the ocean.

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Invite the child to put an animal or picture of an animal on each of the ice sheet picture cards. Explain that there are months of the year when the sun does not shine so the ice cannot melt. Ice bergs form when the ice sheet breaks off in the water. Use a globe to find the ice sheets at the North and South Poles. Follow up The children will use the miniature toy animals, pictures, and sorting cards with the pin map. Extension Lesson Place a blue piece of paper on a tray to represent the ocean. Allow the child to cover it with goldfish crackers, and provide cotton balls or white paper to cover the goldfish crackers. The child will begin to visualize the food supply for penguins and seals and the carnivorous polar bears as he plays with the animals diving for fish.

Lesson III: Tundra TUNDRA has snow and ice most of the year. There is a short summer when small plants can grow. You will use the World pin map, miniature toy animals, animal picture cards of the reindeer and arctic hare, three part cards, and the six tundra sorting cards and map shade card. You may also want to do this activity:

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Presenting the Tundra Biome Show the children the photo cards of the tundra. Ask the children  Would you like to visit the tundra? Why or why not?  Do you think the snow melts in the summer in the tundra? Yes  Which pictures show summer?  Do you see any trees? No, summer is too short for trees to grow.  Do you think the white color of the fur on the fox helps him in the winter? Camouflage. Invite the children to think of an animal that lives where it is very cold but during the summer months some plants can grow. (Grizzly bear, wolf, arctic fox, snowy owl, bald eagle)  Show them the arctic hare, reindeer, and grizzly bear picture cards. If you have miniature animals or three part cards of tundra animals, talk about each one with the children. This is a good time to explain the word camouflage and discuss that many animals turn white in the winter and are grey or brown during the summer. Examples are the snowy owl, the arctic fox and the arctic hare. Follow up Children will add the tundra cards to the ice sheet cards and begin sorting them with the control cards. They will play with the toy animals or animal pictures on the pin map. Extension Lesson Use peat moss from the dollar store or invite the child to collect moss outside to cover the bottom of a tray. Provide small twigs or toothpicks to help the child visualize land with no trees. Invite the child to cut white paper into small pieces, tear white tissue paper, or sprinkle salt for falling snow. Use toy animals in the tray.

Lesson IV: Rain Forest RAIN FORESTS near the equator are hot and wet all year. They have very tall trees, vines and hundreds of kinds of plants. You will use the World pin map, the six rain forest sorting cards and map card, animal picture cards for the monkey and the gorilla, miniature toy animals and three part cards of the rain forest. You will also use a piece of string or yarn. You may also want to do this activity:

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Presenting the Rain Forest Biome Use the six rain forest sorting cards and help the children recognize the shade of green along the equator for rain forests on the pin map. Ask the children  Would you like to visit the rain forest? Why or why not?  What would you wear in the rain forest?  What would you eat in the rain forest?  Would you want to swim in the rivers in the rain forests? Crocodiles and snakes  Would you like to swing from the vines? Explain to the children that rain forests are found along the equator. Ask them to find the dotted black line that runs across the middle of the World pin map.  Place a piece of string or yarn along this line to help them visualize it. Children like to hold the ends of the string.  Explain that there is the equator is an imaginary line that divides the top half of the world from the bottom half.  Show the children on the globe the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.  Explain to the children that the sun shines directly on the equator all year long while there is half of the year that the North and South Poles get almost no sunlight. Ask the children what animals live in the rain forest. Discuss the animals and show pictures or use miniature animals. Ask the children to place the animals along the equator. (Rain forests are found only on land!!) Follow up The children will add the rain forest sorting cards to the ice sheet and tundra cards. They will play with the miniature rain forest animals or picture cards on the pin map. Extension Lesson Use plastic vines and flowers from the dollar store in a waterproof tray. Let the children use a spray bottle of water for rain. Use the miniature plastic animals in the tray.

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Lesson V: Coniferous Forest The CONIFEROUS FOREST is cool and dry in the summer and very cold in the winter. There are evergreen trees with needle-like leaves, which do not fall during the winter. You will use the World pin map, the six biome sorting cards for coniferous forest and the map card, animal cards for the porcupine, grizzly bear, and beaver. Three part forest animal cards or miniature animals.

