Meyer Travel Map

I chose to update an assignment my students have done for the last 3 years.  I teach 3rd grade and the Social Studies standards I am required to cover are all about Michigan.  We begin with a unit on the state which includes the regions, geography, and resources.  My students are each required to write a one page narrative about a place that they have visited in the state of Michigan and are expected to include at least one picture or illustration.  We then create a map on a bulletin board in my classroom that has a numbered sticker for each student showing the location of their entry, and the sticker corresponds to a page number in a book that we put together with each students written page.  The students really enjoy seeing where others have visited, and I get a good idea of the depth of understanding my class has about places in our state.  The book then goes into our classroom library and the students can choose to read it any time they want.

   Rather than creating this map on paper, we could use the google maps engine to create it!  Each student could create their own map, like the one I posted below, to show various places they have traveled within the state.  We could also create one large class map that everyone could contribute to.  By assigning different icons to places, we could compare the activities each of us has done in the state to show all of the options for activities because of our diverse geography.  We could also see patterns, like on my map almost all of the places are close to the Great Lakes, where I prefer to spend most of my time!  I have also included a picture of the bulletin board from my classroom this year to show the dramatic difference between the computer generated version and my previous one!  Each student could write a short summary of their visit to the place, like I have, and add a picture so that those who have not visited that area could have a much better understanding of what it is like there!  I wish I could figure out how to add a personal picture, but I was only able to add a picture from the internet.  I am really excited about this new idea!