Lesson 9--Maps, Atlases and other Geographical Sources

Recently I had the opportunity to TOC in a grade 6 class and they were doing a mapping activity on Somalia. Each student had his/her own atlas.

Nystrom Desk Atlas--Canadian Edition

Publisher (Authority):
Division of Herff Jones Inc.
Recommended by the British Columbia Ministry of Education as an instructional resource

Scale:
Equatorial scale on some maps
Variety of scales on others

Currency:
Copyright 1995--2001 Edition

Format: Extremely easy to navigate

Index: Included location page, latitude and longitude, main reference page, and phonetic pronunciation
Glossary
Contents were grouped by Thematic Maps and Graphs and by continent except for Canada and the U.S.A. as there was much more information on these two countries.
There was also many interesting facts included such as, Country Tables, World Facts, Culture and History, Environmental Concerns, Ethnicity, Travel, Vegetation, Land Use, Mineral and Energy, Population and Precipitation and Temperature.
The atlas was soft-cover and very easy for the students to keep in their desks.

Cost:
Complete program includes:
Binder with student activities and teacher's guide
30 copies of The Nystrom Atlas of Canada and the World
Access to NystromCanadaWorld.com
$830.00 Canadian
or $494 for just a set of 30 atlases


ONLINE ATLASES
Atlas of Canada Site Map
Publisher/Authority:
Government of Canada

Scale:
1cm=100 km on BC map (example)
There various scales appropriate to their maps

Currency:
Current

Indexing:
Easy to find
Quick, user-friendly
Lots of links

Format:
Offers lesson plans for teachers
Facts about Canada
Maps on: environment, people and society, economy, history, climate change, freshwater, health, reference maps, map archives, topographic maps, natural disasters
Wall maps
French…I love this feature as a French teacher!!!!

Cost:Free

Lonely Planet

Publisher/authority:
Lonely Planet Publications

Scale:
Couldn’t find one, but would assume in miles or kilometers, but was concerned that it wasn't readily accessible

Currency:
2008 maps powered by Google

Indexing:
Alphabetical menu for city listings in specific countries

Format:
Easy tabs with drop-down menus
Fast facts about countries
Quick link to maps with flags for sights, shopping, restaurants and entertainment.
Maps are satellite, hybrid, terrain

Cost:
Free

While it has been many years since I have done any kind of mapping with a class, I have to admit that for the most part, I still would prefer to use print atlases. I just feel the facility of having the students each having their own and being able to keep them at their fingertips to complete assignments far outweighs the use of a cumbersome computer. However the amazing things the online atlases can do would certainly be much more compelling to the students. I could see using the online atlases for extended projects on a single country.
As a French teacher, I was so pleased to find that Atlas Canada could be quickly converted to French and I honestly had never thought of using this resource until now. It is an amazing feature and my students could benefit immensely from this source....doing real mapping in real French! I was thrilled when Kathy S. posted one of her finds: " Another site that I found is one specifically for French students at a higher level. It's not as pretty as some of the sites that have been mentioned but it does provide students with oodles of world wide, basic information in French that will help them to improve their vocabulary and searching skills in another language. http://www.atlas-francophone.refer.org " . I spent some time on this site and agree it would be very useful for my students.
In comparing the two online atlases, I found Lonely Planet to be much more suitable for adult tourists. In reading some of the information about Canada, I found a lot of inappropriate vocabulary for younger students. In referring to our natural resources, the author claimed that they caused the "Canadian economy to kick ass". While I found this humourous (and there were a few other similar nuances), I'm sure the younger students (and their parents) would certainly not. I enjoyed this source and agree with Sherrie F. "I found it easy to use and I really liked using the atlas. I found the extra information regarding travel etc. quite interesting and helpful. I do feel that it is very busy and could be confusing for elementary school aged students. "
There were also several advertisements that I found distracting and would also be wary of the advertisers influence over the contents of this website (perhaps a teachable moment, though!).
All in all, I was quite pleased with this opportunity to expand my horizons! I certainly see a place for both print and online atlases in my classroom!