All About Maps and Mapmaking with Maps101

Dear Educator,

While Maps101 has articles on current events, biographies, interactive lessons, lesson plans, worksheets, and so much more, with a name like ours, we obviously LOVE maps. This week, we are taking a look at maps and mapmaking. After all, we have many cartographers hard at work making maps, and we want to share our enthusiasm for this unique artform. Today’s maps may appear less artistic than maps from the early days, when people tried to record terra incognita and used their imaginations to interpret the heavens and the universe. However, modern-day mapmaking still involves making all kinds of visual choices and decisions. There is indeed art in the skill of making maps.
 
Also, check out our Summer of Where landing page to discover even more content to inspire you as you plan how to bridge the learning gap that comes with the inevitable summer slide.

Students will learn all about maps this week as we celebrate what we love to do: make maps! Students will discover different types of maps, coordinate systems, how technology affected mapmaking, and more. Why don’t you explore maps and mapmaking with us this week?

In the Field Trip above, students will learn about the first map to feature a landform based on Amerigo Vespucci’s explorations. This landform was named America in his honor. Columbus, Vespucci, and others carried back records of land sightings and measurements to Europe. In fact, through exploration, mapmakers were better able to hone their skill. Terra incognita became land that had been actually seen, not just imagined. This Field Trip will help students make the connection between exploration and the role it played in opening the world to Europeans in particular.

Spain was interested in exploring the New World. The Spanish influence on the Americas is still felt deeply. This map illustrates the different routes Spanish explorers took in Texas. Point out to students the locator map that shows where Texas is located in relation to the continental United States.  Ask them what type of map they think this map is.

Now that we have a theme going, let’s keep going deeper! Field Trips firmly tie topics to geography using an interactive map as the foundation. In this Field Trip, students can further explore the topic of Spanish Influence on Texas. Images support visual learners and text provides context to help students understand each Field Trip’s topic. Have students explore the influence of other cultures on America or in your area.

No tour of maps in Maps101 would be complete without looking at the Cattle Trails in the Western U.S. Maps should provide information and be compelling and interesting to students. Most of the maps available on the market are not created with students in mind. They may be too advanced, with too much information, or they need to be zoomed in or out to find the information you hope to present. With the mapping in Maps101, we provide thousands of student-focused choices: physical maps, political maps, historical maps, life science maps, blank-outline maps, K-5 beginner maps, and so many more.

Speaking of beginner maps, it doesn’t get more basic than this gem. Even the youngest learners can start to understand what a map is and why they are useful. This map of a general neighborhood helps orient students to the idea of place and location. There is a simple map key. Students can hunt to find the cats, dogs, or cars in this neighborhood. This is wonderful example of how enriching Maps101 is for all students.

This is a small sample of the kind of content available to you with your Maps101 subscription. Every week, the editors at Maps101 will provide you with highlights from our extensive collection in this GeoJournal newsletter. We suggest you make a folder to store them for future reference. Expand your students’ world with Maps101!

Don’t forget to visit our Summer of Where landing page to discover even more content to inspire you this summer, and frankly, anytime!