Presenting the Coniferous Forest Biome Introduce coniferous forest and explain that these trees are always green and do not lose their needles in the autumn. Explain that coniferous forests are in cooler climates, just below the tundra on the World pin map. Use the map card with the six coniferous forest cards to help the children match the green of the coniferous forests on the pin map. A good place to see this is in northern Canada and Russia. Ask the children  Would you like to visit the coniferous forest?  Why do you think people get lost there?  Do you think it snows in the winter?  What color are the trees in the summer? In the winter?  Why do you see pine cones in the picture? Discuss animals live in the evergreen forests.

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Follow up Add the six coniferous forest cards to the collection of biome sorting cards. The children will play with the toy animals or lay the animal cards on the pin map. Extension Lesson Help the child collect small evergreen branches, needles and cones if you have evergreen shrubs or trees. If not, use Christmas decorations with pine cones. The child will play with them with the forest animals.

Lesson VI: Deciduous Forest DECIDUOUS FORESTS have four seasons. The trees grow new leaves in the spring and lose their leaves in the fall. They have warm summers and cold winters. You will use the World pin map, six sorting cards for deciduous forest and the map card, animal cards for the panda, wild boar, koala, and Tasmanian devil. Use miniature toy animals and three part cards if available.

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Presenting the Deciduous Forest Biome Show children the six pictures of deciduous forests and use the map card to help them find the shade of green on the pin map. Most of Europe is deciduous forest and the eastern part of the United States. Ask the children  Would you like to visit a deciduous forest? Why or why not?  Could you see the beautiful colored leaves in the summer?  What do the trees look like in the winter?  When will the trees be green again?  What animals could you see in the forest? Explain to the children that trees in the deciduous forest lose all their leave in the fall. All winter they are bare and in the spring new leaves grow. Discuss forest animals such as the squirrel and deer that live in deciduous forests. Follow up Children like to draw and color trees with fall colored leaves. Add the deciduous forest cards to the biome sorting cards on the shelf. Children will play with miniature toy animals or animal pictures on the pin map. Extension Lesson Use play dough to stand bare twigs for trees in a tray. Make little balls of red, green, and yellow play dough to place under the twigs for fall leaves. You may choose instead to make balls with tissue paper, or use red, green, and yellow dollar store Pom-poms for leaves.

Lesson VII: Grasslands GRASSLANDS are where grass grows, but it is too dry for forests. Most have four seasons, except grasslands near the equator where it is hot year-round. You will use the pin map, the six grassland biome cards and the map card, animal cards of the zebra, lion, yak, water buffalo, and kangaroo. Use miniature toy animals or animal pictures or three part cards. Children may use farm animals with this biome, also.

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Presenting the Grassland Biome Give the children the six grassland biome cards and the map card and help them find the shade of yellow-green of the grasslands on each continent of the pin map. Ask the children  Would you like to visit the grasslands?  Do we have zebras in the grasslands in North America? What do we see in North American grasslands? Cows, buffalo, horses  Does it get cold in the grasslands? Yes, most have summer and winter weather  What kind of work do people do in grasslands? Farmers and ranchers  Why do you think it is hard for trees to grow in grasslands? Not enough rain Explain that herbivores are the grazing animals on the grasslands and carnivores also live on the grasslands and eat herbivores. Explain that grasslands are found on every continent except Antarctica. In Africa they are called savannas, in Asia, steppes, in South America, pampas, and in North America, prairies. Different animals live in the grasslands in different continents.  Discuss the African animals, domestic animals, buffalo or bison, yak, and prairie dogs.  Explain the word safari to the children and ask them what animals they would see on a safari. Grasslands are too dry for forests but there are trees near rivers in the grasslands. Follow up Add the six grassland cards to the biome sorting cards. Children will enjoy playing with the safari animals or animal cards on the pin map Extension Lesson If you have access to grass, the child may wish to pick some for a tray to play with his toy animals. You may use Easter grass, shred green tissue paper, or have the child practice cutting thin strips of green paper for grass. Children may sort animal crackers to find animals that eat grass and animals that are carnivores.

Lesson VIII: Deserts DESERTS are always dry and only a few plants can grow. They may be hot or cold.

