Unit 1 Lesson 2

• 6 – G1.1.1 Describe how geographers use mapping to represent places and natural

and human phenomena in the world.

• 7 – H1.2.3 Identify the point of view (perspective of the author) and context when reading and discussing primary and secondary sources.

• 7 – G1.2.2 Explain why maps of the same place may vary as a result of the cultural or historical background of the cartographer.

• WHST.6-8.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Lesson Abstract:

In this lesson, students revisit the different projections cartographers have devised to address the problem of representing a three-dimensional object in a two-dimensional medium. Next, they consider three ancient maps of the same place and compare them. Students learn that just as their own maps of the school differed, these cartographers created different maps of the same place. Students explore how knowledge, purpose, and perspective shape how people create accounts or representations of a place.

Key Concepts:

• perspective

• representations/accounts

• spatial scales

What Can A Map Tell Us?

Big Ideas of the Lesson: • Maps are representations of places. A map is NOT the

place. • One difficulty with maps is that they try to represent a

three dimensional object in a two dimensional plane. • People who create maps select and organize the features

of the place to include in their maps. • People’s purposes, knowledge, and perspective (or point

of view) shape their maps. • Maps of the ancient world reflect the cartographer’s

purposes, knowledge, and perspective (or point of view)

What Can A Map Tell Us?

Learning Targets: • I can conclude that maps are representations of places. A

map is NOT the place.

• I can relate that one difficulty with maps is that they try to represent a three dimensional object in a two dimensional plane.

• I can explain that people who create maps select and organize the features of the place to include in their maps.

• I can support that people’s purposes, knowledge, and perspective (or point of view) shape their maps.

• I can conclude that maps of the ancient world reflect the cartographer’s purposes, knowledge, and perspective (or point of view).

What Can A Map Tell Us? #1

Think about your BALLOON PROJECT and what happened.

Over time people have addressed this problem in

different ways.

The next group of slides will show you “Different Representations of the Earth.”

Remember that they depicted the earth a little

differently in an attempt to solve the problem of representing a three-dimensional object on a two-

dimensional plane

First: What is a map projection? ✤ Map projections are an important aspect of ALL

maps---all maps require the transformation of a spherical earth into a flat surface ✤ The map projection process ALWAYS introduces some kind of distortion. ✤ Distortion of area, shape, angles, etc. ✤ Maps that are accurate in portraying relative SIZE, distort SHAPE. ✤ Maps that are accurate in portraying SHAPE, distort relative SIZE.

Mercator Projection

Goode Projections

Size of Land is accurate

Winkel Tripel Projections

Show the roundness of the earth

Identify the distortions.

Mercator (1569 CE)

Mercator Projection ✤ Purpose: For navigation

✤ Shapes ok, relative size distorted, especially away from equator

✤ Indicates true North/South/East/West: true compass bearings

✤ Greenland appears larger than Africa, but is actually 14X smaller

✤ Alaska is bigger than Mexico

✤ South America smaller the Europe

✤ Equator is 2/3 of the way down, poles not shown, Europe in center

✤ Default for MapQuest, Google Maps, Yahoo Maps

✤ Still displayed in many classrooms

Map Questions: Mercator Projection:

✤ Is Alaska is bigger than Mexico? Actually, Mexico is bigger than Alaska by 254,696 square kilometers (98,338 sq mi), which equals the size of Oregon.

*Alaska: 1,717,854 square kilometers (663,268 sq mi) *Mexico: 1,972,550 square kilometers (761,606 sq mi) •

✤ Is South America smaller the Europe? What continents are smaller than the continent South America? *South America is 17,840,000 sq km *Antarctica - about 14,000,000 sq km

*Australia - 7,686,850 sq km *Europe - 9,940,000 sq km

Robinson (1963 CE) Identify the distortions.

Robinson Projection (1963 CE) ✤ Makes the world “look right”--better

balance of size and shape than Mercator

✤ Russia, Canada and Greenland truer to size

✤ Distortion greatest near the poles and low distortion at equator

✤ National Geographic adopted this projection in 1988 (replaced in 1998 by Winkel Tripel, a 1921 projection).

✤ May replace Mercator in many places, like classrooms

Peters Projection (1973 CE) Identify the distortions.

Peters Projection (1973 CE) ✤ Relative size accurate, but shapes are distorted.

✤ Political argument being made in response to Mercator:

✤ Mercator inflates the size of regions as they gain distance from the equator. Since much of the developing world lies near the equator, these countries appear smaller and less significant.

✤ Peters restores the size of poorer, less powerful nations.

✤ “...the Mercator projection overvalues the white man and distorts the picture of the world to the advantage of the colonial masters of the time.” Dr. Arno Peters, 1974 news conference

Can you guess where the map maker was from? (1979)

McArthur Map ✤ Created by Stuart McArthur of Melbourne, Australia.

✤ He drew his first South-Up map when he was 12 years old (1970). His geography teacher told him to re-do his assignment with the "correct" way up if he wanted to pass. ✤ Three years later he was an exchange student in Japan. He was taunted by his exchange student- friends from the USA for coming from "the bottom of the world." It was then, at age 15, he resolved to one day publish a map with Australia at the top. ✤ Six years later, while at Melbourne University, he produced the world's first "modern“ south up map and launched it on Australia day in 1979. ✤ It has sold over 350,000 copies to date.

http://www.space.com/13380-photos-earth-cities-night-space.html

Finally: How might new knowledge, based on science and modern technology, influence how maps look?

