Activity Extra

En"compass"ing the World
As vacation time approaches along with travel plans, challenge students in middle through high school to find their way around the world in this multiple-step activity. They will need to read carefully so that they can find the location referred to in the last part of the questions (generally using an encyclopedia) and then checking an atlas for the required answer.
Make the activity competitive by dividing the class into teams or giving a prize to the first one(s) with correct answers. Add another level of difficulty by having students create their own multiple-step "compass" problems.
Find the following:

Capital northwest of the city where the Eiffel Tower is located.
State north of where the Cherry Blossom Festival occurs.
Sea north of the country where Anne Frank wrote her diary.
Second largest city in the state located in the southwest of the Four Corners.
Sea southeast of where the Bactrian camel lives.
Capital of country southeast of where the Aborigines live.
Large lake in territory due north of where the Calgary Stampede is held.
Body of water east of the city named by Goncalo Coelho.
Former name of country northwest of where Angkor Wat is located.
Sea west of the country where Shah Jahan built a famous tomb.
Capital of country northeast of where Robert Louis Stevenson was born.
Gulf in northwest corner of the country that celebrates Cinco de Mayo.
Mountain range that is the western border of the country whose official capital is Sucre
Capital of country touching the northern border of the country where Lake Victoria is located.
Former name of the largest city in the country due north of the Valley of the Kings.

Answers

London--northwest of Paris
Maryland--Washington D.C
North Sea--Netherlands
Tucson, AZ--Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico
Yellow Sea--Gobi Desert
Wellington (New Zealand)--Australia
Great Slave Lake or Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territory--Calgary, Alberta
Atlantic Ocean--Rio de Janeiro
Siam (Thailand)--Cambodia
Arabian Sea--India (Taj Mahal)
Oslo (Norway)--Edinburgh (Scotland)
Gulf of California (Golfo de California)--Mexico
Andes Mountains--Bolivia
Khartoum (Sudan)--Tanzania
Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey)--Egypt

This article first appeared in the June 2003 issue

Previous issues
Spring 2008
Woman's world
To celebrate National Woman's History Month, work with middle and high school English teachers on this activity which not only highlights contributions of women but also serves as an excellent research skills assessment. For the first part of the project students can scan resources on women and on specific fields such as theater history for No. 3 in order to select the person who will complete the sentence, "I am..." In the process, they develop the ability to skim print material and choose information that fits a requirement. They next must locate two items that complete the given sentences and at the same time provide clues that another researcher can use to find the solution.
In Part Two, students exchange papers and now they must use the clues to identify the woman. Adding to the challenge is finding something special about the person to complete the activity. Observing how they go about both parts and the quality of the clues and final sentence serve as indicators for what research skills need polishing.
Take this one step further by having students create their own sentences for Part One following the pattern and once again letting someone else identify the woman. The answers given below represent one possibility among many that are equally good. You could substitute Dorothea Lange or Diane Arbus for Margaret Bourke-White, Sally Ride for Christa McAuliffe, Louisa May Alcott for Harriet Beecher Stowe or numerous others.

Directions
First person: Use the first sentence to select a woman who fits the description. Research her and fill in the blanks in the next two sentences. Hand your paper to someone else.
Second person: Identify the woman based on the clues. Add an interesting fact about her.

I was at the Seneca Falls Women's Rights convention.
I became involved because _______________________. My first name is _______________________________. I am _______________________________ Something else about me is ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
I am a writer living in the 19th century.
My stories are considered to be _____________________. The title of one of my books is _____________________ . I am _______________________________ Something else about me is ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
I am an actress living in the 19th century.
I was born in __________________________________ . My first name is _______________________________. I am _______________________________ Something else about me is ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
I am an astronaut.
My accomplishment is ________________________ . The spacecraft I am associated with is _____________ . I am _______________________________ Something else about me is ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
I am a photographer living in the first half of the 20th century.
A time period or location I am known for is ________________. One of my famous works is __________________________. I am _______________________________ Something else about me is ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
I am a Nobel Laureate.
The field for which I received the prize is __________________________. What I specifically did was _____________________________________. I am _______________________________ Something else about me is ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Possible answers

Not allowed to be seated as a U.S. representative at the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840; Elizabeth; Elizabeth Cady Stanton; had seven children.
Realistic; Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Harriet Beecher Stowe; President Lincoln said I started the Civil War.
France, Sarah; Sarah Bernhard; Known as "The Divine Sarah"
Bringing space exploration to the classroom; Challenger; Christa McAuliffe; the explosion that killed me and the six others made everyone aware that space exploration carried great risks.
World War II; photos taken at Buchenwald; Margaret Bourke-White; did a photo-essay on the Depression in the South with husband/author Erskine Caldwell doing the text.
Physiology/Medicine; use radioactive traces in the body to make medical diagnoses; Rosalyn Yalow; was the only woman in 1941 among the 400 members of the Engineering Faculty at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

This article first appeared in the March 2003 issue

Winter 2008: Research to go: A question of climate

Define the difference between climate and weather.

