Seventh and eighth graders at Tuskegee Institute Middle and Notasulga High Schools and first, second, and third graders at George Washington Carver Elementary School will be exploring Africa in a big way this week — with the world’s largest map of the continent. The map, measuring 35 feet by 26 feet is designed as a geo-game board to introduce students to the power of maps and the diverse geography of Africa. It will be at Tuskegee Institute Middle School on October 30, 2013 as part of National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program, organized by National Geographic Live, the public programming division of the National Geographic Society and is sponsored by the Alabama Geographic Alliance (AGA).
The map’s brightly colored, smooth vinyl surface accurately illustrates Africa’s oceans, seas, rivers, mountains, countries and capitals. Designed for grades K-8, the map comes with a trunk full of accessories, including interactive activities and props and photo cards that teach students about the physical characteristics of the continent as well as its rich history, marvelous wildlife, and varied cultures. Working in teams, students will mark the equator with ropes to learn about climate and latitude. A relay race will help them learn all the countries; scavenger hunts and safaris will introduce them to the continent’s famed wildlife and varied environments.
“Children have a whole new perspective on Africa after they’ve walked on this map,” said Dan Beaupré, director of education partnerships for National Geographic Live. “The hands- and feet-on experience brings the geography of Africa to life in a meaningful way and helps the students understand the connections between people and places.”
The map was first featured as a standard pull-out map in the September 2005 issue of National Geographic magazine, a special issue devoted entirely to Africa. National Geographic’s map division enlarged the map — the biggest map ever created by the Society — for educational tours through National Geographic Live.
Since the introduction of the original Africa map in 2006, the program has expanded to include maps of Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and the Pacific Ocean. Each map measures approximately 26 feet by 35 feet and is rented to schools and other hosts with an assortment of activities. In the 2013-2014 school year hundreds of thousands students will
interact with these maps. In addition to school venues, the maps appear at museums, festivals, fairs and corporate and educational conferences. The maps reinforce National Geographic’s commitment to increasing geo-literacy through teacher professional development, K-12 curriculum, live events and academic competitions.
To learn more about the Giant Traveling Map project, for borrowing information or to download map activities, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/giantmaps.
The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Its mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Founded in 1888, the Society is member supported and offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through National Geographic and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.