Map My Way

Slide 3, 5

Introduce the ground rules, lesson norms, and team roles to students. You can check out our lesson approach if it’s your first time conducting an Eddy lesson.

Slide 6

Introduce learners with the opening activity by asking: “Are you familiar with the places around your school?” 

Provide some time for responses and then share, “Well, how about we find out today?”

Slide 7

Then apprise them of the task for this section by sharing that they would be designing a map of the route from home to school first by observing on Google Maps and then by creating it on paper.

Slide 8, 9

Introduce learners with the basic definition of maps.

Give some examples to the learners to introduce maps such as:

• Educators can use a zoo map to show the kids where they can find their favorite animals and teach them about the different animal habitats.
• Use a park map to teach the kids about the park's features and plan a fun outing.
• Draw a simple classroom map, labeling the different areas, such as the reading corner, art area, and play area. This helps the kids become familiar with the classroom layout and helps them learn about maps and symbols. 

Slide 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Introduction to Google Maps 

• Get students to navigate on their devices to this Google Maps link.
• Guide your learners by creating a map and looking around for the places near their neighborhoods.  
• Guide your learners that their job would be to identify the various objects near the street and to draw different shapes as directed by the maps worksheet.
• As this activity is about exploring the school neighborhood, educators can modify it according to their school location on Google Maps.
• Here are some simple steps to help educators accommodate the changes.

To demonstrate how to use Google Maps and Thinglink for the activity, use this video tutorial. 

Slide 15

Consolidate learning and invite students to share reflection questions.

Slide 16

Introduce learners to the main activity, where they will discover various American states and subsequently organize a trip to the state that piques their interest or excitement.

NOTE: As a less logistics-intensive alternative to Google Maps, teachers may check out these alternative activities.

Slide 16

Share that in this lesson section, we would begin by learning about the different states of the United States. This means we know about the locations of other states on a United States map and explore some fun facts about the state in the meantime.

Slide 17

Next, walk learners through the different tags they will be discovered of a state based on the first alphabet of their team name:

1. Name of the state
2. Fun facts about the state
3. How will you get there?
4. What food should you try?

Slide 18, 19, 20, 21

Introduce learners to Thinglink:

• Get students to navigate on their devices to https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1712084658369332004
• Guide your students through the tool they would use for the United States map exploration.
• If it’s your first time using thinglink, please refer to the tech tutorial here.

Slide 22

Begin by stating, “Which state was most exciting to read about? If you could close your eyes and teleport to one state, which one would it be?”

Now pause for learner response or questions, if any. 

Slide 23, 24

Introduce the trip planning activity to the learners

Let's embark on an exciting journey of planning a trip today! Each group of learners will focus on their state and explore Thinglink to create an unforgettable trip. The students' handout will provide learners helpful questions to guide their planning process. Let's get started!

Assist the learners with valuable suggestions on how to plan a trip productively. As someone keen on exploring new places and cultures, a well-planned trip can make all the difference in ensuring a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. Therefore, guide learners with the help of some guiding questions on how to plan a trip effectively:

1. Which state do you want to visit, and why?
2. What are the things you want to see and do in that state?
3. Who will be traveling with you, and how will you get there?
4. What is the weather like in that state? So what kind of clothes do you need to bring?"

Slide 25

Play the timer on the screen for learners to be mindful of completing the task on time. 

Slide 26

Introduce learners to the concept of state fairs. Begin by sharing, “We would now organize a state fair of the work we’ve created and go around in circles, observing our classmate’s trip planning sheet and sharing feedback on post-it notes.” Open the floor for queries, if any. 

Apprise learners of the following rules of the state fair:

• We will rotate around the room observing the trip planning sheet.
• Only one team per station. 
• The teacher will notify you when to rotate to the next station.
• Appreciate the work you like by saying phrases like “I like… the state you choose ” and “Good job on planning an effective road trip!

Slide 27, 28

Congratulate learners on planning a trip to a state. You can ask a series of reflective question shared below with the sample answers to help learners reflect on their work:

How could you relate the shape of the map of a particular state to something amusing?

• Animal shapes: You could point out how the shape of a state on the map looks like an animal. For example, Florida looks like a long-necked bird, and Michigan resembles a mitten. You could ask the child what animal they think the state looks like and have them draw a picture of it.
• Food shapes: You could relate the shape of the state to something delicious. For example, Texas could be a taco, and Louisiana could be a croissant. You could ask the child what food they think the state looks like and have them draw a picture of it.
• Cartoon characters: You could relate the shape of the state to a cartoon character. For example, Utah could be SpongeBob SquarePants, and California could be Mickey Mouse. You could ask the child what character they think the state looks like and have them draw a picture of it.