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Before teaching a unit on maps and mapping skills, visit the "Mapping and Analytical Systems" section of the STARBORD web site:
http://www.coast-nopp.org/visualization_modules/
physical_chemical/mapping_systems/index.html
Examine the contents and determine what you can effectively use with your students. Below are suggested activities to be used in conjunction with the STARBORD web site's mapping section.
We suggest that the "STARBORD Web Site Quiz" [This should be a link when I get it rewritten.] be used as a way to familiarize the students with the web site and what it has to offer them in the way of factual information.
The National Geographic web site has the National Geography Standards in summary format on their web site. If you do not have a copy of these standards, you should print them out for future reference. Go online to:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/education/standardslist.html
The entire text can be ordered at:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/education/standards.html
In parentheses at the end of each activity outlined here are listed the number(s) of the standard(s) that we feel could be applied to an activity. Whether these standards are applied to a specific activity will depend on the teacher and how he/she uses the activity with the students.
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- Students will recognize the different types of map projections used in making maps.
- Students will discuss how remote sensing technology and satellite imagery is creating new types of and uses for maps.
- Students will understand the value that digital technologies have for preserving historical maps and creating new and more accurate maps today.
- Students will learn that maps can be used to trace the history of a part of the world.
- Students will use information found on the World Wide Web for real-world applications involving an understanding of map skills.
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Activity
After going studying the different types of projection systems and other background information about mapping, visit various Web sites that demonstrate the variety of ways that maps can be used in the world today. The following are offered as suggestions:
- EARTHSHOTS: Satellite Images of Environmental Change
http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/earthshots/slow/tableofcontents
This government site provides comparison maps of different parts of the globe using remote sensing technology. Students can compare images over a period of time and see the influence of urbanization, dam building, drought, etc., on a particular area. Text and photographs provide additional resources for class discussion. Begin with the "First-time readers start here. . ." section when first visiting the site. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18)
- Atlas of the Greek and Roman World
http://www.unc.edu/depts/cl_atlas/
This is the Web site of a project designed to create an atlas for use in studying antiquity. "The modern landscape is returned to its ancient appearance, and classical cultural data added, by an international team of over 70 scholars, all of them established experts on their areas in antiquity." Have the students go to Examples / Introduction to Map 40-Patavium. Read the introduction as a class and then discuss some of the problems encountered in making a map truly representative of an earlier time. Where did the project developers get their information? Discuss why digitizing the maps and making some available on-line is important to the developers. (1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
- Interactive Weather Page
http://www.weatherimages.org/interactive.html#sunsetrise
As a math activity, have the students use this web site and look up statistical information about specific locations beginning with their hometown. Use the numerical information in a spreadsheet. Compare the times for sunrise, sunset, etc., to cities at different longitudes and /or latitudes. Students can write queries and develop graphs/charts regarding the different time frames that are part of the database. The terminology used on the web page is a good source of vocabulary words. Ask the students to determine what each term means. There is a link on this page to a web site that will help them with definitions:
Rise, Set, and Twilight Definitions http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/faq/docs/RST_defs.html
Have the students devise word problems that they can share with each other.
- The Degree Confluence Project
http://confluence.org/
This Web site has as its goal visiting "each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections of the world" and posting a picture on the web site. Just looking at the pictures already posted is a great lesson in geography. Have the class look to see if the confluence(s) in their state have been posted. If not, determine if it would be feasible for one or more students (or the entire class) to take this on as a project. Compare the terrain visible in the pictures to that shown in a topographical map. Can the students tell from the map what to expect from the landscape in the various pictures? For example, does the map indicate a mountainous area while the picture displayed shows flat land? Each posted picture is accompanied by written entries about the photographers' experiences in taking the pictures. Have the students compare and contrast the different problems that people encountered in taking the pictures. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15)
- Welcome to Marina Finder
http://www.marinafinder.com/
Use this site to show how specific information about almost any topic can be obtained from the Internet. Have the students plan a boat trip. They must first decide what type boat they want to use, determine its dimensions, and plan for the services they will desire from the list provided on the web site. Next have them plot a route, using longitude and latitude measurements to mark their destinations. Students should enter the longitude and latitude information in the form on the Marina Finder web site and list the marinas they will be visiting along their route. This activity can be made as broad or as specific as the teacher desires and the students' ability levels warrants. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 14, 15, 16)
- 50 Places of a Lifetime
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/intro.html
