GeoJournal

Dear Educator,

Maps
This age group also benefits from simple maps they can easily understand. We have a large collection of beginner maps that are useful for this age range. These include a community map, a bird’s-eye view of a farm, a typical neighborhood, a representative town, the states in the U.S., the world, Earth, the universe, and more! To find the basic K-2 Beginner Maps collection, choose Maps from the Collections dropdown menu in the top righthand corner of the screen, near the Search bar. Then, choose Map Types in the Filter on the left. From there, choose Beginner Maps. Below is a link to the My Neighborhood map. It is a favorite of many teachers for this age range. If it isn’t currently one of yours, we bet it will be.

Early Learner Field Trips
Students in this age range are especially curious about the world. Maps101 has a special Field Trip collection for learners of this age to help them navigate online while learning about topics of interest, including monarch butterflies, fossils, zoo animals, and even fruits and vegetables. (Parents everywhere appreciate their children learning about these nutritious foods!) Explore along with your students as they see colorful pictures and read easy-to-understand content.

Geography News Network Junior
Many of your students are ready to tackle articles written with them in mind. Our exclusive Geography News Network will speak to these students! A quick search for GNN Junior, or clicking the link below, opens up a variety of articles of interest for your upper elementary students. Each article includes a PDF version with a wider margin for students to take notes in as they read. Questions at the end help inspire classroom discussion. A sample of some of the topics covered include: “Barbies to Inspire,” “Hibernation,” “Where House Cats Come From,” “The Next Generation of Lego,” biographies, and ELA connections with the Little House series of books and Beatrix Potter, the creator of Peter Rabbit. With GNN, you can always expect your students to be entertained, engaged, AND enriched.

Maps
This age group is likely to need reference atlas maps that are not too complex. Basic physical and political maps of the continents, regions and states in the U.S., and provinces in Canada are helpful in the classroom. Choose Maps from the Collections dropdown menu. Among the Filters on the left, choose Map Types. From there, choose K-3 maps to access over 130 maps for elementary students. The link takes you to the physical map of South America meant for elementary students. You can see how easy it is for your students to picture the Andes, the Amazon River and rainforest, as well as the Pampas. This example shows you the style you can expect from this extensive collection of maps for your classroom.

Everything!!!!
One of the benefits of all the articles, Field Trips, Lesson Maps, videos, maps, GeoInquiries, and other activities on Maps101 is that you can level them as needed if you preview them in advance. We suggest you take a tour of the site or use the Search feature so you can benefit from all that Maps101 offers. If you have any questions, contact your representative or email us at Maps101@maps.com.