Maps101 - GeoJournal
She Inspires...
Posted on March 28 2021
Dear Educators, Women’s History Month is drawing to a close, and we have met a whole host of incredible characters. Leaders. Fighters. Innovators. Adventurers. Activists. Artists. Entrepreneurs. Each one of them has left a mark on history, proving that regardless of what or who you were born as, you can...
She's on the Case!
Posted on March 21 2021
Dear Educators, We have no power over the circumstances and situations that present themselves in our lives, but our power lies in how we handle those challenges. As teachers, we want to ultimately instill in our students the skills to do that well and help them learn from any mistakes...
Women of the Wild West
Posted on March 14 2021
Dear Educators, Our GNN article this week features a seriously renegade woman named Mary Fields, who defied stereotypes as she charged across the countryside in her stagecoach, delivering mail. As humans we are all blessed with talents and interests that are intrinsic to us. It doesn’t matter where we’ve come...
Lady Leaders
Posted on March 07 2021
Dear Educators,Kamala Harris' historical election in January was a win for female leaders in the United States. While we have yet to have a President in a pantsuit many developed nations have to wild excitement of the people. Why is that? In our society, it is considered breaking norms for...
Hear Her Roar!
Posted on February 28 2021
Dear Educators,It’s once again the month where we celebrate all the strong, powerful women who have changed the course of history. Women’s History Month is an opportunity for us to inspire the next generation who will create these stories of their own. Celebrating the power and influence of women goes...
Overcoming Challenges
Posted on February 21 2021
Dear Educators,There are few better feelings than surmounting a challenge that we have been burdened with. The relief of having overcome it, combined with the pride in how, is one of the greatest feelings a human can experience. These stories of success often become the most prized events in our...
Love is a fairy tale...
Posted on February 14 2021
Dear Educators,Happy Valentine’s Day! Fairy tales are our first exposure to the narratives in our particular culture, which is why it can be so interesting to explore traditional tales from other cultures. Without even knowing, we ingrain these narratives, and our expectations, behaviors, and beliefs often take root in them....
Celebrating Black History
Posted on February 08 2021
Dear Educators, Here at Maps101 we are celebrating Black History Month and want to support you in teaching some of the African American Heroes who have weaved the tapestry of American History. This week we are highlighting an article, a map, an interactive Lesson Map and an entire collection of...
The Hill We Climb
Posted on February 01 2021
Dear Educators, As teachers, we frequently see the sparkle of talent glimmering within our students. It’s such a privilege to be able to nurture and guide our students to discover for themselves the great power that lies within them. As a nation, we saw a young woman shine her talent...
Taking Flight
Posted on January 25 2021
Dear Educators, We have entered a new era. Last week saw the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris. Tensions and troubles have rarely been higher, which will likely motivate the new administration to move with high velocity. These next few weeks and years will no doubt be interesting...
Perspective
Posted on January 18 2021
Dear Educators, It seems like for the past year or so we have been living through “once-in-a-lifetime” historical events on a day-by-day basis. The past couple of weeks have been no different! The riot at the Capitol and the second impeachment of President Trump are just the latest in a...
Adventure!
Posted on January 11 2021
Welcome to 2021, our dear Educators! That New Year feeling of fresh starts is upon us! With the stress of 2020, I think most of us are a little nervous as to what 2021 will hold. The trepidation and anticipation are palpable at the outset of any adventure. Who knows...
Eureka!
Posted on December 14 2020
Dear Educators, The moments of success are some of the more euphoric of human existence. We see it in our students when they have engaged in the productive struggle and finally get it. The joy is palpable!Humans love to solve problems and overcome challenges.We have been doing that individually and as...
All About Pearl Harbor
Posted on December 07 2020
Dear Educators, Today was the 79th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, so this week all our resources are themed around helping you teach about it. At Maps101 we try to make our resources flexible for any teaching style and need. So whether you’re looking for a full lesson on the topic, or...
We've Noticed...
Posted on November 26 2020
You are our superhero. Dear Educators, Happy Thanksgiving! This year we are grateful for YOU! On behalf of everyone at Maps101 and Maps.com, we want to thank you for all your hard work educating the future generations.The onus of your task is huge, and this year more so than...
Rainbows in a Storm
Posted on November 23 2020
Dear Educators, As we come up on Thanksgiving 2020, it might be trickier than usual to find things we’re grateful for. For many of us, this has been the hardest year of our lives. However, you might take the perspective that it’s even easier to appreciate the wonderful things in...
Enlivenment!
