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If you are familiar with the My Wonderful World Campaign, then you’ve probably seen our “We Are Not Alone” print ad and poster.

When we travel to conferences and promotional events, people cannot get enough of these posters. In fact, when we hand them out along with candy, the posters are the faster movers. At the rate at which we roll and band those things, I’m confident that the only force preventing me from developing some serious paper cuts is the karma I’ve built up spreading the good word of global knowledge.

 As much as your average person likes a freebie, I’m convinced there’s more to the poster's appeal than that it adds some color to the wall of those unwilling to shell out for a Monet. In so many ways, the “We are not alone” visual is the perfect embodiment of the My Wonderful World campaign, proof of that old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words. It is a message that resonates with people all over the country, people who recognize that our nation’s children often lack the geographic skills critical to cross-cultural understanding and success in a global economy, and that this is a serious issue worthy of attention and corrective action.

This Geography Awareness Week we’re working to fill in the rest of the map and show America’s young people that “We are not alone.” To serve that mission, we’ve embarked on a campaign to distribute 10,000 world maps to teachers and students in the District of Columbia metro area. As of this very moment, literally thousands of local teachers in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia are opening envelopes with world maps and “We are not alone” posters to display in their classrooms.

But maps are meant to do more than just beautify your wall. Our  “We are not alone” posters offer a strong call to action, and we’re hoping that the  maps will serve as resources to heed that rallying cry. Not sure where to get started using your world map?

Our friend Matt Rosenberg over at About.com: Geography has offered his own call to action: He’s challenging each of us to develop a basic level of geographic literacy by learning--at a minimum--the name and location of every country in the world. Read Matt’s column for more: His central argument is that this fundamental exercise helps us to form mental maps critical to understanding global connections between people and places.

I second Matt’s suggestion (hey, if 23-month-old Lily can do it, I think we're all up to the task) and encourage you to find more ways to get to know your map and, by extension, your world. Here’s a list of map activities I’ve searched the web, my own brain, and the cortex of a fellow education staffer to compile. I hope that you’ll use these activities as a springboard to get you thinking about maps, geography, and the power of global knowledge this week. And if you’re in the D.C. area, bring your family to “Coach L’s World Ball Night” at George Mason University this upcoming Saturday. The halftime show will feature world basketballs and giant maps of Asia to help us culminate a week of geographic exploration. A special thanks to National Geographic Xpeditions for providing such a wealth of comprehensive lesson plans.

Sarah & Mary’s quickies:

1. Map your class! (can be adapted for various age groups)
Have students locate on the map (e.g. with removable stickers) countries from which their families immigrated to the United States.

a) How many continents are represented?

       b) Are there any patterns (e.g. do students families tend to come mostly from Europe? Latin

            America? Asia?)         

Extension: Have students explore their countries of origin by:

a) Using modern sources to research a country from which their family immigrated

(General information for younger ages, more specific topics for older students)

b) Looking through family records, if available (more extensive genealogical investigation for older students)

c) Conducting interviews of older relatives (parents, grandparents, etc.)

d) Asking students to share family cultural traditions (e.g. food, holiday, religious, sport) with the class

2. 20 Questions
Play 20 questions with a world map! One student thinks of a location: city, country, landform, etc. and other students ask questions to guess what it is. Encourage students to practice using directional and other geography terms. This activity is probably most appropriate for pairs or small groups of students.

3. Name Game
Have students name a world location for each letter of the alphabet. You can do this for varying scales and types of features: e.g. cities, countries, rivers, mountains, etc.

4. Country Comparisons
Have students research and then compare and contrast two countries. You might select countries that have dramatic differences (e.g. for younger ages), or many similarities and more subtle distinctions (for slightly older students). Ask them to try to identify some features that make them similar or different.

a) Do they have similar climates?

b) Do they have similar size populations?

c) Do majorities of their population practice the same religion?

d) Do they have comparable levels of economic development?

e) Do they have similar colonial histories?

f) Do they have similar natural resources?

