Time Zones

HGA | Lesson Collection | Literature & Geography Lessons

Time Zones
August 1999
Cynthia W. Nagamine
Grade: 3

Purpose:

Are there differences in the time of day depending on where you are? Could it be 12 o'clock midnight in one country or state and 12 o'clock at noon in another area of the world at the same time? How do we figure out what time it is in all of these different countries? Why do we have these different time zones? Why is this important for me know?

Our 3rd grade curriculum focuses on the study of some of the cultures present here in Hawaii and on the countries that these cultures originated from. (The countries that we focus on are the Philippines, Japan, China, Portugal, and Africa.) Students are encouraged to observe and value the similarities and differences between various cultures and countries. To enrich this curriculum, students will study time zones and the effects that the differences in time have on the Earth and it's countries.

Geographic Themes: Location, Place, Region

Geographic Standards:

Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
Standard 5: That people create regions to interpret Earth's complexity.
Standard 7: The physical processes that shep the patterns of Earth's surface.

Geographic Skills:
Asking geographic questions
Acquiring geographic information
Organizing geographic information
Analyzing geographic information
Answering geographic questions

Objectives: The students will be able to:
1. have a greater understanding of time zones.
2. understand the basic history and purpose in the creation of time zones.
3. use time zone maps to calculate the time/day in a certain area.
4. use the knowledge gained to create a triorama representing some of the different time zones and the culture/environment of that area accurately.

Materials

Literature:

Nine O'Clock Lullaby by Marilyn Singer
Somewhere in the World Right Now by Stacey Schuett

Time Zones of the World maps
Clocks
Chart paper
Markers
Construction paper
Scissors
Crayons
Glue
Blank paper
Pencil

Procedures:

1. Have students discuss and share with the class what they know about time zones and what they would like to know about time zones. Place their responses on chart paper. Have students create a list of things that they've learned about time zones as the lesson progresses. (Note: If students have a difficult time seeing the differences in time zones, use several clocks to show different hours at different places. For example, clock 1 can show 8 a.m. in Hawaii, clock 2 can show 11 a.m. in California, clock 3 can show 7 p.m. in London, etc.)

2. Read Somewhere in the World Right Now to students. Discuss the author's purpose in writing this book. Have students create generalizations about the story: (student samples)

When it's one time here (in Hawaii), the time may be different in other places around the world.

When we're going to sleep at night, some children are going to school.

3. Read the section entitled, A Note to the Reader which can be found in Somewhere in the World Right Now. Have students notate the facts presented in this passage; discuss them with students:

-it takes one day; 24 hours for the Earth to rotate once
-the position of the sun and Earth creates our days and nights
-in 1884 the Earth was divided into 24 equal regions which are called time zones

-an international agreement was made between people from all over the world so that there would be less confusion and better communication between people and countries
-the time zones boundaries are based on geographical and political conditions

-the international date line is where the date changes
-the international date line goes through the Pacific Ocean

4. Show and discuss with students the time zone world map illustrated on inside of the front cover. Distribute to students the time zone world maps. Have students come up with observations. Discuss the purpose of this type of map (versus a physical, political, or population map). How and when could we use this type of map? What are some of the things you've observed?

5. Have students predict and validate what time they think it is right now in Portugal, China, Africa, the Philippines, and Japan (some of the countries that we have already studied).

6. With the students, figure out what time it is in those countries. (Portugal is 9 hours ahead of Hawaii, the Philippines is 18 hours ahead of Hawaii, and Japan is 19 hours ahead of Hawaii. Because of the sheer sizes of Africa and China, these areas have more than one time zone. You may want to focus on the capitals for China and Africa.) Discuss possible difference in days.

7. Present other countries/states to students and have them figure out the time/day in that area. (This could become a challenging game that students can play in small groups or individually to demonstrate an understanding of time zones.)

8. Students will be creating trioramas to demonstrate the differences in time zones of the countries that we have studied. Each of the 4 sections will visually represent one of the countries/areas discussed earlier. Students may wish to create a rough draft first. Be sure that each section is labeled with the name of the country and time/day being represented.

9. Each student will write a brief description or story line based on his/her triorama. Students may want to follow the "Somewhere in the world right now ..." pattern used in the book.

10. Have students share their trioramas with the class.

11. Discuss how students may use this type of geographical information in the future.

*If this lesson is broken up into 2 days, Nine O'Clock Lullaby can be read aloud to the class to begin day two.

Assessment:

1. Check to see if students were able to read the time zone maps.

2. Check how well students were able to discuss and create generalizations about time zones when given a situation. Were students able to figure out the time/day of specific countries/cities?

3. Were the students' illustrations and writings accurate? How well did they depict the countries?

Extensions:

1. Study the effects created by our Earth rotating around the Sun (ie: seasons, length of daylight, etc.)

2. Have students research other areas around the world, calculate the time in that area, and create their own books (circle book, 8 page book) using the information gathered during their research.