BACKGROUND:
Geography is a wonderful subject. It allows students to travel to far
away lands without moving from their classroom. They learn that the Earth
differs from place to place. Some areas are desert, others are high alpine
mountains. They may also learn that cultures vary from place to place. These
insights expand students knowledge and wonder about the Earth.
At this point, students are just beginning to understand what "far
away" means. Small children think that a place 50 miles away is very
distant. In this exercise, it is more important to give the students the
sense that the Earth changes from place to place than for them to understand
the meaning of distances.
This activity emphasizes the use of maps or globes in understanding far
away places. The students first examine maps of the world and United States,
and then color a map of the United States.
PROCEDURE:
- Explain that maps and globes tell us about far away places. Have the
students look at the U. S. and World placemats. Have them give you
examples of what they might learn from looking at these maps.
- You may want to use "bingo chips" to call out a continent,
nation, or state and the students cover the answer with a chip.
- Have the students color the worksheet of the United States. Have them
draw a large X where they live. Have them find their state on the United
States Placemat.
You may want to make worksheets showing your home state. Clip art
maps are available at numerous websites. We suggest you do a search for
"clipart state maps" to find one that suits your needs.
- Many other activities can emphasize the importance of a map or globe.
There are many videos and pictures that can make your students curious
about the rest of the world.
- If you have map puzzles, this would be an excellent lesson to bring
them out. If you have a die cut to make puzzles, make one of your home
state.
