Globes & Flat Map Combos for Geography Inquiry

Globes and World Maps Combined do Wonders for Geography Class Study

Aug 1, 2009 Donald Reinhardt

There are moments of revelation that come to all who teach, learn or write. Flat world maps and a globe make a great scientific inquiry learning-teaching combination.

A teacher recently introduced a large, flat, world map and globe into the classroom and a whole new world opened up. Anyone who desires to learn geography well will benefit from this globe and world map combination for all geography class activities. Here are some insights.

Earth Globe and Large Flat Map Combination Are Great Learning Tools

The class had just begun. This day a large world map and a 14-inch globe were displayed at the front of the room. "Today World Geography begins, and for many this is your first geography lesson," remarked the teacher. "Everyone's help,attention and quietness is called for."

The class was obedient to the instruction as all proceeded to assemble around the globe and map. The teacher continued, "World geography is the study of places in the whole world. This globe and large, flat map show the world's places." Several kids remarked, "Wow!" ,"Cool!", "Really?", as the teacher moved the map to a nearby wall and tacked it up, while leaving the globe on the desk.

The teacher divided the class into 6 small groups of 5 students, and assigned one group to the globe, another to the the flat map. The other 4 groups of students began the first part of the writing assignment which was to write down all the ideas they already knew or remembered about geography. The map and globe student groups were given 5 minutes each to rotate between the map and globe, and returned to their desks as the next 2 groups of students began their inspections and studies. After 30 minutes all had seen the globe and map, and all had written aspects of something geographic for about 20 minutes.

Globe and Flat Map Comparisons Elicit Great Student Responses

What happened next is of interest. The students were asked to write down what they liked and disliked about the globe and the flat map. Here are some summarized responses.

Globe likes:

• "Saw the earth as a big round ball."
• "Liked the bumpy mountains and the flat oceans (globe's relief)."
• "Spinning the globe was fun."
• "Tilted earth was interesting, earth always had same tilt."
• "Found out where some other people live."
• "Some people thought the earth was flat, that's funny!"

Globe dislikes:

• "Could not easily find some places."
• "Looked very crowded."
• "Geography looks like a lot of stuff to learn."
• "Some places were too small."

Flat map likes:

• "Easy to see a whole lot."
• "Finding places went fast."
• "The world looked real good."
• "Really would like to visit some of these places."
• "Colors on the map were nice!"
• "People long ago, and even today, used flat maps."

Flat map dislikes:

• "Knew the earth was not really like that"
• "Looks like much to learn."

Geography Lesson Plans Using A Globe and Flat Map

A globe and large world map serve well for classroom instruction. Scientific inquiry of globes and maps permit students to use their natural curiosity to explore and question. When appropriately prompted by a teacher, who promotes critical thinking, further insights occur. The teaching and learning possibilities are wonderful, panoramic and everyone has fun — especially when previously unknown places are found by search and scientific inquiry of geography.

Things to look for:

• biggest continents
• largest countries
• country shaped like a boot
• largest bodies of water
• Great Lakes
• New York, Paris, London, Cairo, Iraq, Iran,
• Mediterranean Sea
• Hawaiian Islands
• Indonesia
• hundreds of other possibilities.

Geography is great for scientific inquiry and learning. Take another novel trip with a globe and a large world map, a few videos, DVDs and have a worldwide vacation at little cost.

Also see more on geography queries.

Resources

Davis, K.C. 1992. Don't Know Much About Geography. William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, N.Y. 384 pp

The copyright of the article Globes & Flat Map Combos for Geography Inquiry in Scientific Inquiry is owned by Donald Reinhardt. Permission to republish Globes & Flat Map Combos for Geography Inquiry in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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