Latitude and Longitude are just imaginary lines on the surface of the earth, but are critical to navigation. Latitude (north and south) was known, but it wasn’t until John Harrison (a clockmaker) tackled it in the 1700’s in order to win a prize, that the problem was solved.

Joan Marie Galat, Pelican ©2012, 978-1-4556-1637-4

Great Shipwrecks

In the 21st century, with GPS and vast improvements in diving equipment, many wrecks are now being found, and even being raised from the sea.

Students could conduct a Rapid Research topic where groups look into 17 famous shipwrecks:

• The Mary Rose, 1545
• The Spanish Armada, 1588
• The Vasa (Swedish), 1628
• The Merchant Royal, 1641
• The Scilly Naval Disaster, 1707
• The Black Swan, 1804
• The Tek Sing, 1822 (China)
• The HMS Birkenhead, 1845
• The Titanic, 1912
• The Kiche Maru Typhoon, 1912 (Japan)
• The Great Lakes Storm, 1913
• The Lusitania, 1915
• The Halifax Explosion, 1917
• The Bismarck, 1941
• The Wilhelm Gustloff, 1945
• The Edmund Fitzgerald, 1975
• The Exxon Valdez, 1994

Using the Internet, in a limited period of time, students find out:

1. What was this wreck, where was it located, why was it important? When did it happen?

2. What was the impact of this wreck on future navigation if any?

They create a PowerPoint, an essay, a speech, etc. as a group – pooling their research and writing in a “voice” that is aimed at their own grade level.

Careful Listening

Students can be asked to listen very carefully and make note of the PROBLEMS that some of the early solutions to navigation had. Note-taking is one of the critical skills for achievement according to Marzano.

For 7 creative writing ideas, click The Discovery of Longitude to download.