MAPPING YOUR WORLD

A WebQuest Designed for Grade 5

By

Amy Marcier

Introduction

Calvin is a young moose who has the opportunity of a lifetime, and he needs your help! Calvin has applied to The Royal Geographic Society to do some important research. If Calvin is chosen for this job, he will be gathering information about each of your precise geographic locations. Perhaps you are wondering why this job is important! This may surprise you, but Calvin's hopes to use this information to teach other moose and wilderness creatures more about how humans find their way not only to their own homes, but also to the homes of their friends and family. Your job is to learn what and how to find your very own global address and send the information to Calvin.

Your Mission

The Royal Geographic Society must have a lesson plan from Calvin and the results of your own global addresses to see if Calvin would be a good teacher. You will:

• Uncover your own global address

• Design your own papier-mache globe

• Keep a journal recording your geographic discoveries

• Create your own indoor & outdoor maps

Process

1. Keep a globe, world or U.S. map near your t.v. or radio for about 2-3 days. During that time, use it to locate the geographic places mentioned or use a U.S. map to follow the travels of your favorite sports teams.

2. Go on a walk and collect acorns, leaves and other natural materials. Map the location where you found those items.

3. Make a globe out of papier-mache to understand the difference between a flat map and a globe. Click on art for directions!

4. Write the directions of the roads you take to travel from your house to your school.

5. In your journal, you need to answer the following questions and record your answers:

• What continent do you live on?

• What is the name of your state and capital?

• What hemisphere do you live in?

• What do the lines of latitude and longitude mean?

• What is the nearest park, mountain or lake to where you live?

6. Present to the class your global address in a creative, interesting way.

7. Turn in your address to your teacher so the information can be sent to The Royal Geographic Society as soon as possible!

Resources

A public library for youth. Look under Geography & World Culture for all kinds of information.

A great site on the USA- this site contains specific information on Illinois.

Geography Information-contains all kinds of great information on maps.

Neat stuff on nature-allows you to pick various environments like grasslands or tundra.

Latitude & Longitude information-helps with understanding maps...click on Map Tools.

Evaluation

1. Answers questions in journal with accuracy.--10 points

2. Participates as a team player in making the globe.--20 points

3. Presented creatively to the class your global address.--20 points

Teacher Page

The objectives of this webquest are for students to demonstrate:

1. An understanding of some important geographical facts directly relating to them.

2. Group participation in working hands on to create an art project.

3. Importance of gathering required information for the global address through journal writings.

***As a teacher, you can decide how to creatively send the information to The Royal Geographic Society and the results of the students' work.

This page was created by Amy Marcier. Please send your comments to: graciemarcier@aol.com.