Free Geography Materials--reposting

The new season for GeoAction! and Geography Awareness Week
(Nov 15-21, 2009) is underway! What is GeoAction! and Geography Awareness Week? A brief overview and history can be found at: http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/assets/GAW_FAQ.pdf

Lots of FREE resources ONLINE for teachers from NGS education programs!! Materials include--Back by popular demand--a teacher TOOLKIT, printable BIG MAP of EUROPE, and fabulous EASY TO USE, pre-GIS mapping curriculum and activities for students grades K-12!
To learn more about GeoAction! and how to sponsor a Geography Awareness week at your school see:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/index.html

Check with your local state Geography Alliance... Alliances should have a GeoAction! /Geography Awareness Week Coordinator or contact person that can also help with program details, inservice/workshop presentations and program materials.

Geography of Monarch Butterflies

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/butterflies/

I just received notice from PBS/NOVA of a new program: "The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies". FANTASTIC geography component when teaching butterfly metamorphosis to the younglings!!!!

"Program Overview :
NOVA traces the monarch butterfly's 2,000-mile migration to Mexico from Canada and the Northeastern United States." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/programs/3601_butterfly.html

Excellent geography viewing/lesson ideas:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/viewing/3601_butterfly.html

Additional links and book resources listed on the site as well!!http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/butterflies/resources.html

Also...if your school is still planning a Geography Awareness Week: Mapping the Americas...This would be a perfect subject to complement your Americas' mapping activities!!!!!

Celebrate Geography Awareness Week in a BIG WAY

Celebrate Geography Awareness Week (GAW) in a BIG WAY..

with a BIG MAP of the Americas! Download a FREE "toolkit"

from National Geographic's GeoAction! website that includes the individual pieces for this map project, lesson plans, and ideas for

a school-wide GAW celebration theme of "Mapping the Americas"!

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/index.html

GOOD NEWS!! If you missed Geography Awareness Week this year (November 16-22)-- These materials will be available at the above website for the entire year. Celebrate "Mapping the America's" in a BIG WAY with a BIG MAP any time during the year!!

"Earth: The Apple Of Our Eye" lesson plan

This amazing lesson plan is perfect for showing how little of our planet actually produces all the food for the world's population....and how important it is to protect these limited agricultural/ocean food producing resources. I've seen several versions of this lesson, but this one gives information about food products from the ocean as well. This Lesson plan comes from
Population Connection:

www.populationconnection.org/education

Double-click on the images to enlarge.......

Toot & Puddle..geography/picturebook characters come alive!

Meet NOGGIN's new friends, Toot & Puddle, premiering Sunday, 11/16 at 7PM ET! Come along on the adventure every day at 5PM ET.

http://www.noggin.com/shows/tootpuddle.php

Toot & Puddle is a terrific series of picturebooks about the travels and adventures of two crazy little pigs...great way to introduce the younger kidlets to geography!!

See a clip from the new series:

NOVEMBER IS AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH

November is the month designated to remember the nation's first peoples. Social studies lessons come to life with these projects that explore history and contemporary Native American culture.

The Crayola.com website has some terrific art projects to not only support American Indian Heritage Month, but Geography Awareness Week:Mapping the Americas:

• Hides that Reveal http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/hides-that-reveal-lesson-plan/
• Homes for Native Nations http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/homes-for-native-nations-lesson-plan/
• Raven the Trickster http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/raven-the-trickster-puppet-tales-lesson-plan/
• Longhouse-spirits http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/longhouse-spirits-lesson-plan/
• Hopi-Kachina Figures http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/hopi-kachina-figures-lesson-plan/
• Begin with a Buffalo http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/begin-with-a-buffalo-lesson-plan/
• Cork Husk characters http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/corn-husk-characters-lesson-plan/
• Rainbow in a rug http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/rainbow-in-a-rug-lesson-plan/
• Native American pendants http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/native-american-pendants-coloring-page/

Thanks, Crayola.com for your great art lessons!!!

