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Today’s newsletter is made possible by:
https://www.surfnetkids.com/geography.htm Have you ever spun a globe with your eyes closed to see where your finger would land? Now you can spin a journey around the Web to the farthest corners of the earth. Where will you land today? Greatest Placeshttp://www.greatestplaces.org/
The Greatest Places is a large-format educational film that takes the viewer to ” seven of the most geographically dynamic locations on Earth.” From the Amazon to Tibet, this Web site introduces us to geography with annotated clips from the film and notes from Dr. Cecil Keen, a professor of Geography at Minnesota State University Mankato. To get an overview of the site, I recommend starting at the Table of Contents. Don’t miss the Activities. My favorite is See How Maps Lie which uses an orange to demonstrate the problems of making of a flat map. Mapmaker, Mapmaker Make Me a Maphttp://ur.utenn.edu/ut2kids/maps/map.html
What does a cartographer do? Make maps. Why? So we can find our way. Join map maker Will Fontanez as he explains his work and learn how Peter Pan found his way to Never Never Land. Follow the hyperlinks for definitions and examples of basic cartographer’s terminology, from “azimuthal equidistant” to” weather maps.” National Geographic GeoBee Challengehttp://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/
What desert covers roughly the same area as the United States? Questions (and answers) from the National Geography Bee are posed daily at this web version of the popular “National Geographic” magazine. You’ll also find an online version of the kids’ magazine “National Geographic’s World”, but don’t limit yourself to the kid stuff. The rest of the site is too outstanding to miss. Highlights include the Map Machine Atlas (which maps not only Earth, but Mars as well), and the Visions Gallery featuring works from those incredible National Geographic photographers . The answer, by the way, is the Sahara. State Department: Geographic Learning Sitehttp://geography.state.gov/htmls/statehome.html
Created by the U.S. State Department to demonstrate how geography shapes foreign affairs, the site is divided into four sections: Where do diplomats work?, Traveling with the Secretary, World Geographic News and Challenging World. Start your diplomatic journey in the first section with a virtual tour of the hundreds of American embassies and consulates around the world. Challenging World (section four) is my favorite. Here you’ll explore (based on your grade level) the seven key national interests that guide our international relations: National Security, Economic Prosperity, American Citizens & U.S. Borders, Law Enforcement, Democracy, Humanitarian Assistance, Global Issues. Discovery School’s A-Z Geographyhttp://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozgeography/
Powered by World Book, and organized alphabetically, this Discovery School resource is a great first stop for school geography reports. In it you’ll find articles on countries, states, cities, political leaders, and geographic definitions such as ” Harbor is any sheltered body of water where ships may moor or anchor.” If your interest is in countries, the coverage is quite extensive, including not only the usual statistics and maps but also snippets of popular music and links to related articles and study aids.
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