Ask the students to select one of the "50 Places of a Lifetime" to visit or have the students locate a place on the world map that they have always wanted to see. Have the students organize a trip to this destination. The students will need to determine the cruise line or airline and costs of the trip. Students will have to make decisions along the way as to what type accommodations they will want as well as meals and other amenities. The class could be divided into groups that have pre-determined guidelines to follow regarding the type trip they are to plan (e.g., a couple who are senior citizens on a modest budget, a middle-class couple planning a second honeymoon, a wealthy family celebrating the graduation of one of their children.) Students should create a spreadsheet that lists categories and costs of each. When they have completed their research, have the students produce a travel guide, brochure, videotape, or electronic presentation using the information they find about the cruise. Compare and contrast what the expenses are for the various groups. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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- Globe Program
http://globe.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/map.cgi?l=en&b=g&rg=n
This site has an interactive map that students can manipulate by entering different types of data to be displayed. Maps can be small, medium, or large and can be created by date. Have the students compare maps for specific dates by data type (e.g., snowfall amounts). (1, 2)
- Seismic Information from:
http://hoshi.cic.sfu.ca/cgi-bin/quake.pl?quake@gldfs.cr.usgs.gov
Using the information on this web site, have the students mark recent earthquakes on a map by plotting the longitude and latitude given on the web site. See if the quakes fall into a pattern of any type. (1, 2, 3, 7, 9)
· Map Collections: 1597-1988 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pmhtml/panmap.html
Have the students go to the Library of Congress and study the different types of maps on file there. Have the students check to see if a map of their community is on file at the Library. Compare one of the historical maps to a modern day map of the same city. If the students select the options "zoom in" and "640 x 480" and click on a portion of the map, they will get an enlarged portion of that section of the map. As a class project, try to replicate one of the online maps by printing it out in sections and taping the sections together when the entire map is printed. Zooming in this way allows the user to see much greater detail in the maps; many of the historical maps are hand drawn. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 )
- Map Collections: 1597-1988
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pmhtml/panmap.html
Have the students go to the Library of Congress and study the different types of maps on file there. Have the students check to see if a map of their community is on file at the Library. Compare one of the historical maps to a modern day map of the same city. If the students select the options "zoom in" and "640 x 480" and click on a portion of the map, they will get an enlarged portion of that section of the map. As a class project, try to replicate one of the online maps by printing it out in sections and taping the sections together when the entire map is printed. Zooming in this way allows the user to see much greater detail in the maps; many of the historical maps are hand drawn. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 )
Know-Where
http://www.know-where.com/
Introduce the students to this commercial web site as a starting point for discussion. Consider the stakeholders that might benefit from such web site maps (e.g., the developers, the businesses paying for the sites, consumers, competitors, urban planners, etc.). Discuss the marketing strategy of this web site itself. Do the layout, font, navigation, and examples make the user want to use this web site developer's service?
Using the "Sizzling Weasel Restaurants Locator" (product demo page) as an example, divide the class into groups and ask each group to develop a product/service to be put on a web site. Develop a rubric that will serve as a guide in planning the elements to be included in the project. Include such things as a name for the product/service, an advertising slogan, a logo, a target audience and demographic information that explain why the particular audience was targeted (e.g., grits probably would not sell in the Northeast!), and a marketing strategy for selling the product. All factual information about a target group should be carefully researched and included in the presentation. Specific information about the target audience that also can be included would be age, sex, education, occupation, marital status, hobbies, IQ, etc. Have the groups present their marketing campaigns to the class; each presentation should incorporate a map showing the various locations of their product/service. Do not limit the students to the continental United States. Implicit in the presentation will be the reasons why the groups have made the choices they made.
- Wildlife Information and Rescue Service
http://203.147.226.227/1000.htm
Have the students check for research studies or articles that attempt to connect the presence of marsupial species on the continent of Australia to the heory of plate tectonics. (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 17) Ask the students to map the location of marsupials species around the globe and present their findings to the class. Other sites that they might use to find the information:
- Other Map Sites:
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Other sites with lessons:
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- Assess the students' in-class contributions to class discussions.
- Evaluate the students' use of critical thinking skills in developing their math activities. Do the comparison they make between cities demonstrate an application of knowledge of geography? Are the math questions creative in any way?
- For major projects, develop a rubric of what you expect in regard to both content and manner of presentation. These might be considered two or more separate assessments for each project completed. Academic content, use of technology/software, and creativity will all be involved in these projects.
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Last modified: 11-June-99
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