Geography-at-a-Glance

In support of Geography Awareness Week: Mapping the Americas,
check out the following fabulous http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ websites for teachers, kids, and parents:

• National Geographic EdNet teacher site: http://www.ngsednet.org/
• National Geographic education gateway site: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/
• National Geographic Bee school competition and registration information: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographicbee
• The JASON Project Bring your students into the exciting world of scientific exploration and discovery, as a JASON Argonaut! A nonprofit subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, JASON connects young students with great explorers and great events to inspire and motivate them to learn science. Its core curriculum units are designed for 5th – 8th grade classrooms but are flexible enough to be adapted for higher or lower grades. http://www.jason.org/public/home.aspx
• National Geographic Student Expeditions Designed for high school students, these hands-on expeditions combine education and adventure with projects that allow students to focus on photography, writing, culture, or conservation. http://ngstudentexpeditions.com/
• Geography Action!Find out more about our annual K-12 geography education and awareness program—a five-year world curriculum tour starting in Africa. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/index.html
• My Wonderful World Campaign Help give kids the power of global knowledge. Parents and educators, take action. Find out more!
• National Geographic Channel http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/
• National Geographic Xpeditions Maps, lesson plans,Xpedition Hall http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/hall/
• National Geographic Live! Live events for students featuring National Geographic explorers, scientists, adventurers, and photographers.http://www.ngsednet.org/community/index.cfm?community_id=482
• Giant Traveling Maps Geography comes alive when a Giant Traveling Map visits your school, taking K-8 students on an unforgettable hands- and feet-on adventure! http://www.ngsednet.org/community/index.cfm?community_id=515
• Join Your State Geographic AllianceYour local geography alliance can help you get classroom materials, extend your skills with professional development opportunities, and meet fellow geography-minded educators in your community. http://ngsednet.org/community/about.cfm?community_id=94
• ePals Join the leading global online community of connected classrooms for safe collaborative learning and project-sharing. http://www.epals.com/
• In2Books ePal's research-based, curriculum-aligned e-mentoring program for 3rd-5th graders. Free to Title I schools for the 2008-09 academic year. http://in2books.epals.com/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fdefault.aspx
• All Roads Film project With 29 dynamic films and 4 captivating photography exhibits, collectively representing 20 cultures from 15 countries, the 5th anniversary of the All Roads Film Festival showcases a special selection of contemporary stories from indigenous and under-represented minority artists from across the globe.
• NatGeo Music http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/home
• National Geographic Maps http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps
• NGS Literacy/School Publishing:http://ngsp.com/

(A few of the above website descriptions are direct quotes from NGS links)

MyWonderfulWorld.org

To all Teachers: Did you know that of all the subjects called out in the
No Child Left Behind mandates--GEOGRAPHY RECEIVES ABSOLUTELY
ZERO FUNDING??? TRUE. National Geographic is part of a huge business coalition leading the charge to change the Federal funding status of Geography dictated by NCLB!! They have created an on-line campaign to raise 100,000 "signatures" (online registrations) in support of the coalition campaign's to include funding and requirements for teaching Geography in America!
Go to MyWonderfulWorld.org today and register your "voice/signature"....and indicate that you too believe Geography Education is not only important....but vital to the future of our country and our world. If you wish, there is also a link on the website, where you may send a ready-made email message/letter to all of your state's legislative Representatives (county and national) indicating your concern for proper funding of NCLB's geography requirements....easy! Join the MyWonderfulWorld.org coalition! Register your "voice" to improve funding for Geography at the MyWonderfulWorld.org site today!!

Geography Awareness Week: Mapping the America's

CELEBRATE GEOGRAPHY AWARENESS WEEK:
NOVEMBER 16-22, 2008!!
"For more than a century, the National Geographic Society has fostered awareness of the world’s diverse cultures and environments. The tradition continues with Geography Action! , an annual awareness program that helps educators promote geographic fluency in schools and communities across the United States and Canada."


