When someone in our school asks another, "Where were you born?" the answers can be very surprising. We have students from India, Japan, China, Scotland, Indonesia, Korea, Brazil, and Puerto Rico, to name a few. We are a very international school! How many of us could locate these countries on a Worl
We are a small public school with about 300 students in grades kindergarten through grade 5.
We have three classes per grade level. The students all have one special class each day which could be phys ed, library, music, computer, or art. In general, there is a heavy focus on teaching literacy and math.
In practically every class, we have students who were born in another country. This is wonderful for the rest of us to learn about other places on our globe! Because geography isn't in the forefront of everyday teaching, our kids have little knowledge of where these other places are.
My Project
If I had pull-down maps in our library, I would be able to access the US map or the world map while I am teaching about these other countries. Now, I have a rolled up map of the world at my desk. I bring it out, unroll it, and secure it on our magazine rack with tape. This definitely takes out the spontaneity of that "teachable moment." I am currently reading "Kensuke's Kingdom" to my 4th grade. As I try to show where the sailing journey is taking the family, I point out London, Biscay Bay, Spain, Canary Islands, and so on, down the coast and over to Australia. How much better this would be if I had new, handy maps right at reaching level! I know that the classroom teachers are busy teaching math and reading and all the other curriculum needs, as well as state testing prep. However, in my 45 minutes a week, I can make a difference in the kids' lives by teaching other information. Information literacy includes reading maps and having a basic working knowledge of where the place is.
Kids love working with maps.
They love dreaming of exotic places to visit. Kids also want to know where Afghanistan is, where the country that has kangaroos is, and where the Grand Canyon is. If I could just reach up and pull down a beautiful map that would help the students answer their own questions, then we would be on the way to making our students global citizens. This is my job-to help them become knowledgeable students who respect other cultures. These maps would go a long way to help me
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