Name the climate zones and determine which is most suited to human life.

Explain what causes climatic variations on earth.

Review historic climatic changes (ice ages and thaws).

Tell how mountain building caused long-term climatic effects.

Describe the short-term influence of a major volcanic eruption and give examples.

Explore the effects of ocean circulation changes on climate (El Niño and La Niña)

Identify methods for studying climate.

Explain the purpose of climatology.
Present an overview of the global warming issue.

Possible answers (in brief)

Climate vs. weather: Climate is weather averaged over a long period of time.
Climate zones: Kõppen’s classification system (there are others) lists 5 major zones: moist tropical, dry, humid, middle latitude, continental, and cold. Further breakdowns exist which incorporate more common headings such as desert, taiga, boreal forest, etc. Answers will vary as to which is most conducive to human life although extremes of cold and dry are obviously least suited.
Causes of climatic variations: Distance from the equator, altitude above sea level, surface features, proximity to oceans and large bodies of water, atmospheric circulation.
Historic climatic changes: Scientists refer to ice ages as glacial epochs with the earliest occurring about 2.3 billion years ago and the most recent (the Pleistocene which incorporated several ice ages) which began about 55 million years ago, ending 11,500 years ago. Glacial epochs typically last 20-50 million years with interglacial periods of 10,000-20,000 years.
Climatic effect of mountain-building: Continental drift causes mountain ranges such as the Alps, Himalayas, and Rockies to grow. These affect wind and precipitation patterns.
Climatic influence of major volcanic eruptions: Eruptions throw large amounts of sulfuric gases and dust into the atmosphere. Sulfur droplets carried by the wind reflect sunlight so less of it reaches earth. High concentrations of dust also block solar radiation causing temperatures to drop. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines probably caused a drop of .5º C in global temperatures. Tambora in Indonesia (1815) lowered temperatures by 3º C, and 1816 was known in the U.S as the year without a summer.
Effects of ocean circulation: El Ni&#ntilde;o occurs every two to seven years when Pacific trade winds weaken or reverse. Ocean temperatures in the western tropical Pacific lower and rise in the eastern tropical Pacific resulting in weather extremes including drought in Hawaii and wet winters along the Gulf of Mexico coast. La Niña causes the reverse conditions with winters warmer than normal in the U.S. Southwest and colder than normal in the Northwest.
Methods for studying climate: The most accurate are records maintained over the past 125 years. To get earlier information, scientists use historic documents, tree rings, fossil plants and animals, and ice cores taken from Polar Regions.
Purpose of climatology: Scientists want to learn about the past and use this knowledge to create computer models for predicting future changes.
Global warming: Gradual rises in world temperatures coupled with other issues such as a reduction in the ozone layer have caused many scientists to believe that burning fossil fuel and other human activities are changing the global climate. The results could have damaging impact on plants and animals unable to survive under the new conditions as well as floods, droughts, and storms which would affect crops, cause famine, and bring disease. Ocean life could also be severely harmed, which would ultimately create additional problems. Efforts to limit global warming are hampered by those who do not believe it is a problem and by the concern that preventative measures are too restrictive on economic development.

This activity first appeared in the New Year 2006 issue

Fall 2007
Peace on Earth
As attention spans dwindle with the approaching holidays, let students through 9th grade have fun with this reference activity that is not always as simple as it appears. The shift from items beginning with a particular letter to finding the same items that end in a different letter will give them practice in following directions. In addition, they will be checking almanacs, encyclopedia cross-references, possibly a bird field guide, and whatever other resources they choose. The message is just a reminder of the spirit of the season.
Have students work in pairs and be prepared to assist. The most difficult is finding countries ending in "T." The two given are the only ones! When they have finished the activity, ask them to discuss where they found their answers. The results, as well as the amount of help you needed to give, will provide an overview assessment of student research skills.

