A rotation is a complete circular movement of an object around a fixed point or an axis.

Lines of longitude are imaginary lines on Earth showing position east or west of the Prime Meridian, measured in degrees.

Lines of latitude are Imaginary lines on Earth showing position north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees.

An axis is an imaginary straight line through Earth which rotates around it.

Day and night

Geography

Longitude and time zones

The International Date Line and time

Travel and time

Using digital maps to plan a trip to a different time zone

This unit provides a foundation for subsequent work in KS3.

This unit builds on 'Climate zones: What are they and why do they matter?', and also on 'Europe: How diverse are its landscapes and places'' and 'The Americas: How diverse are its places and landscapes?', which sequentially build pupils’ knowledge of the importance and location of significant lines of longitude and latitude on planet Earth, and deepens their understanding of time zones.

This unit explores the relationship between the Earth's rotation, day and night, and time zones. Pupils learn how longitude affects time, investigate the International Date Line, and consider what happens when we travel across the globe.

Time zones: can we time travel on planet Earth?

Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) is a standard system that is used to set all the world’s time zones.

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the time at the zero degree line of longitude, also known as the Prime Meridian.

The Prime Meridian is the line of longitude at 0 degrees, from which the other lines of longitude are measured east and west.

A time zone is a region where the same standard time is used.

An Antimeridian is the line of longitude opposite a meridian. The Antimeridian forms the basis of the International Date Line.

A border is the dividing line between two countries.

The Eastern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that lies east between the Prime Meridian and the International Date Line.

The Western Hemisphere is the half of Earth that lies west between the Prime Meridian and the International Date Line.

Daylight Saving Time is the practice of turning the time forward by one hour in Spring to make use of longer daylight hours and back to standard time in Autumn when there are fewer hours of daylight.

a GIS contains digital maps that allow us to see and understand geographical patterns

geographical information that can be added to a digital map

an area of the world that uses the same time

Time zones: can we time travel on planet Earth?

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