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| Image from Microsoft Word Clip Art |
World Maps Online
Click the above link for a great classroom map set ideal for use with primary students. It comes with a write on globe and a world map focusing on the continents which are color coordinated for simplicity.
As fantastic as my Read Aloud experience with third graders was, one thing has been troubling me about it ... Geography. When I was setting up the story and asked the students if anyone knew where Pakistan is located, one child answered, "In Arizona?" and another suggested, "Over there?" while pointing out the window. It seems to me that no matter how deep and meaningful our conversation about the village in Korphe was - if these students don't have a geographical context for the ideas then they are missing a big piece of the learning.
So the question became for me .... How can I start early (in kindergarten) giving my students access to world geography? I started researching maps and found a cool map set (see link above) in which the continents are highlighted (rather than the political boundaries) making the map accessible for much younger children. It also comes with a write on globe that lends itself to some hands-on exploration of geography, too. So I am playing with ideas about how to make geography inquiry-based for primary students - Any ideas?
Beyond that ... I think that students need their learning to be contextualized and meaningful. It makes sense to me to link the study of the continents to stories that are - of course - read aloud to the students. I think that, perhaps, by introducing them to characters who they care about and then making the link to geography the lesson might have better staying power. A story about Suki's Kimono or Maile and the Huli Hula Chicken, for examples, introduce students to vivid characters with whom to identify the regions where their stories take place.
In an increasingly global world, I think that students need to understand world geography. I suspect that the earlier we start them thinking about maps and about other countries and cultures the easier it will be for them to feel comfortable with these ideas and tools.
I have Jean's voice in my head, encouraging us to keep world maps in our classrooms :)
ReplyDeleteWhat if you had a big world map, and every time you had a character from a story from a different part in the world, you had students put a picture of that character up on the classroom map in their location?
I think it would be important to go a little deeper than just a world map though. Perhaps using Google Maps to really see what that place looks like would be helpful too?
I love it! The wall map with characters and stories attached ... I had been trying to visualize it as something individual students would do at their desks on their own maps, but the wall is a great idea ... so visual, so shared. Thank you! I think you are right about going deeper, too - the point is to make it meaningful for students - to give them a context for the geography so it stays with them and they remember.
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