We started using CKLA Amplify this year and my students and I are really enjoyed it. I realized quickly during our Fables & Stories unit, that I would need to find ways to support their understanding of geography and where all the different countries they would be learning about are located.
Globes or Maps?
I have two globes, but it can be hard for my students to find things easily on them, and it is impossible to mark the locations.
I found this gorgeous foam map on Etsy from Happy Place Art, and bought these bamboo push pins, (Amazon affiliate link) so that I could write a number on them. I wanted my students to be able to go back and reference the different countries we had learned about independently.
Then I made a key to help my students see which country it was and what story or lesson we talked about it in.
Google Earth
We also use Google Earth to preview where each new story or unit will take place. My students share what they may know about the country and then we "travel" there!
You never know where you'll land - in fact, one time we landed in a Home Depot store in France - of course when my principal stopped by for a visit!
We usually try to do a city location and a countryside if possible, to give them a better idea of what each country looks like.
This really gave my students a better understanding of different regions around the world as the year, and the lessons, progressed.
Looking Up Close
No comments