National Geographic giant traveling map comes to Carson City school
Submitted by editor on Mon, 05/08/2017 - 8:26am
Students at Bordewich Bray Elementary School in Carson City will be exploring North America in a big way — with one of the world’s largest maps of the North American continent. The map, measuring 35 feet by 26 feet, gives student explorers an interactive experience through rich content and exciting activities that make geography fun.
The map will be at Bordewich Bray Elementary now through Friday, May 12, as part of National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program.
The brightly colored, smooth vinyl surface of the map accurately illustrates North America’s oceans, seas, rivers, mountains, countries and capitals. The map, designed for grades K-8, comes with a trunk full of accessories, including interactive games, geography adventures, atlases and books that teach students about the physical characteristics of the continent as well as its rich history and varied cultures.
One of the activities is “A Tale of Twenty Cities,” in which students explore the physical and economic reasons behind the locations of North American cities.
“Experiencing a map of this size can really awaken a student to the power of maps and the limitless depth of geography,” said Dan Beaupré, vice president of National Geographic’s Education and Children’s Media group. “Whether they are using the map to learn place names or to compare state-to-state CO2 emissions, students are physically involved in a hands- and feet-on way that makes geography into an event.”
“As the science, technology, engineering and math coach, I usually try and secure one ‘pie in the sky’ innovative way for students to learn,” said Mrs. Rachel Croft, national board certified teacher and STEM Coach at Boardewich Bray Elementary School. “This year, I was able to secure the grant to pay for Nat Geo to send their Giant Traveling Map to our school for a week.”
National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program was introduced in 2006 with a map of Africa and has since expanded to include giant maps of North America, Asia, South America, Europe and the Pacific Ocean. This year, hundreds of thousands of students will interact with these maps.
In addition to school venues, the maps appear at museums, festivals, fairs and corporate and educational conferences. The maps reinforce National Geographic’s commitment to increasing geography education through teacher professional development, K-12 curriculum, live events and academic competitions like the National Geographic Bee.
Visit www.nationalgeographic.com/giantmaps to learn more about the Giant Traveling Map project, for borrowing information, or to download map activities.
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