5. Map your community
Have students look at a variety of maps, and then get them to create a map of their neighborhood or school with a key, title and appropriate map conventions.

6. Map evolution
Discuss maps as a source of information that changes through time. Look at old maps of the world and new maps and discuss changes in the maps. Change can be political e.g. moving boundaries and changing names. Maps can also change through exploration: More detail is shown in areas as we know more about them. If available, you might also look at the evolution of community maps, which show a finer scale of detail. Can you changes in development? In the surrounding environment and landuse?

7.  Locate Earth’s Physical Extremes
Maps4Kids
Maps4Kids provides a series of “top 10” lists about the Earth. Have students use the lists to locate some of the world’s physical extremes on a map (e.g. largest mountains, rivers, lakes, and country areas.) An atlas could also be used for this activity, and also to identify examples beyond just the top 10 (this may be especially appropriate for expanding the study of mountains, for example, since the top 10 are located in a geographically limited area of Asia).

8. Locate Earth’s Political Extremes
Maps4Kids
Maps4Kids provides a series of “top 10” lists about the Earth. Have students use the lists to locate some of the world’s political extremes on a map (e.g. most populous countries and cities, most widely spoken languages). An atlas could also be used for this activity, and also to identify examples beyond just the top 10.

9. Seven Wonders
Maps4Kids
Use the lists at Maps4Kids to have students locate and research the history of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Students can also locate and research the history of the Seven “new” Wonders, voted on by over 100 million citizens around the world. What makes these places so special and unique? What do they have in common, and how are they different? Check out the “New 7 Wonders” website for a description of the contest and the wonders.

10. Top 10 lists
Have students use other available resources to research and compile their own “top 10 lists” and locate them on the map. Be creative! For example: 10 tallest structures, 10 most traversed roadways, 10 most popular tourist destinations, 10 coldest cities, 10 most “international” cities.

In-depth online lesson plans and other web activities:

Basic Map Skills & Applications
Grades K-2
1. Where in the U.S.Would You Want to Live?
National Geographic Xpeditions

 2. Exploring Physical and Human Characteristics of Earth's Spaces
National Geographic Xpeditions

Grades 3-5
3. What We Can Learn From Maps
National Geographic Xpeditions

4. Which Direction Should I Go?
National Geographic Xpeditions

5. Where in the World? Using a Geographic Perspective to Identify Destinations for a Class Trip
National Geographic Xpeditions

Latitude & Longitude
Grades K-2
1.Introduction to Latitude and Longitude
National Geographic Xpeditions

Grades K-6
2. World Latitude and Longitude
Enchanted Learning

Grades 3-5
3. Important Facts about Latitude and Longitude
NASA ISSEarthKam

4. Understanding Latitude and Longitude
NASA ISSEarthKam

Grades 6-8
5. Latitude, Longitude, and Mapmaking
National Geographic Xpeditions

           Maps: Physical
           Grades 3-5               
           1. Comparing the Continents
            National Geographic Xpeditions

Grades 5-8
2. Label landforms
Enchanted Learning

Maps: Political & Cultural
Grades 9-12
1. Maps and Current Events
National Geographic Xpeditions

2. Yours, Mine, and Ours: Determining Boundaries
National Geographic Xpeditions

Sarah for My Wonderful World

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Comments

[Noclegi Zakopane]

Thanks Laura for interesting informations on your site. I was search this since few times. You are great.Once again thanks.
Noclegi Zakopane

[Sarah Jane]

Laura,

Thanks for your interest in My Wonderful World and our promotional materials! You can obtain posters and other supplies by contacting your state's geographic alliance coordinator. Just tell them I sent you! Find your coordinator at: http://www.ngsednet.org/community/about.cfm?community_id=94

If they don't have what you need, please feel free to email me at [email protected].

[Laura]

How can one get one of these posters?