National Atlas.Gov: Maps your Way
The National Atlas is another site where your tax dollars really are working
Since the site is taxpayer supported, and teachers pay what seems like an extraordinary amount of their pay as taxes, it makes sense for teachers in all classes to use this site whenever they can.
What can you do on the National Atlas site?
You can customize maps and print them, adding layers of information. You can also play with interactive maps, download data for a GIS, and order large maps for your classroom or office.
Link to the National Atlas site.
You can spend hours playing with these interactive maps, but why not let your students explore the maps, develop hypothesis, test their assumptions, and share their conclusions.
Creative Teaching
The possibilities seem endless for using a tool like this for all kinds of content area subjects on all sorts of levels.
If a teacher can spend hours pondering the "What ifs" generated by the layers and combinations of these interactive maps, so can students.
This resource can be used for all manner of creative teaching, with all sorts of graphic organizers to structure the inquiry, with all sizes of student-project groups, in learning centers, and even for lab assignments and homework.
You might create daily oral language, math and vocabulary activities around these layered maps. You might even create homework assignments around these maps.
And, just think, for every use that you devise, your students can come up with at least 20 more...if you encourage them and empower them.
Check our Website for other creative and time-saving ideas. Link to the Classroom Toolkit Website.
