Students should use the Main Map Legend to identify True North and label the borders of the map with North, South, East, and West. A five inch piece of string and the map legend should be used to demonstrate how the distance between two points can be measured on a map. Teachers should explain that the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are part of the Hawaiian archipelago, and include mostly uninhabited islands and atolls that are much older than the islands between Hawai i and Kaua i. The map insets can be used to demonstrate the difference between an island and an atoll. Atolls are ring like coral islands and reefs that enclose a lagoon.
Islands are small land masses completely surrounded by water.
After students have oriented themselves to the map, they should be asked to complete the map reading activity sheet. Additional background information, including photographs, of each atoll and island is available on the NWHI website. Students can use the information they learn during this lesson and the NWHI website to track the location of the research ship as it voyages between Hawai i and Kure. The education team will post the coordinates, general direction of travel, and average speed of the ship in the daily log. Click the map above for a large scale map for downloading and printing.