1

CONTENTS AND RESOURCES

PLANET EARTH

CONTENTS

FIND OUT ABOUT •  The Earth and the Solar System

•  Rotation and revolution of the Earth
•  The consequences of the Earth’s movements
•  Representations of the Earth
•  Types of maps
•  The use of scale on maps
•  The geographic coordinates

KNOW HOW TO •  Differentiate between topographic and thematic maps

•  Locate a place on a map
•  Calculate distances using map scale
•  Interpret a map of time zones
•  Use appropriate language to give directions

BE ABLE TO •  Identify the place of the Earth in the Solar System

•  Understand how our perceptions of the Earth have been changed
by space technology
•  Discuss the conditions in which life is possible
•  Think about the use of both exact and approximate figures in referring
to the geographic coordinates
•  Reflect on how, and when, we use paper maps and electronic devices
to establish direction
•  Understand the significance of time zones around the world

RESOURCES

Reinforcement and extension Digital resources

•  The geographic coordinates •  Libromedia. Planet Earth
•  The Earth and the Solar System
•  The movement of the Earth Audio
•  Representations of the Earth •  Track 1: pp. 6-7, 'I see Earth!' (students and teachers)
•  Map projections •  Track 2: p. 9, activity 5 (students and teachers)
•  Track 3: p. 18, activity 3 (students and teachers)
Assessment •  Track 4: p. 21, 'Time zones' (teachers)
•  Test of Unit 1

16 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1. Photocopiable material © Santillana Educación, S. L.

 SHEET REINFORCEMENT
1.  PLANET EARTH
1

Name: Course: Date:

1 Write the geographic coordinates.

A.  D.  

B.  E.  

C.  F.  

20º 10º 0º 10º 20º 30º 40º 50º

•D
30º 30º

•C

20º 20º

F•

10º
•A 10º

0º 0º

•B

10º 10º

20º 20º

•E
Scale
0 455

30º
kilometres 30º

10º 0º 10º 20º 30º 40º 50º

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1. Photocopiable material © Santillana Educación, S. L. 17

 SHEET REINFORCEMENT
1.  PLANET EARTH
2

Name: Course: Date:

1 Complete the representation of the Solar System following these indications:

•  Circle the planet Earth.
•  Label the four planets closest to the Sun with their names in red.
•  Label the four planets furthest from the Sun with their names in blue.
•  One of these astronomical bodies is not a planet. (It is the dwarf planet Pluto.) Which one is it?

2 Tick (✓) the factors that make life possible on Earth.

  The right temperature   The planets

  Water   The atmosphere

3 Are the following sentences True (T) or False (F)? Correct the false sentences in your notebook.

a. The Earth is the right distance from the Sun to experience moderate temperatures. 

b. Water is found in the lithosphere and is essential to all life forms. 

c. The atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding the Earth. 

d. The biosphere is the solid outer layer of the Earth. 

4 Look at the photo. Write the letters and complete the sentences.

The is the layer of gases surrounding the Earth.

It consists of 


C
The is all the Earth’s water.
A
It consists of 

The is the solid outer layer of the Earth.

It consists of 
B


18 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1. Photocopiable material © Santillana Educación, S. L.

 SHEET REINFORCEMENT
1.  PLANET EARTH
3

Name: Course: Date:

1 Look at the illustration and answer the questions.

a. What movement is shown?

b. How long does it take?

c. What consequences does it have?

2 Label the illustration with the following words:

•  South pole  •  night •  North pole
•  day •  axis of rotation  

3 Now draw the other movement of the Earth and label it.

a. How long does the Earth take to complete this movement? 

b. Why are the seasons reversed in each hemisphere? 

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1. Photocopiable material © Santillana Educación, S. L. 19

 SHEET REINFORCEMENT AND EXTENSION
1.  PLANET EARTH
4

Name: Course: Date:

1 Write the names of the meridians and parallels in the correct place. Colour the western and eastern hemispheres
in different colours.

 .................           
.................

 ........... .................  ...... ..............

 .......................           
................... .......
 ...... ......................  .............................

 .................
 ..................

........... ...................

2 Compare the satellite photograph below to the map and answer the questions in your notebook.
.......................
a. Can you see many details in the satellite photo or does it just give a general view? What relief features
...... can you see?
......................



.......................... ...........................

.......................... .....................


b. Is the map identical to the aerial photo? Do you think satellite photos are useful to make maps?

A B
CANADA
PACIFIC O

...........................

.............
UNITED STATES
AN CE

A TL A NTIC
O CEA N
............................
MEXICO
............
..................

20 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1. Photocopiable material © Santillana Educación, S. L.

 SHEET EXTENSION
1.  PLANET EARTH
5

Name: Course: Date:

1 How can we represent a sphere like the Earth on the flat surface of a map with little distortion?
Investigate map projections on the Internet and answer the questions below.
a. Why do the three projections in the illustrations work better for some regions than for others? Which is the most
useful one for representing Antarctica? Why?

Cylindrical projection
It stretches east-
This projection has the shape west and provides

➞
of an imaginary cylinder which a good projection
is placed vertically north-south of the equatorial
around the Earth and then and tropical zones.
opened up.

Conical projection

➞
Meridians are mapped along This is a good way
equally spaced vertical lines of representing the
descending from the top of region between the
an imaginary cone. Parallels are tropics and the polar
505399_06_125b_b p cilindrica 505399_06_125b_b p cilindrica
traced along circular arcs running circles.
horizontally around the cone.

Azimuthal projection

➞
This projection
Radial lines are mapped on provides the best
an imaginary plane, which is 505399_06_125b_d p cónica
representation of
tangent to the Earth. One of the polar regions.
the poles is its central point.

505399_06_125b_e p cónica
b. What are the Mercator and Peters projections? Investigate and write an explanation of the differences between them.


505399_06_125b_f acimutal
505399_06_125b_e acimutal


c. Find three illustrations of map projections on the Internet and explain them to your classmates.
Discuss why they were made, how they are used and how distorted they are.

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1. Photocopiable material © Santillana Educación, S. L. 21

 1 ASSESSMENT

Name: Course: Date:

1 Explain the difference between the following terms:

•  Solstice and equinox: 

•  Parallel and meridian: 

2 What conditions make life possible on Earth?

3 Complete the table on the three parts of the Earth’s outer structure.

C
Letter Name Characteristics

A B

C Atmosphere.

4 Describe the Earth’s two types of movement.

•  Rotation: 

•  Revolution: 

22 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1. Photocopiable material © Santillana Educación, S. L.

 1.  PLANET EARTH

5 Study the map and calculate the distance between the cities.

Cities Distance Cities Distance

Madrid-Moscow London-Rome

Rome-Berlin Madrid-Berlin
FEDERACIÓN DE RUSIA

Moscow
Scale
0 280

kilometres
50º

London Berlin
50º

Madrid
Rome
40º

10º 0º 10º 20º 30º

6 Study the map above and write the approximate geographic coordinates of the following cities.

a. London  b. Madrid 
561819_01_p25_a_politico_Europa_GEODOS
c. Berlin  d. Rome 

e. Moscow 

7 Which meridian or parallel does each letter indicate?

a

Meridian or parallel

A c
B
f
e
C

D
d
E

F
b

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1. Photocopiable material © Santillana Educación, S. L. 23