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You will need the World pin map, six biome sorting pictures of desert and the map card, animal picture cards of the rattlesnake and camel, and miniature desert animals or three part cards or pictures of desert animals.

Presenting the Desert Biome Look at the six biome sorting cards for the desert and find the deserts on the pin map. Ask the children  Would you like to visit the desert? Why or why not?  Do any plants grow in the desert? Cactus and trees in the oasis  What would you be walking on in the desert? Sand and rocks  What would you have to take with you if you went for a hike in the desert?  What would you wear in the desert? Hat, sun glasses, sun screen Explain that it almost never rains in the desert and plants do not grow. Some people live in the deserts but most of the desert in uninhabited because there is no water. Discuss an oasis. Explain that some deserts have small plants but these plants have thorns to protect them from being eaten by desert animals like rabbits. Discuss cactus and desert animals. Follow up Add the desert cards to the collection of biome sorting cards. Children may want to draw a cactus with spines or a snake. They will play with toy desert animals or picture cards on the pin map.

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Extension Lesson You may wish to use sand to shape dunes and place the miniature toy desert animals in the sand. Instead, the child can practice cutting tan paper into very small pieces for sand. The child may cut green paper into small squares and blue paper into small circles that fit on the green paper. These are oases and are placed on the sand or brown paper. Children may male snakes out of play dough to put in the sand. Have a water bottle or cup on the table or desk for the teacher and for the child. This helps the child visualize the dryness of the desert as both the teacher and the children take frequent drinks during the presentation.

Lesson IX: Mountains MOUNTAINS have grass on the foothills and as you move up there are forests. The mountain tops are cold and covered with snow and ice. You will need the World pin map, the six sorting cards and map card of mountains, animal card picture of the llama, miniature toy animals such as a goat, a rabbit, an eagle, a mountain lion or a sheep, three part cards or animal pictures.

Presenting the Mountain Biome Explain to children that the mountain biomes on the map look like wrinkles and use the map card with the six mountain sorting cards to locate mountains on the pin map.

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Ask the children  Would you like to climb a mountain?  What kind of clothes would you need if you were on a high mountain?  Do you think it snows in the mountains?  Do people climb the rock sides of a mountain? What do they need? Ropes, helmet, harness, special shoes  Do animals live on the mountains? Sheep, rabbits, mountain lions When children look closely at the mountains on the map, they can see the top ridges of the high mountains and mountains which are spread out are not as high. Point out the highest mountains in the world above India, the Himalayas. Explain that as you climb a mountain, the temperature gets colder until you reach snow on the tallest mountains. Usually you begin your climb in grasslands or deciduous forest, climb through coniferous forest, then tundra where there are no trees and finally to the ice on top. Discuss different kinds of plants and animals that live at different elevations of the mountain. Follow up Add the mountain cards to the biome sorting cards. Children like to draw mountains. Children will play with toy mountain animals or animal pictures on the pin map. Extension Lesson Make a stack of books, largest on the bottom and smallest on top. Leave room around each book to place toy animals. Cover the books with green cloth, a tee shirt or pjs will work. Invite the child to fold white paper to make the snow cap over the top of the mountain.

Lesson X: Fresh Water and Salt Water FRESH WATER does not have salt in it. It includes lakes, rivers, streams, ponds and wetlands.

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SALT WATER is found in the oceans, seas and a few lakes. Most of the water on the earth is salt water.

You will need the pin map, the biome sorting cards, fresh and salt water and the map card for each. Also, you will use a globe, animal cards for the seal and crocodiles, and miniature toy animals or animal pictures.

