Teachers and parents: web resources relating to early maps
This page was created on 18 March 2002 and updated thereafter
There are numerous sites offering links for teachers, on the
one hand, or for maps on the other. Since there does not seem to
be any site that brings together (for the benefit of teachers or parents)
web-based educational materials relating to the history of maps, a
systematic search was carried out on the web. No responsibility for the
content of the sites linked below can be taken by the author of this page
(who has no experience of teaching).
'Latitude' (a
marvellous resource by Patricia Seed, with sections, besides 'maps', on:
beacons, coastal navigation, compass roses, latitude and longitude,
ships, etc.)
'Making Sense of
Maps' ("a place for students and teachers to begin working with maps
as historical evidence...an overview of the history of maps and how
historians use them, a breakdown of the elements of a map, tips on what
questions to ask when analyzing maps", with examples taken from Illinois
and Pittsburgh - David Stephens, Youngstown State University)
'Maps'
(historical essay (broken into short sections), assisting students to understand early maps, by Joni Seager,
University of Vermont, for 'History Matters', George Mason University)
Outreach. Yolanda Theunissen, 'Developing and Promoting Outreach Services for Elementary and Middle Schools: Case
Study of a Rare Map Library at a Public University', Journal of Map and Geography Libraries 3, no. 2 [June 14,
2007]: 5-22 [available via subscription].
’Tutorial: History of Cartography’ (illustrated notes, arranged in eight chronological
chapters, with ‘Auxiliary Studies’ and (to follow) ‘In depth studies’, available also in
Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Slovakian, Spanish and Russian - University
of Southern Maine (George S. Carhart); Eötvös Loránd Universität, Budapest (Zsolt Török);
Universität Passau (Thomas Frenz))
'Zoom into Maps' ('Maps help us make sense of our world'; 'Analyzing a Map'; 'What can be
learned from historic maps?' - introductory texts accompanying the Library of Congress's 'American
Memory' site, illustrated with high resolution MrSID images). In July 2009, LC released its new Teacher Resources module for the American Memory
Project. This provides lesson plans and guidance on interpreting original sources.
These are offered without comment as to their quality. Entering the
ISBN into a search engine, or Amazon.com
[just select 'Books' and copy the ISBN into the search box without dashes or
spaces], should retrieve details about the book concerned.
Alternatively, try Maps &
Cartography -- Children / K-12 Level (a listing of recent books, by
Jack Mount).
Charting the World: Geography and Maps from Cave Paintings to GPS with 21 Activities (For Kids)
by Richard Panchyk (Chicago Review Press, 2011). ISBN-13: 978-1569763445. 132 pages.
Exploring and Mapping the American West (Cornerstones of
Freedom) by Judy Alter. Children's Press, 2001. ISBN: 051621599X. 32 pages; ages 9-12
Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills by Scott Ritchie (32-
page book)
Four titles by Walter Oleksy: Mapping the World; Mapping the Seas; Mapping the Skies; Maps in History. Franklin Watts, 2002-2003 (Watts Library). Respective ISBNs: 0531166368; 0531120309; 0531120317; 0531166333. Each 64 pages; ages 9-12
Mapping the World by Sylvia A. Johnson. Atheneum Books for
Young Readers, 1999. ISBN: 0689818130. 32 pages; ages 8-12
Maps and Globes by Jack Knowlton (illustrated by Harriett
Barton). HarperCollins Children's Books, 1986 (reprinted). ISBN:
0064460495. 42 pages; ages 7-10
Maps and Mapping by Jinny Johnson. Kingfisher, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-7534-6062-7. 32 pages. Grades
1-3.
The road to there: mapmakers and their stories by Val Ross. Tundra Books Inc., September 2003. ISBN 0-88776-621-8. 160 pages; ages 11+
The Story of Maps and Navigation by Anita Ganeri. Oxford
University Press, 1997 (Signs of the Times series). ISBN:
0195214102. 32 pages; ages 8-10
There's a map on my lap by Trish Rabe, illustrated by Aristides Ruiz. Random
House, 2002 (The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library). ISBN: 0-375-81099-4. 48 pages;
beginning readers
Understanding Maps of Our World Series (a series of volumes, by Tim Cooke or Ben
Hollingum, each of 48 pages, designed for grades 6-9, covering the following topics (each with a
cartographic history introduction): Government maps, Maps and cities, Maps and exploration, Maps
and navigation, Maps today, Maps and mapping the world, Maps and measurement, Travel maps)
Where Am I?: The Story of Maps and Navigation by A. G.
Smith.