Posted on November 16 2020
Dear Educators, It can feel a bit like groundhog day trying to find a new engaging lesson every day. As an educator, I was always so grateful for fun ideas to try in my classroom, and our whole team at Maps101 works hard every day to provide that to educators...
Landed
Posted on November 02 2020
Dear Educators, Navigating through this year has tested all of us. The challenges have been extreme, and seemingly never ending! I think it’s important to acknowledge our wins along the way—not just our own, but those of our students too. When we feel stressed and challenged, we need to take...
The Golden Rule
Posted on October 26 2020
Dear Educators, Since Kindergarten, we have been told to “treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves.” While this is a good start, as adults we begin to learn that there are some nuances to this thinking. Perhaps it’s more effective to treat others as THEY would like...
Viva la revolución!
Posted on October 19 2020
Dear Educators, Change might be constant, but it can also be intense and painful. Violence, pain, and death are often intrinsic to massive societal change. We have seen this play out in 2020. Tension, friction, and times of confusion and discomfort are inevitable. Mid-October 1781 was a time of such...
Aye Aye Captain
Posted on October 12 2020
Dear Educators, Our GNN article this week is about the USS Holland submarine and its impact on the military, and history. For those of us teaching and working remotely during COVID, there is a lot we can learn from submariners. How to stay productive, efficient, and happy in the void...
Secrets
Posted on October 05 2020
Dear Educators, Next month’s return of everybody’s favorite secret agent, James Bond, in his 25th film, “No Time to Die,” has us thinking about the sneaky world of secrets!As humans, our ability to create and share fictional narratives has had an interesting impact on our history and our society. Outside...
For Ruth
Posted on September 28 2020
Dear Educators, While the full impact of Ruth’s death remains to be seen, the impact of her life is evident. Her work as a Supreme Court Justice was the catalyst for major strides in establishing gender equity. Her lifelong advocacy for equal treatment of women continues even after her death,...
Discovery
Posted on September 21 2020
Dear Educators, Here at Maps101, we are particularly excited by stories of human discovery. The explorers of the past and the scientists who changed how we see the world are some of our favorites! This week, our resources showcase Darwin’s discoveries and adventures! This year has been, and continues to...
The Map to Knowledge
Posted on September 14 2020
Dear Educators, At Maps101, we believe that when students understand their world, they have the power to make a positive difference in it. We’ve been working on lots of new things that will help your students develop the power and knowledge to make a difference, and we are excited to...
Play Ball!
Posted on September 07 2020
Dear Educators, You spent all summer planning out your play, and you are in the thick of the game!As the intensity of the 2020-21 school year hits us all, we wanted to provide you with a selection of resources on something a little lighter—sports!We know you're all playing hard right...
For Sir Ken
Posted on August 31 2020
Dear Educators, Sir Ken Robinson passed last week after a brief battle with cancer. His TED talk changed my outlook and career profoundly. I was lucky enough to hear him speak on innovation in 2016, and I am proud to say that in asking for his autograph, I behaved like...
A Whole New World
Posted on August 24 2020
Dear Educators, Last week, I saw a photo of a friend’s son attending his first day of kindergarten—virtually—and it really caught my attention. All of us are transitioning to a new world, thanks to COVID, but it strikes me that some among us have lost their opportunity to experience the...
Female Fighters
Posted on August 17 2020
Dear Educators, This week marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote as citizens of the United States. Looking at the history of women across time and culture, it is shocking to see how an entire group of people has been celebrated or silenced...
Transformation
Posted on August 10 2020
Dear Educators, Sometimes change happens slowly over time, and sometimes huge changes happen all at once. Slow changes that happen without you noticing allow you to adapt slowly, but transformative changes are much more jarring, or exciting! We have a new collection in Maps101 of transformative educational content that we...
Need
Posted on August 03 2020
Dear Educators, Much of our job as teachers is identifying and fulfilling the needs of our students and ourselves! It can be hard to distinguish between needs and wants in both directions. We can misidentify something a student needs, like scaffolded reading, as something they want, and do them a...
Friendship
Posted on July 27 2020
Dear Educators, National Friendship Day is coming up! I’ve always believed we can learn so much from the children we care for, as teachers and parents. One of the things I’ve always been grateful to emulate in my own life is the childhood reverence for friendship. As we grow older,...
Change...
Posted on July 20 2020
Dear Educators, This past week, those of us here at Maps.com have been lucky enough to attend a conference showcasing the latest developments in mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It never ceases to amaze me what humans are capable of, and it is so exciting to watch the...
Perspective...