Geography Action! Mapping the Americas
"Join schools from across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico in planning celebrations during Geography Awareness Week, November 16-22, and throughout the school year. Download a free Geography Action! Mapping the Americas Toolkit filled with activities, maps, and tips for planning highly interactive, festive events for students, families, and communities to enjoy.
Find more ways to celebrate online and in your community at the Geography Awareness Week website. "

Make a "BIG MAP" for Geography Awareness Week

Make a BIG MAP for Geography Awareness Week: Mapping the Americas Nov 16-22, 2008!!!
The map shown here is composed of enlarged "map tiles". Students are given several tiles, which they need to correctly tape together, color, & add geography features as directed by the teacher. Each student then matchees their set of connected tiles to another child's set of tiles...ultimately forming a 12' x 20' map of the Americas!!
The tiles (177+key!) are FREE and can be downloaded from the National Geographic GeoAction! website toolkit: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/index.html

You can download just the tiles you wish (if you only want a map of North America), and use them for any geographic topic...all ages of kids and adults love this activity! Ideas for how to use this map are available at the above website as well. This group of teachers put the North America section together (without coloring) in about 20 minutes. It will obviously take more time for kids to do this so plan accordingly, and you'll need to schedule a large room or gym, and have lots of scotch tape available!

Enjoying Mapping the Americas in a BIG WAY during Geography Awareness Week, Nov. 16-22, 2008!!

I just learned about a great geography site to help Geography/U.S. History teachers! It is a site from the National Park Service National Register of Historic Places. In addition to the many, many historic places to explore listed (with great maps, photographs, etc.), the newest online travel itinerary is "American Presidents" with a great interactive map of the U.S. Since this is election time, it is a great time to explore past presidents' homes and historically related sites.
Website: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/

I'm sharing this information from GAW/Dolores of Oklahoma...Thanks!!

Pizza Hut's Book IT! GeoReader list

I have been going through files and have found some really great resources from bygone years. Years ago, Pizza Hut's "Book It!" reading incentive program, produced a list of recommended geography literature. The program was called The GeoReader & GeoReader II, and it was author by James Goodman, Dept of Geography@ University of Oklahoma. List of books are suggested from each continent and have suggested activities for each title of book! I scanned the pages of suggested books for Canada, U.S.A. & Latin America for use with the GAW theme of Mapping the Americas.The book titles and activities are based on The Five Themes of Geography. The scanned pages are attached. (Double click on pages below to enlarge.)

Geography Awareness Week: Mapping the America's, art activities

I get a newsletter from Crayola.com. It always has great multi-cultural art activities w/lesson plans! The newsletter I just received has art ideas to Celebrate the ethnic diversity and cultures of Latin America during Geography Awareness Week with the following links : October 12 is Día de la Raza, Columbus Day, and Native American Day.

(Aztec mosaic face masks) http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/aztec-mosaic-mask-lesson-plan/

(MAPPING WORLD EXPLORERS) http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/mapping-world-explorers-lesson-plan/

(Carib basket making) http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/reeds-and-rainwater-make-baskets-lesson-plan/

(building historical voyage displays in a bottle) http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/voyages-in-a-bottle-lesson-plan/

(floating gardens of Mexico City) http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/floating-gardens-of-mexico-city-lesson-plan/

(Mexican - Huichol - masks) http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/mexican-masks-lesson-plan/

(under the Aztec sun) http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/under-the-aztec-sun-lesson-plan/

THANK YOU CRAYOLA.COM!!!!!!!

Travel to Latin America WEBQUEST

I found a great teacher resource for the Geography Awareness Week (10/16-22/08) theme of "Mapping the America's". It is a Webquest that asks teenagers to design a one-week travel brochure to a Latin American country. A more engaging "twist" to the standard "country reports": See this link for the webquest:
http://cmcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/webquest/reca.htm