Stoddart Kids, 1997. ISBN: 0773758364. 96 pages; ages 9-12
’Charting
Neptune's Realm: From Classical Mythology to Satellite Imagery’: Lessons Index (17
illustrated lessons, for use, variously, by Elementary/Middle School or High School, by Andy
Alley, Lenora Liebowitz, Hope McVane, Peter Rice and Gary Spring ; each divided into sections:
Learning Objectives, Background Information, Teacher Activities, Materials Required,
Presentation of Lesson, Glossary - related to an exhibition at the Osher Map Library and Smith
Center for Cartographic Education, University of Southern Maine, Portland, 2000-2001- Donald S.
Johnson, guest curator)
"Collection Connections". The Library of Congress's various sites include a wealth of
contextual detail, e.g. on the 'Collection Connections' pages - see the analysis on Images: Large General Sites. These are arranged under the headings:
U.S. History, Critical Thinking, and Arts & Humanities. They "provide activity ideas for using
the online collections to develop critical thinking skills. Part of The Learning Page, Collection
Connections feature teacher created lesson plans based on online primary resources at the
Library of Congress".
Digimap for Schools (current
and historical Ordnance Survey maps at different scales; 'you can use these maps in the classroom, for homework
or for school projects')
’Digital Collections for the Classroom’ (‘Teach with
the Newberry’s Collections. Primary sources selected by educators, with essays and discussion questions for use in
the humanities classroom’) {May, 2022}
The Digital Gallery (founded in 2020, this is
aimed at map librarians and those who use maps for teaching; see Featured Exhibits for examples used as
teaching aids)
'Exploring the
West' (lessons and worksheets to help 'expand and enrich students' perceptions of the United
States West, but with sections on the broader history of cartography as well - Stanford University)
‘Fra land til kort -
en udstilling om landmåling og korttegning’ ([From land to map: an exhibition on surveying
and mapmaking] with links to lesson materials, for different age groups, relating to the 2004-5
exhibition in the Steno Museet, Århus [in Danish])
'Historic maps for students & teachers'
('thousands of historic maps from all parts of the world', both original and
reconstruction, both full and details - Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of
Education, University of South Florida)
’Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms’ (‘a
resource for teaching the geographic dimensions of American history … Each map is accompanied by lesson plans written for
four grade levels and designed to support a variety of social studies, history, and geography curricula’) {August, 2018}
Ireland. 'History of Maps' (an educational programme for primary schools -
Changing Libraries Initiative)
'K-12 Education
Resources' (teaching materials for different ages, relating to several map exhibitions at the
Osher Map Library, University of Southern Maine)
’Lessons and Activities’
(search the list for those on cartographic subjects, often relating to exhibitions - Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston
Public Library)
Lesson Plans that supplement exhibitions (for 9th-12th students, based on
exhibitions at the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, University of Southern Maine)
'Mapping History: a guide to using historical
maps' ('a new collaborative website with Archaeology Scotland for secondary schools on using and interpreting maps
for historical and archaeological projects. The website includes an introductory video, guides for reading maps and
identifying symbols, tools for map regression, interactive games, urban and rural case studies, activity sheets, and
downloads' [a regional project but with much thas has general application] - National Library of Scotland
'Mapping History: an interactive exploration of maps through time' (a teaching kit,
featuring a number of unusual maps gathered together for the British Library's 2001 exhibition,
'Lie of the Land: the Secret Life of Maps', comprising explanation, selected illustrations and
questions for pupils - 'while some maps deliberately set out to deceive, others simply show a selective view and reflect only the
interests of the people who made them. This collection is a reminder that there is often more to a map than meets the eye')
'Maps &
Geography (teacher-created, classroom-tested lesson plans using primary sources from the Library of
Congress)
Map Skills for
Children (K-4, with Teacher's Guide, three 23-minute DVDs, sub-titled respectively, A
History of Maps; Making & Reading Maps; Maps & Globes, published by Schlessinger Media,
2004, and comprising: DVD Series (3 Volumes) V8830 & Video Series (3 Volumes) K5585 - CLEARVUE &
SVE)
A Place in History: Tudor Exploration (an interactive site, with sections entitled 'Mapping the
World', 'Navigation', etc. - National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)
Teacher Resources
(arranged under 'topics', 'ideas' and 'skills' - over 90 lesson plans from the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public
Library)
See also '2003 Everyday Maps Institute Participants Produce Map-Based Curriculum Materials for
Grades K-12', Mapline: a newsletter published by The Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the
History of Cartography at The Newberry Library [Chicago], Numbers 97-98, Spring 2004, pp.7-28.
The Newberry Library's Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography and the Center for Renaissance Studies
are pleased to announce 'Mapping the
Early Modern World', a four-week summer institute for higher education faculty, led by Dr. James Akerman and Dr. Lia
Markey, 18 July - 12 August 2022.
Please
help to improve this section for others by proposing new links to Tony Campbell:
