FREE Mapping Europe curriculum lesson plans

As part of Geography Awareness Week and GeoAction! "Mapping Europe" themes, National Geographic has developed a NEW, seconday level, Mapping Europe Curriculum Unit of (10 very wonderful, detailed lesson plans) available for FREE download from their premier geography curriculum site: Xpeditions.

The lesson plans (links below) are collectively titled:
Beyond Borders:Using Maps to Understand European Physical and Cultural Landscapes
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/EuropeMaterialsPart1.pdf
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/EuropeMaterialsPart2.pdf
Also Download the FREE BIG MAP of Europe to use with these materials:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/index.html

Info from the "Beyond Borders" materials:
"The overall theme of this unit is using maps to understand borders and their impacts in Europe. The materials will guide you and your students to use maps to think about how borders intersect physical and human geographical features, and how those intersections can lead to cooperation and/or conflict. During the unit, several case studies will be studied in depth, so students can develop skills in map analysis and applying that analysis to specific situations. Other parts of the materials will invite you and your students to explore similar cases in Europe and in your own community, which could be taken from the materials that you currently use or from a set of possibilities included in the curriculum. The unit is not intended to cover an entire course in European physical and human geography. Instead, the goal is to help students see maps as tools for understanding our world, using European examples and case studies."

Celebrate Geography Awareness Week, Nov 15-22,2009

http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/gaw.html


Join the celebration! Register at the above site..FREE materials, resources, links and activities for celebrating Geography Awareness Week! This website is loaded with ideas to use at home, classrooms, schools/districts, organizations, churches, activities for anyone interested in improving geographic literacy.

Get lost in Mapping: Find your way in Europe!!
http://www.ngsednet.org/uga
(click on "GeoAction/GAW Resources")

With help from the Utah & Hawaii Geographic Alliances, I have created a document with live links that is a one-stop guide to all types of activities and support for Geography Awareness Week.

The Utah Geographic Alliance website is hosting the document at the above site....The Hawaii Geographic Alliance has graciously let me use the format and some of their links for this document as well. The activities and suggested links are mainly geared to Utah teachers/core curriculum, but all are welcome to use the ideas collected here. Ideas for Geography Awareness Week:

• Join/sign up for Geography Alliance, MyWonderfulWorld, GeoAction! memberships and newsletters.
• See Geography Awareness Week /Utah geography core curriculum connections
• Links to free downloadable, Big Map and lesson plans
• Register for National Geographic Bee competition
• Children's literature connections for Geography Awareness Week
• Attend Utah regional GeoFests/teacher development activities
• Download FREE geography of Europe lesson plans!!
• Ideas for Geography Awareness Week activities
  

Make a BIG MAP, share ideas, watch videos, listen to music, read books all about Europe.....Enjoy and help celebrate Geography Awareness Week!!

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!

NGChannel's EXPEDITION WEEK

To Celebrate Geography Awareness Week, check out The National Geographic Channel's Expedition Week starting November 15, 9 pm. EP time. You may view on TV or online:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/expedition-week-main
Here's a list of the progams/games etc that will show during Expedition Week:

• America Before Columbus
• Bizarre Dinosaurs
• Deep Secrets: The Ballard Gallipoli Expedition
• Devil's Bible
• Drain the Ocean
• Easter Island Underworld
• Egyptian Secrets of the Afterlife
• Expedition Great White
• Ghost Ships of the Black Sea
• Giant Crystal Cave
• Hitler's Hidden City

• Hubble's Amazing Universe
• Hunt for the Samurai Subs
• Mars: Making the New Earth
• Monster Fish of the Amazon
• Monster Fish of the Mekong
• Search for the Amazon Headshrinkers
• Secrets of the Druids
• The First Jesus?
• Titanic: The Final Secret
• Waking the Baby Mammoth
• When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs
• The Real George Washington

This website is packed with hundred of videos on all types of subjects available for viewing on TV, HD and on-demand as well as video clips for sharing:

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!!!!!

Geography student literature list ..teacher resource Treasure!!

