“”Students from Lincoln Middle School, SOTA II, and Coulee Montessori explored Africa in a big way this week with one of the world’s largest maps of the continent. The map measures 26 feet by 35 feet and is designed to ignite students interests in the diverse geography of Africa through an interactive experience with a giant map. The map was at Lincoln Middle School as part of the National Geographic Giant Traveling Maps program.
“Movement is vital for students and being able to physically experience a skill can often lead to better retention and deeper understanding of topics,” said SOTA II Reading and Social Studies teacher Erin Schmuck. “Finding things such as Latitude and Longitude on a map and creating a strong mental image for where things are located around the globe helps students understand and process current events that are affecting their world today. This is especially true in working with the five themes of geography specifically the theme called location.”
Africa’s deep rainforests, endless savanna, and tremendous Sahara became a geographical field trip for the students, who explored spectacular animals and their habitats, human settlement patterns, and iconic images on the visually stunning map of the continent. The brightly colored map clearly illustrated oceans, seas, rivers, mountains, countries and capitals. Like all Giant Traveling Maps, this map came with a trunk of rich activities, games, props, and educational resources.
“These maps help us teach geography in a way that nothing else does,” said Wisconsin Geographic Alliance (WIGA) Master Teacher Bonnie Kieffer. “It is a physical as well as mental experience. The hands and feet on experience makes a lasting impression on students and sparks further interest. It’s been a huge hit and WIGA has been proud to offer these learning opportunities.”
National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program was introduced in 2006 with a map of Africa and has since expanded to include giant maps of North America, Asia, South America, Europe and the Pacific Ocean. In the 2016-2017 school year, hundreds of thousands of students will interact with these maps. In addition to school venues, the maps appear at museums, festivals, fairs and corporate and educational conferences.
The maps reinforce National Geographic’s commitment to increasing geography education through teacher professional development, K-12 curriculum, live events, and academic competitions like the National Geographic Bee.
To learn more about the Giant Traveling Map project, for borrowing information, or to download map activities, visit www.nationalgeographic.org/education/giant-traveling-maps/.””””[vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”0″ images=”11593,11592,11606,11591,11602,11595,11603,11596,11601,11604,11607,11598,11597,11599,11600,11605,11594″ img_size=”625×417″]””””[vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzMQvbZpZI0″]””
