My students need a current world globe, updated US and world maps, and a book on the history of maps and globes.
Do you know how many continents there are and how to identify them by shape and location? Can you name all fifty US states? Are you aware that a map distorts the actual
size and shape of things, but that a globe gives you the real deal? Tucked away in the poorest neighborhood of a large city, my class of eight 3rd and 4th grade boys, all with special needs,lacks the resources that will allow them to learn these most critical skills.
We are currently honing our map skills and learning about the world on plastic placemats that have small maps of the US and world on either side. There are no map keys, compass rose or land formations marked, and the tiny print is a problem for the boys with visual problems. We recently threw out the only globe we had - it was over 30 years old and no longer stayed together with the tape and glue we put on the seams.
My class needs a current set of maps and a globe to allow them to learn about the world around them. Most of them have never been further than the outskirts of our city and need to know that the world is so much more than their backyard. A book on maps and globes and how they came to be would be a bonus to their knowledge bank.
With your support of this project, you will help my students learn about the country they live in and the world that is out there for them to experience. You will be giving them the chance to answer that all too familiar question, "Where in the world?"