For many years Pizza Hut has been promoting a reading incentive program called Book It! They used to provide teaching materials along with mini pizzas for student reading rewards. Now the entire program is online @ http://www.bookitprogram.com/ I kept two of the publications, because the materials and reading suggestions were all about geography: The GEOReader and The GEOReaderII. The publications are out of print, but I contacted Pizza Hut and they gave me permission to copy and share these two publications. From Pizza Hut:"We no longer have these publications available. You are welcome to use and copy the materials as needed. Thanks!"BOOK IT! National Reading Incentive Program PO Box 2999Wichita KS 672011-800-426-6548Fax: 316-685-0977



I've uploaded all 22 pages of GEOReader II (lists of books andactivities about cultures and physical geography). These are excellent suggestions for reading & picture books for teaching geography using literature. Some of the teaching suggestions are a bit out of date..due to NCLB...but great information including the 5 themes of geography background.



(double click on each page to enlarge)

The Deseret News (SLC, UT) provided a "classroom connections" page 12/3/08 listing "December Days to Remember"events--many of which are/were geography based. Sharing a few of the dates/events mentioned in the article:

Dec 1: Rosa Park;s Day. Anniversary commemorating when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

Dec 2: Barney Clark receives world's first artificial heart transplant,
SLC Utah.

Dec 7: Thomas Edison exhibited phonograph, Menlo Park, New Jersey.

Dec. 7: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, attacked by Japanese drawing U.S. into WWII

Dec 8: John Lennon killed in NYCity, New York

Dec 10: Wyoming, (US territory) allowed women to vote and hold office 1869

Dec 15: "Gone with the Wind" 1939 premierd in Atlanta GA

Dec 16: Boston Tea Party, 1773 Boston Harbor, Massachusetts

Dec 16: Battle of the Bulge 1944 A major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains region of Belgium, France and Luxembourg on the Western Front.

Dec 17: Wright Brothers' Day celebrates the first successful airplane flight @ Kitty Hawk, NC

Dec 21: Winter Solstice: Shortest day and longest night of the year. Sun appears at the lowest point in the sky.

Dec 21:Pilgrims first set foot on American soil at Plymouth, Mass 1620

Dec 21: Hannukkah is celebrated from Dec 12-29 to show praise and honor to God for providing 8 days of oil (from a single day's worth) in the Temple of Jerusalem.

Dec 23: Aircraft, Voyager, completed first round-the-world flight without stopping or refueling in 1986.

Dec 25: Christmas is the Christian celebration of Jesus' birth. Millions of believers (& non-believers) commemorate the day with feasts and gifts.

Dec 25: William the Conquerer is crowned King of England 1066

Dec 26: Kwanzaa African American celebration (12-26-1/1) to reconnect with Adrican traditions and principals such as unity, self-determination, creativity, and faith.

Dec 27: Edwin Hubble announces the existence of other galactic systems
1924

Great Geography Quote

"Big Tiger had never had a map in his hand before, but he pretended to know all about maps and remarked airily: “I can’t read the names on this one because they’re in English.” Christian realized he would have to show his friend how to read a map. “The top is north,” he said. “The little circles are towns and villages. Blue means rivers and lakes, the thin lines are roads and the thick ones railways.” “There’s nothing at all here,” said Big Tiger pointing to one of the many white patches. “That means it’s just desert,” Christian explained. “You have to go into the desert to know what it looks like.”….. “That’s a fine map,” said Big Tiger. “It’s useful to be able to look up beforehand the places we reach later.”….. “Are there bandits about here?” asked Christian. “Perhaps it’s written on the map,” Big Tiger ventured. “Look and see.”…..
Big Tiger and Christian by Fritz Muhlenweg,

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!!!

More Geography Links

" Take students on a virtual whirlwind tour of the world this November with MyWonderfulWorld.org, a National Geographic-led campaign to give kids the power of global knowledge. During Geography Awareness Week (November 16-22), experience a range of geo-activities designed to engage kids in exploring their world while they become more informed global citizens. You can take a geo-tour of global hotspots on a virtual globe, including polar regions, coral reefs, and great cities. Explore earth's marine ecosystems as you pilot an underwater vehicle. Hear from young people living and working around the world. Give kids the power of global knowledge! Find out how you can help now at http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/gaw to see the world in new ways!

The page, linked closely to the Geography Action! page on NG.com, is designed to educate the public about what geography has to offer, providing tools and resources for students and their families to explore.

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!!