More Geography Resources

Here are a few additional geography resources of note.

In a previous post, I mentioned the National Geographic Xpeditions site, which is a great spot to find lessons and print-friendly maps. Another place to get maps, including "Maps with Historical Themes" (e.g., Silk Road, Moundbuilder sites in the U.S.) is under the "Maps" tab (on the left-hand side of the homepage) from the Arizona Geographic Alliance site.

Another quick link to resources is Education World's "Great Sites" for map-related activities.

Teachnology also archives great lesson ideas, including the Edible State Map Lesson Plan (including the recipe).

via Google Maps

Finally, don't forget about the myriad features via Google Maps (I talk about Google Earth and gCensus in a previous post). For example, when teaching younger students the differences between horizontal and bird's eye views, that little "yellow figure" can be dragged to any location for a street-level view of most communities.

Street-level image (once figure is dragged to map) via Google Maps

Stuart's (Interactive) Portrait of G. Washington

via George Washington: A National Treasure

The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery has provided an excellent online tool for analyzing Stuart's (1796) famous portrait of the U.S.'s first president. When the portrait is launched, the user can explore the painting through features highlighted as symbolic, biographic, and artistic representations. For example, a symbolic feature of the painting is the clothing Stuart selected for his subject. For this topic of clothing, the online tool provides a revealing look at another portrait from the same time period, that of French King Louis XVI. With a little guidance, the juxtaposition of these two portraits can help students compare and contrast the ideals of two (somewhat) abstract concepts: democracy and monarchy.

via George Washington: A National Treasure