A world-class presentation

Pupils toured the globe and even went inside it.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Though it's true that the world can be a complicated place, it becomes less so if it's shrunk down and squeezed inside a gymnasium.
That's what happened Thursday at St. Charles School, which hosted a 22-foot-by-19-foot inflatable model of the world to teach elementary and middle school pupils about the real Earth beneath their feet.
Youngsters entered the gym and gaped at the sight of a pillowy planet squatting at center court, the North Pole nearly scraping the rafters.
Like the real thing, this Dacron sailcloth Earth had no dotted boundary lines to mark out countries.
Instead, it used satellite images to give pupils the same view an orbiting astronaut might see, such as lots of water. Oceans cover about three-quarters of the Earth's surface.
Deserts, rivers, continents, tropical islands and mountain ranges could be easily discerned with the help of the laser pointer wielded by instructor David Killion. Both the globe and Killion came from Mobile Ed Productions Inc., a Michigan-based business.
"What's the largest river on the planet?" Killion asked. His laser traced the Nile as he provided the answer.
Continental lesson
The knot of sixth-graders who had been squatting on the polished floor in front of South America rose and shuffled over to Africa as Killion discussed that continent.
He tossed in some math by using the concept of scale to explain that the 3-foot-long depiction of Madagascar shown on the model actually spans 900 miles north to south.
Next stop was Australia. Hovering just above the floor, its spot on the air-filled globe helped Killion convey why it's called "The Land Down Under."
St. Charles' being a parochial school, Killion also used Australia to segue into a religious lesson.
The continent, home to strange creatures such as kangaroos and koala bears, "shows our creator has a sense of humor," said Killion.
The view inside
He later unzipped the international date line and invited youngsters to step inside the globe.
With pupils sitting elbow-to-elbow, Killion worked through more lessons on geography and earth science. But he had to compete with the kids' being diverted as they marveled at the idea of their entire class huddling inside a giant balloon.
Afterward, pupil Ann Kandray of Boardman called it awesome.
Pupil Stephen DiPaolo, also of Boardman, said he liked when Killion explained the "Ring of Fire," a reference to the Earth's volcanoes.
Chris Culp of Poland took in the explanation that the planet's innards are a mixture of roiling magma and other superheated materials.
"It thought it was cool to be inside the Earth, even though it wasn't hot," he said.