Learn more If you don't remember the order of directions, start with North and go clockwise, using this mnemonic: N ever E at S oggy W affles. Alternatively, picture a clock with North at , East at , South at , and West at To determine directions to North, South, East, and West, use the compass app or the GPS on your phone to see which direction you are facing.
If you don't have your phone with you or want to use primitive methods, plant a stick upright into the ground. Then, place a rock where the stick's shadow ends to mark the spot. Wait 15 minutes and place another rock where the shadow is now. Connect the 2 rocks with a stick and this line will go from East to West, with the first rock being West. To learn how to make a shadow dial or compass to tell directions, read on!
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Method 1. Collect your tools. Since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the shadows it casts will always move in the opposite direction, and you can observe their motions to determine directions. Plant your stick upright in the ground.
Wait 15 to 20 minutes. The shadow will have moved. If you can wait longer, do so, and place more rocks to mark the changing shadow. Connect the dots. Either draw a straight line on the ground between the two marks or use the other stick to connect the dots and make a straight line.
The shadow moves in the opposite direction of the sun, so this line denotes the east—west line: the first dot represents west and the second dot represents east. Note that this method is only approximate, and can be off by 23 degrees or so at the equator on the first day of winter or summer. The variance will be more the farther you get from the equator. For instance, the sun will rise about 33 degrees north of east on the first day of summer at 42 degrees latitude in the northern hemisphere and 33 degrees south of east on the first day of winter.
It rises due east on the first day of spring and fall all over the world. Method 2. Assemble your tools. Put the long pole in the ground. This must be done before noon. Wherever the shadow of the pole ends, place a rock. Attach the string to the stick and pole. With this method it is important that the top of the stick, the part that casts the shadow, is directly over the part of the stick that is in the ground.
Draw a circle around the pole. With the rock as your starting point, use the sharp stick that's attached to the pole to draw the circle in the ground around the pole. When the shadow from the pole finally touches this circle again, mark the point where it connected with the other rock.
The straight line that connects the first rock with the second rock is the true east—west line, where the first rock represents west and the second rock represents east. Method 3. Look for the sun at noon. At noon, the sun can point you in the general direction of north and south, and consequently east and west, but it will not tell you due north or due south. In the Northern Hemisphere, walking directly toward the sun at noon will lead you south, while walking directly away from the sun will lead you north.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite is true: toward the sun will lead you north, and away from the sun will lead you south. Use sunrise and sunset for approximate directions. The sun rises in the general direction of east and sets in the general direction of west every day, so you can use the location of sunrise or sunset to get an approximate idea of direction. Face the sunrise and you are facing east; north will be on your left and south will be on your right. Face the sunset and you are facing west; north will be on your right and south will be on your left.
The location of sunrise and sunset only provide an approximate idea of direction days of the year, because the sun rises due east and sets due west only on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes the first day of spring and fall. Look at how vegetation is growing. Living north of the equator, the sun is usually in the southern part of the sky, and the opposite is true south of the equator.
This means that leaves and foliage will tend to be thicker and denser on the southern side of a tree or bush. Many guidebooks will note that moss only grows on the north side of a tree in the Northern Hemisphere, but this is not true. However, while moss can grow on all sides of a tree, it is true that it will often be denser on the side that is shadier the north in the Northern Hemisphere and the south in the Southern Hemisphere. Calculate direction with an analogue watch and the sun. The sun can be used in conjunction with a non-digital wristwatch to provide an approximate idea of the cardinal directions if you find yourself lost in the woods but at least have a wristwatch.
In the Northern Hemisphere, point the hour hand on your watch at the sun. When you are facing south, east is on your left and west is on your right. It can also have a margin of error of about 35 degrees, so this method is only reliable for an approximate idea of direction. Method 4. Recognize Polaris. Polaris, also called the North Star, can be used in the Northern Hemisphere to help you find north. Polaris, or the North Star, is not one of the brightest stars in the night sky it clocks in at 48th brightest.
It is, however, the brightest star between the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia. Locate Polaris. Think of the Big Dipper like a ladle hence the name , where the handle holds a cup, and the outer edge of the cup the farthest from the handle points out into the sky and toward Polaris.
For confirmation, Polaris is the last star that makes up the handle of the Little Dipper. Draw an imaginary line from Polaris to the ground. This is approximately true north. When you face Polaris, you are facing due north; behind you is due south, and due west will be on your left, while due east will be on your right.
Method 5. Recognize the Southern Cross. In the Southern Hemisphere, the constellation of the Southern Cross aka Crux can be used to guide you in a southerly direction. Five stars make this constellation, and its four brightest form an angled cross. Use the Southern Cross to find south. Find the two stars that make up the lengthwise portion of the cross and imagine a line that extends out four and a half times greater than the full length of the cross.
When you reach the terminus of that imaginary line, draw another imaginary line that extends to the ground. This is, in general, the direction of south. When the cross is lying horizontal, the "four and a half times" mark will be less than one degree from true south. When the cross is vertical or upside down, the mark will be about two and a half degrees about a thumb's width from true south. Choose a guiding landmark.
Be safe when looking in the direction of the sun, and make sure that students do not stare at the sun. Have them quickly point in the direction of the sun, and then move their arms down from the direction of the sun to where the sky meets land. That direction should be east. Label it with N, S, E, W and then each day place a sun in the morning and afternoon as noted above.
You can use an image of the wind for north and south. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Lindsey Mohan, Ph. Audrey Mohan, Ph. Sean P. Lydia Lewis, M. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service.
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Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. A curated collection for curious learners in grades K Direction is used to determine where things are in relation to other things. Students listen to a poem that uses cardinal directions. They use a compass rose to help describe locations of places on a world map. Introduce young students to the concept of maps as representations of places with this classroom map.
Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Links map The Weather Channel: U. Current Weather. Prepare materials for the activity. Find east and west by observing the sun in the morning and afternoon. Observe north and south, and label the classroom walls. Add the north and south labels to the classroom walls: Use a compass, or a compass app on a smartphone or tablet, to show north and south and reinforce east and west.
Have students line up the E and W on the compass with east and west labeled on the wall. Ask them to point toward the N, and explain that this direction is north. In areas where there is snow, teach north and south by observing where snow melts faster: the south side of buildings in the northern hemisphere. North and south can also be observed with wind patterns. Track the weather using the provided Weather Channel website, and look for opportunities to take the students outside when north or south winds are blowing.
Practice using cardinal direction s. Have students apply their understanding to a map. Extending the Learning Have students watch the sun over a matter of months and note the change in its location as the days shorten and lengthen. Move the familiar animal to a different spot in the room each day. Have students write the location of the animal using cardinal directions.
Over time this could be expanded to other locations in the school or playground where N, S, E, and W are labeled. Show students the variety of ways that maps show the cardinal directions. On local, state, or country maps, look for the compass rose or the north arrow. Help students determine which way north, south, east and west are on those maps. Place the maps flat on a surface to reinforce the true directions.
Learning Objectives Students will: describe the pattern of the location of the sun each morning and afternoon and connect this to the directions east and west name the cardinal directions and point toward north, south, east, and west using signs in their classroom use north, south, east, and west when describing locations of items on a map.
Teaching Approach Learning-for-use. Teaching Methods Discussions Modeling Visual instruction. Resources Provided The resources are also available at the top of the page.
Required Technology Internet Access: Required Tech Setup: 1 computer per classroom, Mobile data device smartphone or tablet , Projector Physical Space Classroom School playground Other Notes Ideally, this activity will take place over 5 consecutive days to allow students to make their observations and identify patterns.
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