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Presenting Fresh and Salt Water Biomes Use the map card with the six fresh water sorting cards to locate DARK BLUE FRESH WATER on the pin map. Ask the children  Where do you think you would find fresh water? Lakes, rivers, ponds  Would you like to visit a lake or river? Why or why not?  How do people get from one shore to the other of a lake or river? Boat, bridge or swim  What lives on the shores of lakes? Frogs, turtles, animals that come there to drink  What animals live in the lakes and rivers? Fish, otters, alligators Use the map card with the six fresh water sorting cards to locate LIGHT BLUE SALT WATER on the pin map. Ask the children  Where would you find salt water?  Would you like to visit salt water?  How do people get across oceans?  What do people do on the shores of oceans?  What lives in the oceans? Sort toy animals or animal pictures into fresh and salt water biome piles.  Explain to children that salt water fish die if they are put into fresh water and fresh water fish die in salt water.  We get sick if we drink salt water because our bodies only use fresh water. Give the children the two sets of water biome cards. Help them sort them into fresh water and salt water sets. Explain that salt water is found in oceans and seas and fresh water is in lakes, rivers, and ponds. Show the children the globe and ask them if we have more salt water or fresh water on the earth. Invite the children to find the fresh water on the pin map. Ask them to use their finger to trace the oceans around all of the continents on the pin map. Follow up Children will now have the complete set of biome sorting cards on the shelf. They may sort toy animals or animal pictures into the ten different biomes and place them on the map. Extension Lesson Use a plastic table cloth, sink, or outside for this activity. Fill a large pan or bowl with water. The child will want to put his toy water animals in the water. Explain that this is fresh water and not all kinds of water animals can live in it. Help the child sort toy animals or animal pictures into two piles. Whales, dolphins, sharks, coral, and some kinds of fish only live in salt water. Some kinds of fish, alligators, crocodiles, and frogs only live in fresh water. The child may put the fresh water toy animals into the water. Ask the child to take these animals out of the water and pour salt into the water. He may wish to stir it with his finger and taste the salt water on his finger. If you have a group of children, give each of them a small cup of water and let him add salt and taste it on his finger. Now he can put the toy shark and whales into the salt water. MORE ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHING THE BIOMES (AGES 3-6) Presenting the biomes with the explorer When you present the biome lessons, may wish to have a little explorer figure in addition to the miniature animals. He/she is placed on the part of the map you will present that day. This helps the child understand location and to review places on the map which you have already presented. Game figures from Candyland, peg

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people or Lego people work well. To help the young child understand distances on the map, a toy ship, plane and car may also be used with the explorer. The explorer should get into the car to drive distances on land unless he is hiking. He must get on the plane or ship if he is traveling from one continent to another. The explorer needs a blanket (a tissue will work.) Put the explorer to sleep and wake him up to show children how long it will take him to get to his new destination on the map. This is an aid to help the child understand that the map represents a very large area and that the continents and oceans are very big. Using the sense of taste to teach the biomes When you give a lesson on a new biome, you may wish to prepare a snack or lunch for the child to help him use another of his senses. A water bottle and raisins or dates for the desert, banana for the rainforest, hot cocoa or tea for the ice sheet, for the ocean a tuna sandwich, a picnic lunch for the deciduous and coniferous forests, blueberries or jerky for the tundra, chips for the mountain (must carry something light up a steep climb), and granola bar (grains) for grasslands. This gives the child the opportunity to learn with the sense of taste and to understand that animals and humans eat different food in different biomes. Providing dress-up and tools for the biomes Children like to dress up for the biome. Have a box with flip-flops, boots, high socks, visor hats, warm hats and mittens, a sleeping bag, toy camera, toy telescope, magnifying glass, life jacket, water goggles, sun glasses, butterfly net, flashlight, coat, rain coat, compass, umbrella and a backpack

WORLD GEOGRAPHY (AGES 3-6)

Lesson I: Continents You will need the World Continents and Oceans control map, the World pin map, and continent boxes or picture folders of the continents as well as the puzzle map of the continents. Invite the children to a lesson about the continents of the World. Present the control map and pass it around if you wish.  Ask the children if the colors look familiar (they are the colors of the Montessori puzzle map of the World)  If you have the puzzle map if the World, invite the children to match the continents by color on the puzzle map with the continents on the control map. Point to each continent on the control map and say its name.  Invite the child to point to the continent on the control map as you say its name.  Invite the child to point to the continents on the control map himself and say their names.  Invite the children to trace the borders of the continents with their finger. Invite the children to look at the World pin map and compare it to the control map. Skip this part if children have had the biome lessons and are familiar with the map.  Children will ask about the pictures and map legend at the bottom of the map. o Explain that the colors on the pin map are the real colors of the earth and oceans and are not one color as they are on the puzzle maps.  Without going into details about biomes, take a few minutes to discuss the colors on the pin map.

