Social Studies K-12 Lessons Available from Ball State University Libraries

Future Teachers Learning to Use Maps in the Classroom

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) uses its collection of 140,000 maps and 3,000 atlases to create custom, engaging educational lessons and other resources for K-12 teachers and students.  The GRMC presents sessions to elementary and secondary education classes instructing future teachers how to incorporate maps and other cartographic resources into K-12 lessons, games, and classroom independent learning geography activity stations.

The students in Social Science 397 taught by Dr. Dorshell Stewart, Assistant Professor in the Department of History, presented their final projects on December 9 and 12.  The students presented geography lessons that they created for use in their student-teaching classrooms.

Students in this methodology class were able to work with the staff of the GRMC to create custom maps to be used as part of a geography independent learning activity.  These learning stations incorporate a self-guided lesson for students to use during their free time/reading time in the classroom.

Some of the methods students created map puzzles (above, click to enlarge), lessons about the parts of and how to read a map, games teaching how to use a map, and learning U.S. capitals.  One student drew a map board featuring Disney characters for an elementary-level lesson on cardinal directions (above).

Custom maps, lesson plans, games, and other cartographic resources created by the GRMC are saved in the Ball State University Libraries’ CardinalScholar institutional repository.  Teachers from around the world with Web availability can access the maps and lessons for use in their classrooms.

For more information about using maps and cartographic resources in the classroom, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.