In an increasingly interconnected world, understanding geography is more important than ever. Teaching geography in elementary school lays a crucial foundation for students, helping them develop a sense of place, culture, and global awareness. This sounds pretty fancy–but in reality, it’s just building background knowledge, just like learning about the human body, fractions, and history.
Not only that, but students truly LOVE to learn about their world–and we can make it super fun for them. Let’s check out a few reasons why teaching geography and mapping skills should be more than just something we squeeze in. This all sounds kind of lofty, but stick with me.
In fact, if you are concerned about the components of the Science of Reading, building background knowledge is a HUGE part of this, so we must continue to make time to teach the content areas!
Building “Spatial” or World Awareness
Elementary students are naturally curious about the world around them. Introducing them to geography helps them develop spatial awareness, an important life skill. By learning about maps, directions, and the physical characteristics of different regions, children start to understand their own place in the world.
This awareness not only helps in daily life (ie. listening to news events, etc) but also fosters a lifelong interest in exploration and discovery. Technology is making the world “smaller” and more accessible, so we want students to have a foundation to better understand it.
Encouraging Cultural Understanding
Geography lessons go beyond physical landscapes to include the study of diverse cultures and societies. By learning about various countries, traditions, and ways of life, students gain a broader perspective on the world. This cultural understanding promotes empathy and tolerance. As our world gets smaller via technology, we need to help students better understand the beauty of the diversity of our world.
Early exposure to different cultures can break down prejudices and help children appreciate the richness of global diversity. The world around us has helped form our culture (think pizza and music and language and more!), and it’s super important for students to understand these connections.
Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills
Studying geography also helps develop critical thinking skills. When students explore the reasons behind climate patterns, the distribution of natural resources, or the impact of human activities on the environment, they learn to ask questions, analyze data, and draw conclusions. This sounds very “high school”, but it’s not. Young students can understand the impact of cutting down trees in rainforests. They can understand what happens when animal habitats are destroyed.
At a more simplistic level, we want students to have a foundation of knowledge when they hear things like, “The wildfires in Canada…” or “A volcano in Indonesia…” or “Flooding in Texas…” By giving students a solid foundation in geography, these news stories have far more meaning. These skills are transferable to many other areas of learning and are essential for academic success. Think of how many references to places we find in literature alone. Let’s make sure our readers have the background knowledge they need. (Yeah…like I said, it’s even in the Science of Reading model!)
Connecting with Environmental Issues
In a time when environmental challenges such as climate change and habitat destruction are at the forefront of global concerns, understanding geography is crucial. Teaching students about ecosystems, weather patterns, and the interdependence of natural and human systems empowers them to become environmentally conscious citizens. They learn the importance of sustainability and are better prepared to contribute to solutions forthese environmental issues.
We’ve all seen stories about children making a difference. Who knows what YOUR students will do once they have a little knowledge!
Supporting Other Areas of Study
Geography intersects with many other subjects, including history, science, and social studies. Teaching geography enhances students’ understanding of historical events and cultural developments. For instance, understanding the geographical context of historical events provides deeper insights into why those events occurred and how they shaped the world. Like I mentioned earlier, understanding geography helps us better understand current events and news stories.
On a personal note, I love looking for setting clues in books and working with students to locate them on maps. For example, reading “Number the Stars” is SO much less powerful if students don’t understand where Denmark and Sweden are–or where the key events of World War II were happening. In fact, my students start asking ME where places are that they encounter in books which makes my heart so happy!
Preparing for the Future
As globalization continues to shrink our world, having a solid grasp of geography is essential. Future careers and personal interactions will increasingly require an understanding of the world. Early geography education gives students the knowledge and skills they need to navigate and succeed in today’s society, whether their future is in international business, participating in exchange programs, or simply traveling. The good news is, it can be far more fun than when I grew up! #nomoreboringworksheets
I thought I’d share a few pictures of some of the fun mapping activities I do with my class, and maybe you’d like to try some too! Check these out.
Compass Rose and Following Directions Lessons
I love to teach about the variety of compass rose designs and let my students draw their own. We also talk about cardinal and intermediate directions and do several activities related to following directions.
Latitude and Longitude and Continents and Oceans!
Truly one of my favorite activities! I help the students create a frame where we draw in key latitude and longitude lines. We use those to help us draw in the continents and label them. Then it’s coloring and painting time!
Teaching about hemispheres!
It’s a little tricky to understand that all of us live in TWO hemispheres, but this project makes it super fun to explore!
Teaching Landforms
I love to tie science and social studies with literacy whenever possible. We do mini research about landforms and make these adorable little flap books. Students love them!
US Geography Activities!
Again, my whole goal is to help students UNDERSTAND their place in space. We do a bunch of different printable, foldable activities to help them find their state, their region, bordering states, and more!
Invent a Continent!
Seriously, this is SO much fun! It takes just a little bit of planning, but students love it and remember it and talk about it all year. They have to work together with the “countries” that border them to make decisions about rivers, mountains, and so on. The students get SO creative and just love it!
Convinced you need to teach mapping skills?
Integrating geography into the elementary school curriculum is not just about learning places on a map. It is about preparing our students for a complex, interconnected world. By providing them with engaging, creative, and meaningful activities, geography education sets the stage for informed and engaged global citizens. Investing in geography education is investing in the future. (Ok, that sounds a little dramatic, but I really believe it!)
Want to try these mapping activities with YOUR class? Click HERE or any image in the post. I’d love to hear what you think!
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