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Invite the children to match the colors above the pictures at the bottom of the pin map with the colors on the map and understand what each color represents. At this point all the greens of the forests represent trees and the yellow green represents grassland.

When the children have become familiar with the colors of the pin map ask them if they can recognize any of the continents on the pin map. Invite the children to point to the continents on the pin map.  Invite the child to say the names of the continents as you point to them on the World pin map.  Invite the child to point to the continents on the World pin map himself and say their names.  Invite the child to trace around the continents on the World pin map with his finger. Follow-up Activities After these lessons, children may choose to place pieces from the continent puzzle map on the continents of the pin map. They may also be encouraged to use the continent boxes or continent picture folders to lay on the continents of the pin map. They may also use the three part cards of the continents to lay on the pin map. Extension Lesson If children recognize letters and are beginning readers, present a lesson using the green continent flag labels. They will use the control map to check their work when the labels have been placed on the pin map.

Lesson II: Oceans Repeat the continent lesson with the FIVE OCEANS of the World, first on the control map and then on the World pin map. Follow up activities for the lesson on the oceans include using MINIATURE OCEAN ANIMALS or three part cards of the oceans to lay on the pin map. Early readers may place the flags on the oceans and check them with the control map.

Lesson III: Compass Rose You will need the World pin map, the control map, a globe and, if available, three part cards on the compass rose and directions. You may wish to review the compass rose with three part cards before proceeding with this lesson. Invite the children to look at the compass rose on the control map of the world.  Explain to the children that the compass rose is a symbol and is printed on every map to show directions.  Explain that the directions, North, South, East, and West are the cardinal directions and that the compass rose always points in these directions.  Discuss North and South poles and locate them on the globe.  Explain that North is always at the top of the map and South is always at the bottom of the map but that the map may not include the poles. Only the North America pin map has the North Pole and none of the pin maps have the South Pole.  Explain that West is always on the left side of the map and East is on the right side of the map.

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Invite the child to point to North on the compass rose on the control map. Repeat with the other cardinal directions. Invite the child to look at the World pin map and find these directions on the compass rose as you name them. Invite the child to point to the compass rose himself and say the direction of each point. Invite the child to point to the part of the pin map that is represented by each of the directions and say its name. Follow up activities Children may make cards with N, S, W, and E and place them on the map. They may also make arrow cards to show directions on the map. Extension lesson will allow early readers to put the flag labels for directions on the pin map. .

Lesson IV: Equator and Hemispheres You will need the World pin map, a globe, any teaching aids of the hemispheres or three part cards and piece of string to lay along the equator. Invite the children to look at the World pin map and find the dotted black line that runs  East and West across the middle of the map.  Explain that this line is called the Equator.  Explain that the other lines have names and the children will learn them at a later time. Invite the children to trace the Equator with their finger and repeat the name. Invite the children to lay the string along the Equator.  Explain that the Equator is not a real place but an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth.  Explain that the imaginary line of the Equator helps us divide the top and bottom halves of the Earth.  If you wish, point out the Equator around the globe and explain the word: hemi-sphere means half of a sphere. Invite the children to point to the top hemisphere. Explain that this is called the Northern Hemisphere.  Repeat with the Southern Hemisphere. Invite the children to point to each hemisphere on the World pin map and repeat its name. Follow up activities Children may cut strips of paper to lay along the Equator. They may write an N and S on pieces of paper and place them on the hemispheres. Early readers will add the flag for the Equator to their flags and practice laying all of the flags out on the pin map and checking them with the control map.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Doris Jones I am a science teacher with over thirty years’ experience. I graduated summa cum laude from North Park University in Chicago with a degree in biology and earth science and earned my Masters in Science Education at Illinois University. From experience, I know science concepts and terms are taught best with hands-on activities. While teaching in public schools, I team-taught with the geography teacher. My love for learning has inspired me to create a blended curriculum for Pin It! Maps, LLC.

PHOTOGRAPHY Chitwood, Deb., Living Montessori Now, World pin map with Toob animals on page 2 -- All Rights Reserved.