Today's Classroom Activities :

Maps and Globes

Real-life Maps
Geography In preparation for a mapping unit, get maps from a nearby airport, subway and bus station. If you're in a rural area, get maps from the nearest city. Teach vocabulary such as concourse, connection, e-tickets, etc.

Map Skills
Students will be able to define maps, explain the need for maps, construct their own maps, and develop map skills while learning to appreciate the value of hard work in constructing their own maps.

Gingerbread Forest Map Skills #2
After reading the Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett the children will create a large 3D table map of the journey the Baby traveled!

Pathways Around The Globe
Geography Practice and enhance mapping skills by making maps of famous flights. One to research would be Amelia Earhart's flight in the summer of 1937. Go to www.firstflight.org to learn about her flight. You'll find information there as well about the Wright 1903 Flyer and the Spirit of St. Louis. After the maps are completed, display them in a timeline.

How Does a Map Show Our World?
Students will understand that a map shows how a place looks from above and will be able to explain how to use a map key.

Orienteering: Map Skills
Orienteering is a sport popular in Australia and Sweden and is used as a training activity in the service. It teaches the participants how to read and use a map. The activity can be adjusted according to grade level by the difficulty of the course and even the use of a compass. Excellent activity for field trips.