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Summary and Objective
Students will understand that throughout history maps have been used to show communities and that primary resource maps can also be used to discuss how communities have changed over time. In this lesson, students will use historic and present-day maps as primary resources, read a story about communities, and demonstrate understanding by completing a map of their community. This lesson may be used when the group is studying communities or when appropriate during the year to incorporate primary resources into the teaching of special education students.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
In a pre-lesson introduce students to maps. What is a map? What does it tell us? Explain that maps help us view a 3 dimensional space in a 2-dimensional form. Have students make a simple map of their classroom.
Step 2.
Display on a smart board or distribute copies of the primary resources to the students, one map at a time. First display the map of New England. Then move to the map of Western Massachusetts, then Erving and Wendell. Discuss each map as they are distributed. With each map, ask the students to describe what they see. What is the map of? Do the students see their community? Is the map a new map or an old map? How can they tell? Are the digital collection maps similar to maps that the students see/use now? Do we use maps now? Did people rely on maps in the past? Why?
Step 3.
Review what a community is and what the present day community contains (a school, stores, town buildings, houses, etc.) - generate a list. Next to the list of the aspects of the modern day community, have students list what they see on the digital collection map of Erving. How is the community the same now? How has it changed?
Step 4.
Distribute a copy of the map of Erving & Wendel (or your town) or another map of the community your students live in, to each student. Have students identify the landmarks on the map. Is our school on the map? Is it in its present location? If not, have students add the school. Allow them to color the map and add some of the buildings in their present day community library, and other buildings that may be important to them. This can be displayed or sent home.
Step 5.
After looking at the primary resource maps and talking about communities, read "Schools Around the World" by Rose Dell. This stories talks about communities of students around the world and incorporates current maps of where the students live.
Step 6.
Discuss the story and maps. How are the maps in the story like the digital collection maps? How do communities around the world rely on maps. Conclude with the importance of maps to communities around the world.
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