Internet Field Trip: Maps, Globes, and Map Skills

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The start of a new school year is a great time to cover maps and map skills. After all, for the rest of the year nearly all of what we teach in social studies relies, in one way or another, on students' comprehension of basic map skills. Recently, I helped some brand-new teachers, as well as some veterans, and I checked out a variety of Web sites that would show the way to better mapping.

So, where to begin teaching students all about maps? The U.S. Geological Survey helps us to convey an understanding of maps with What Do Maps Show. There are four different lessons you can choose, including a map introduction, how to read maps, what you can learn from them, and topographical maps. I've used each of these, and you can, too, depending on the particulars of your classes. There's a helpful Teacher's Guide to get you started.

For older kids, I like to start with longitude and latitude so that students have a solid foundation upon which to build their skills.

Maps are diagrams showing different types of information about a place, such as rivers and roads. Try pairing a map of a locality with a different view, from the air, to compare features. My students are truly fascinated by different places around the planet, induced by yours truly, who has been lucky enough to travel to lots of different places, from the Arctic Circle to Greece's fascinating Corinth Canal. They jump at the chance to look, using an aerial view, at different places around the world. When using TerraServer, my students have just such a chance. I often use this to show them the various areas we study at any given time, because you can find any spot on earth. It's a great interactive activity, and certainly has a high "wow" factor among kids.