Teacher Appreciation Day: Cartographic Resources for the Social
Studies Classroom
Cardinal Scholar is an institutional repository available for use by
the Ball State University community. The
GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) in Bracken Library offers maps and other
resources for use in classrooms. Now
teachers can access Cardinal Scholar to use many of these available resources
from the GRMC for education and learning.
Using Cardinal Scholar
Access resources by visiting the University Libraries main
Web page or directly from Cardinal Scholar.
To find all of the available resources from the GRMC in Cardinal
Scholar, click on "Communities and Collections" on the left of the page. Then scroll down the list under the "Information Technology" section to “GIS Research
& Map Collection.” Then either type a key word, topic, or geographical place in the search box or browse by the title. A list of
resources including maps, games, posters, lesson plan ideas, and classroom
activities will appear. (The GRMC is
constantly updating the educational resources in Cardinal Scholar, so check for
additions from time to time). Teachers
and students can click on the file of the resource and save it for use in the
classroom. The GRMC has two large-format
color plotter printers available for printing some of the large maps or
posters, and a large-format laminator is also available. (The GRMC charges directly to the Bursar for
printing and laminating).
Lesson Plan Guides and Tutorials
The GIS Research and Map Collection offers from
Cardinal Scholar a lesson plan guide for teachers on how to use maps in the
classroom: Teaching with Maps: Lesson Plan Guide from the GRMC for Using
Maps in the Classroom. This guide
provides sample maps and lessons for teachers of social studies, science, English/literature,
and economics. The lessons range in
scope and include using topographic maps, mapping prehistoric dinosaurs, studying
Indiana authors, tracking the legendary Big Foot, and using football to study
U.S. geography and history. Other guides
available from Cardinal Scholar include cartographic guides on women’s history,
Black history, using Sanborn insurance and topographic maps, parts of maps, map
projections, and genealogy resources.
Final Projects
Teachers can review activities to use as final
projects for students like using a map of the Amazon to create an alphabet
book, creating a map of Canada’s famous people and inventions, and students
working in groups to create a pictorial map of Indiana history as a final
project. Each of these finished projects
can be accessed from Cardinal Scholar.
Classroom Activities
Teachers can copy worksheets and other activities
from Cardinal Scholar: Africa Map Search
and Canada Map Scavenger can each be completed using one map of
Africa and Canada. Students can learn
about the events of the Cold War and use the 1989 world map from Cardinal
Scholar to review where the tensions between the former Soviet Union and the
United States were located. Teachers can
show world development using the Earth at Night map activity,
demonstrate the world geography of the Olympic Games, and review European
geography with the Santa Travels Europe worksheet. Elementary and middle school students can
test their knowledge of state capitals with the U.S. Capitals Puzzle game. And teachers can even find out from Cardinal
Scholar and the GRMC how to create a classroom seating chart using latitude and
longitude.
Maps
The GIS Research and Map Collection creates custom maps and posters
for education and learning. These
resources are all available for use from Cardinal Scholar, including the American Folklore and Legends map, a map
about the Heritage of Southern Asia,
and Storybook England map, which
displays great works of children’s literature by English authors. A new series features maps of women's issues around the world. Teachers may also wish to use some of the historical maps like the map of John Dillinger's robberies, the range of the buffalo, La Salle and the Mississippi River, or Martin Luther King, Jr.
Teachers can print out the educational
posters from the GRMC including cultural maps of numerous countries like Pakistan
and Argentina, a poster showing the effects of global warming over time on an
Alaskan glacier, and posters to commemorate Black History Month, Women’s
History Month, and Veterans Day.
Games
Teachers can also print the large maps created by the GIS Research
& Map Collection to be used as board games:
Africa Trek Map Game features a large map of Africa. Teachers can create game pieces and cards so
students can move around the map of Africa, hopefully while learning the
geography of the continent. Using the Quest
for Heroes I-Spy Game, students must race to find the heroes by identifying
in which state they are located. A new game, Europe Brainstorming Geography Game, is based on the popular Scattegories game.
Contact the staff of the GIS Research and Map Collection for any
questions, concerns, or information about using other maps or educational
resources or about using Cardinal Scholar.
The GRMC is open Monday through Friday during the summer from 7:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. The telephone number for the GRMC is 765-285-1097.