Posted on July 13 2020
Dear Educators, Are things ever as they appear? As educators, we have a huge responsibility to teach our students how to interpret information. This is a huge task because it is human nature to look for things that validate what we already believe. We prefer people and concepts that are...
United We Stand...
Posted on July 04 2020
Dear Educators, Our annual celebration of independence has come and gone amidst all the craziness of 2020. The tensions and stress in our country today are some of the highest we’ve experienced since our founding. It’s a good time for us to remember that we are united as a nation,...
For the love of money...
Posted on June 29 2020
Dear Educators, One of the biggest impacts of the COVID-19 crisis is, and will continue to be, financial. Money is something that we cannot escape in our lives. It is essential to our survival. Those of us who have experienced insecurity about money know the stress that it can place...
Reflection
Posted on June 22 2020
Dear Educators, Summer break is in full swing for many of us! There are so many things to love about summer break, the weather, the rest, and the opportunity to reflect. A break can be just the thing we need to reflect and consider our successes and struggles. Life has...
Difficult Conversations in the Name of Change
Posted on June 15 2020
The more important and sensitive the conversation, the harder it can be to have it. As people, we sometimes try not to rock the boat, but when things really need to change, that isn’t going to work. As teachers, helping students find their voice is of paramount importance, now more...
Civil Rights and Mini Lesson Maps
Posted on June 08 2020
It’s officially Summer Break around the United States! You did it! You made it through what was probably the most challenging school year yet! Since most of us aren’t in the classroom, the weekly newsletters are going to be a little bit different over Summer. I’m going to focus on...
Endings and Completion...
Posted on June 01 2020
Dear Educators, Many of us are wrapping up what has been one of the strangest school years we’ve ever lived through. Endings are important. We are doing the best we can to end this bizarre year powerfully and retreat for a well-earned rest! Planning successful endings can mean the difference...
Memories and the Military
Posted on May 26 2020
Dear Educators, It’s Memorial Day weekend! Given current circumstances, the way we celebrate might be different, even if the meaning is the same. As we all struggle with giving up our freedoms in order to protect ourselves, our families and our country as a whole from COVID-19, it is a...
Bravery, Vulnerability and Volcanos!
Posted on May 19 2020
Dear Educators, We are seeing extreme examples of classic bravery all around us through the COVID crisis. The faces of the medical professionals helping the sick are truly inspiring. However, bravery can sometimes take the form of something much softer: vulnerability. The teacher trying to figure out how to use...
Music, Art, and Moms
Posted on May 14 2020
Dear Educators, So many areas of our lives have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that within just a few short months we have embraced a completely new reality. This week’s collection is a reminder of some of the things that humanity has always embraced. There are a...
Distance Learning: LessonMaps Week 2
Posted on April 06 2020
Welcome to the second week of distance learning with Mini LessonMaps Students embark on a learning adventure of discovery-right from home! What are they? These lessons are appropriate for grades 6-12 and allow the student to learn at their own pace! Each lesson has a Virtual Field Trip...
Distance Learning: LessonMaps
Posted on March 31 2020
Welcome to our first week of distance learning with Mini LessonMaps Students embark on a learning adventure of discovery-right from home! What are they? These lessons are appropriate for grades 6-12 and allow the student to learn at their own pace! Each lesson has a Virtual Field Trip...
Maps101 Newsletter: Isolation and Connection
Posted on March 27 2020
With schools closing around the country, the theme of this week is isolation and connection. When I left the classroom to work with educational publishers, my first job was a "work from home" position. Initially, I was excited to work in my pajamas and have homecooked lunches every day...but I...
Pandemics and St. Paddy’s Day!
Posted on March 15 2020
Happy Sunday, fellow educators! As someone who has lived, taught, and studied in seven countries, I am deeply interested in understanding the human experience from as many perspectives as possible and ultimately seeing how we are united and connected. Right now, our species is united in facing the coronavirus. As...
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Recent Posts
She Inspires...
Mar 28 2021
Dear Educators, Women’s History Month is drawing to a close, and we have met a whole host of...
She's on the Case!
Mar 21 2021
Dear Educators, We have no power over the circumstances and situations that present themselv...
Women of the Wild West
Mar 14 2021
Dear Educators, Our GNN article this week features a seriously renegade woman named Mary Fie...
Lady Leaders
Mar 07 2021
Dear Educators,Kamala Harris' historical election in January was a win for female leaders in...
Hear Her Roar!
Feb 28 2021
Dear Educators,It’s once again the month where we celebrate all the strong, powerful women w...