As first graders begin to read we offer a variety of materials to use their new skills. One of my favorites is maps. They are the perfect combination of words and pictures. We started our discussion just noticing what we saw. Some made the connection to our classroom globe- "Look, it's the same colors!"
Someone noticed the round maps and we compared them to the globe; all around the circle, we each had different perspectives and matched them to the Global Views.
The discussion continued with lots of observations and questions. We talked about continents, countries and oceans. We checked out the Legend and found out why the words were printed in different sizes and colors. Some shared their background knowledge about the earth's evolution. Others pondered the size and we talked about scale. The concepts of polar directions and regional names were explored.
After the initial introduction, Susan read a book about Monarch migration and we looked at a map to see where they travel.
There were lots of questions and ideas brought up in the marvelous discussion we started on Friday. We will continue to explore maps and make connections between reading and social studies and between ourselves and the world.
Finally, we will be tracking the Monarch migration of Monarch X as we read of it's travels from Ontario, Canada through the United States to Mexico with a classroom map of North America.
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