The first assignment is in three parts.
Part one is to learn the locations and general shapes and relative sizes of North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Africa, Asia, and Antarctica. This doesn't mean just labeling them on a map. Students need to recognize the shape when they see it, even if it's "upside down." They should be able to create an accurate map from the continent shapes, like a jigsaw puzzle.
Part two is to identify where Latin America is located, using continent names. This is more difficult for some students, because Latin America is made up of all of one continent and only part of another, and the reason for this is historical/cultural, not just geography.
Part three is to understand what North, East, South and West mean (North isn't always at the top of a map), to understand the location of the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and use the directions and hemispheres to describe the locations of the places we'll be studying.
This assignment should take 3-4 days, as we'll also be dealing with lockers, learning names, class procedures, slow lunches, bus delays, and all the other stuff involved when school begins.
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