What does the map above show us? What purpose did the map's author(s) -- and publisher(s) -- have in mind? How is it different from other maps? How is it similar to maps such as the one below? Note: the above map can be found online by clicking the button below that reads "CREATIVE WORLD MAPS LINK".
Maps are created, published, and maybe even sold for many different purposes. Many of us found reasons to like maps such as the one at the top of this post that includes many images and symbols representing notable structures or maybe famous cultural or historical icons that helped us imagine or guess what might be interesting or important about certain places. The other map (linked by the button above entitled "World Map for Schools") can be purchased for instructional use. Taking some time to view it together as it was projected on our SmartBoard today, we started noticing and listing things that we recognized and understood from looking at it and using the legend (or key).
Here is how I listed our observations as we shared them in a whole-class discussion:This map shows...
the whole world (flattened out -- it isn't a globe)!
Also...
countries and continents (boundaries)
cities and states and national capitals
landforms (grasses, deserts, mountain ranges, ice and snowy ground); higher and lower grounds (valleys and hills) -- this map even showed some particular peaks (like Mt. Everest)
waterways (like rivers), and large bodies of water (oceans, rivers, lakes, seas, gulfs, and bays); shallower / deeper places in the water
Our geography lesson concluded with an interactive read-aloud of the book How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz.
How did you learn geography? Which map would you prefer to hang in your home? What about to hang one in our classroom? What do maps show us, and why might we use one?
Here is how I listed our observations as we shared them in a whole-class discussion:This map shows...
the whole world (flattened out -- it isn't a globe)!
Also...
countries and continents (boundaries)
cities and states and national capitals
landforms (grasses, deserts, mountain ranges, ice and snowy ground); higher and lower grounds (valleys and hills) -- this map even showed some particular peaks (like Mt. Everest)
waterways (like rivers), and large bodies of water (oceans, rivers, lakes, seas, gulfs, and bays); shallower / deeper places in the water
Our geography lesson concluded with an interactive read-aloud of the book How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz.
How did you learn geography? Which map would you prefer to hang in your home? What about to hang one in our classroom? What do maps show us, and why might we use one?