Find the following

2 birds beginning with P
2 countries beginning with E
2 rivers beginning with A
2 flowers beginning with C
2 inventors beginning with E

2 capitals beginning with O
2 capitals ending with N

2 inventors ending with E
2 flowers ending with A
2 rivers ending with R
2 countries ending with T
2 birds ending with H

Possible answers

P--Partridge, Peacock, Ptarmigan, Pigeon
E--El Salvador, Ethiopia, Estonia, Ecuador
A--Amazon (South America), Arkansas (U.S.), Arno (Europe), Avon (Europe)
C--Carnation, Crocus, Chrysanthemum, Candytuft
E--Edison, Thomas A.; Eastman, George; Evans, Oliver; Ericsson, John

O--Ottawa, Ontario (Canada); Oslo, Norway; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Olympia, WA
N--LondoN, England; CopenhageN, Denmark; TeheraN, Iran; EdmontoN, Alberta, (Canada)

E--DeerE, John; MorsE, Samuel F. B.; DaguerrE, Louis J.; YalE, Linus, Jr.; CongrevE, Sir Willliam;
A--BegoniA, ZinniA, DahliA, PetuniA,
R--NigeR (Africa), DnepR (Europe), OdeR (Europe), FraseR (N.A.)
T--EgypT, KuwaiT
H--OstricH, GoldfincH, NuthatcH, FincH

This activity first appeared in the December 2000 issue

In Their Own Words
One of the most famous speeches in American history was given in November by Abraham Lincoln. It was only 300 words long, yet so many of its lines endure. Other great speeches have inspired us through the ages, with passages often quoted and remembered. Some of the most notable are below. With their references, directly or indirectly to freedom and liberty and the battle to preserve them, these ringing words of great orators are most appropriate as a way of marking Thanksgiving Day as well as getting a deeper appreciation of history.
Divide middle through high school students into groups, with each taking just one speech. Once they have completed the question, have them take their information and create posters on that speech. In addition to including the memorable lines, posters should be illustrated with drawings and photocopies that represent the times in which the address was given.

Directions

Find out where these great speeches were given and why.
Determine what important events were occurring at that time.
Locate, if possible, the complete text of the speeches.
Identify their famous lines.

The speeches

March 23, 1775: Speech in Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry
September 17, 1796: Farewell Address by George Washington
Auhust 1810: Confrontation with Indiana Governor William H. Harrison by Tecumseh
November 19, 1863: The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln
March 4, 1933: First Inaugural Address by Franklin D. Roosevelt
June 4, 1940: Speech on Dunkirk by Winston Churchill
January 20, 1961: Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy
August 28, 1963: Speech at the Lincoln Memorial by Martin Luther King, Jr.

This activity first appeared in the November 1998 issue.

Fall 2007: Who am I? An elementary and middle school orientation
The best orientation has students up and doing rather than listening. This month's activity, for grades 3 through 8, has them finding facts on a general topic which leads to a more complicated search at the next session.
After you have welcomed students back, distribute the activity, telling them they will work in groups of 2 or 3 to play a two-part game that reminds them of what they know about the media center. Explain that for each question they need to find an answer that fits the first sentence, such as an inventor living in the U.S. in the 1800s.
They can then locate additional specific information about that inventor (i.e. name of invention and its importance). Their clues will be used at a follow-up class by other groups to figure out who the inventor really is. Therefore they should not fill in "I am ______________," but instead put the correct answer at the bottom of the page, along with where they found the information.
Work through an example with "I am a prehistoric reptile." Once the class has chosen its answer, such as Tyrannosaurus Rex, it can fill in clues:.

I lived in the _______________ period. (Cretaceous)
I ate ________________. (meat, other dinosaurs)
My outstanding characteristics are _____________ (my big teeth [some as long as 6 inches] and that I was the largest carnivore to ever walk the earth.)
The exercise

Who am I?

I am an inventor who lived in the United States in the 1800s.
My invention was ____________________.
It was important because_____________________________________________ .
I am _________________________.

I am a President of the United States born after 1850.
My Vice-President was ________________ .
An important event that happened while I was President was ________________ .
I am _________________________.

I am a state that begins with the letter "A."
My capital is _______________________ .
An important event in my history is ___________________________________ .
I am _________________________.

I am an American League baseball player in the Hall of Fame.
The year I entered the Hall of Fame was ______ .
The team I am famous for playing on is the _____________________________.
I am considered a great player because _________________________________.
I am _________________________.

I am an explorer who sailed for Spain.
I died of ______ in the year _______.
I was searching for _________________________________________________ .
The name(s) of the place (or places) I explored was _________________________. <
I am _________________________.

I am an astronaut.
The name of one of my missions was _____________.
There were _____ other astronauts with me.
My job was ______________________________________________________ .
One of the mission's accomplishments was _____________________________
I am _________________________.

I am an African animal living on the Savanna.
I eat ________________________.
Among my special characteristics are __________________________________ ,
I am _________________________.

I am an artist who lived in France.
My dates are ___________________ .
A famous painting I did is called ______________________________________ .
I am _________________________.
Answers and sources:

Logistics
If you feel it will take too long for students to answer all 8, divide up the questions. Be sure group members put their names at the top of the page and on the bottom of the answer section so that clues and solutions can be easily matched.
To speed the activity along, pull books on inventions, presidents, etc. in advance. Mention any helpful computer programs. Once students get started, move among them asking pointed questions to keep them on track.

This activity appeared in the September 1998 issue.