Activity
1. Hand out a 2-dimensional world map to each of the students. To obtain a world map:

• go to www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/
• click on world map (basic) and country borders (off)
• scroll to bottom of page and click enlarge.

2. Ask students the following questions:

• Who can name the 7 continents?
• Who can identify the oceans?
• What continent appears to be at the top of the map?
• What continent appears to be at the bottom of the map?
• Where is the North Pole? South Pole?
• Which continent(s) appear(s) to be in the center of the map?
• Why do you think the map is drawn this way? Allow students to brainstorm on possible answers. Tell them we will look at the answer to this question later.

* A key for teachers can be obtained by clicking on detailed and country borders (on)

3. Give each student an orange and a black ink felt-tip pen.

• Instruct students to draw the world on their orange using the 2-dimensional map as a guide.

4. After student have completed this activity discuss the following questions:

• Compare the map you have drawn with the 2-dimensional map; what are some differences between the two maps?
• Which continent is at the top of the orange? The bottom? The center?
• Are the South Pole and North Pole on the same locations on your orange as on the 2-dimensional map? What determines the location of the two poles?
• If you were to peel your orange so that you could lay the map flat on your desk, how might the shape of the continents change?
• Instead of starting to peel the orange skin away somewhere in the Pacific try peeling it from another perspective.

Closure
Tell students that map makers create maps for different purposes. For what purpose might a flat 2-dimensional map serve as opposed to a globe?

Embedded Assessment
1. Discussion questions allow for assessment of students’ understanding of the need for different types of map and how 2-dimensional and cylindrical maps can provide different information.