Question...stop & jot In what ways do maps TALK

to you?

Reflect on what you learned or already knew about

maps.

Lesson 2: Ancient Map Activity

✤ Goal: to allow students to think through and see examples of how a map reflects a cartographer’s:

✤ knowledge

✤ purpose

✤ perspective

✤ However, this is NOT about the individual cartographers. The larger point is about maps as accounts, not events.

Ancient Maps

You will receive a classroom copy:

• Treat these papers gently

• DO NOT WRITE ON THEM

• Turn them in when directed to do so – I only have one copy for each student in a class

What does the map tell you about the mapmaker and his/her times?

With a partner use these questions to help you as you think of your own ideas (~10 – 15 min.) Record your thoughts in your SS Notebook: 1. What shapes do you recognize on the map? What shapes

seem incomplete or unusual? Anything missing? What does that suggest?

2. What does the map suggest about the knowledge of the people who made the map?

3. Does the map offer any clues about where the person lived? Does the map show a point-of-view or perspective?

4. Look at the date of the map. Does the time frame support your analysis? (Hint: The bigger the # = older)

5. How does this view of the world compare to the other ancient maps?

6. Be prepared for class discussion

Ancient Maps #2

Investigate the upcoming ancient maps that are representations of the world:

• Study each map

• Figure out what it tells us about the person who made the map

• Imagine that each map represented is your picture of the world

Think about the following questions as you consider the maps.

Write This in Your SS Notebook

B.C.E. (Before Common Era) = B.C.

*The bigger the # = OLDER

C. E. (Common Era) = A.D.

Map One: The World According to Herodotus (about 450 B.C.E.)

Map 2: The World According to Hecataeus (circa 520 BCE)

Map 3: The World According to Strabo (circa 76 CE)

Stop & Jot, then Turn and talk:

✤ Put the maps in chronological order (Remember: The bigger the number – the older the map).

✤ How are these maps examples of the statement below?

“We are not studying THE past. We are studying what people SAY about the past.”

✤ Using your SS Notebook, jot down your observations about the quote.

✤ Turn and talk

Group Discussion #3

• What did you see in the maps?

• What things did you recognize?

• What was unusual?

• What made these maps different?

• Consider how much of the world people could have seen at that time, how much could they have known about the world.

• Hypothesize where the cartographer lived.

• Where did the cartographer place the “center” of the map? (perspective…)

• How are these ancient maps different than modern maps of the same place today.

• How might new knowledge based on science and modern technology influence how we think about historical maps?

QUESTIONS REMINDER

1. What do you think?

2. Why do you think that?

3. How do you know this?

4. Can you tell me more?

5. What questions do you still have?

Think about creating your own maps… #4

When you created you school map, just like the cartographers who created the ancient maps; you reflected your own experience, knowledge, perspective, and purpose.

Consider the two maps you created (world map and school map) remember/look at the level of detail contained in each:

What do you notice?

What areas have more detail?

Return to the Ancient Maps #5

What do you notice about the detail in these maps?

Where does each map contain the most detail?

How do you think this affected their level of detail?

All of the cartographers of the ancient maps lived in the center of their maps, although all of them were well-traveled throughout the regions depicted on the map.

People who create maps must select and organize the features of the place to include in their map. Their purposes, knowledge and perspective shape their maps.

Perspectives on the Past #6

ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER, answer the following questions in complete sentences:

How is your view of the world different from the way people in the past viewed the world?

How do you think your knowledge of the world and your point of view influence how you view the world?

WARM-UPS

Instructions:

1. Open your SS Notebook, locate your last entry. (No Notebook = USE PAPER)

2. SKIP A LINE

3. Write today’s date in the margin on the line where you’ll begin writing.

4. QUIETLY - Read the prompt, Think, ANSWER in complete quality sentences.

http://www.teachersdiscovery.com/current-event

What Can A Map Tell Us? 9/17/14

Warm UP:

Explain what you know

about the Constitution.

What Can A Map Tell Us? 9/18/14

Warm UP:

Evaluate and explain

what you now know

about the Constitution.

What Can A Map Tell Us? 9/19/14

Warm UP:

What are maps?

Explain.

What Can A Map Tell Us? 9/22/14

WARM UP:

Describe what you should have accomplished by the time the tardy bell rings.

What Can A Map Tell Us? 9/23/14

WARM UP:

Describe what it means to be CAFETERIA READY?

What Can A Map Tell Us? 9/24/14

WARM UP:

1. Describe how you should behave in class.

2. What could happen if you do not behave respectfully.

What Can A Map Tell Us?

EXIT TICKET:

Discuss how the lunch room video clip could relate to your experiences in the cafeteria .

NAME/HOUR

What Can A Map Tell Us? 9/25/14

WARM UP:

Describe respectful cafeteria behavior. Give examples.

What Can A Map Tell Us?

EXIT TICKET:

Discuss one way today’s lesson of understanding maps could be used in the real world.

NAME/HOUR

What Can A Map Tell Us?

EXIT TICKET:

Discuss one way today’s lesson could be used in the real world

NAME/HOUR

What Can A Map Tell Us?

WARM UP:

What Can A Map Tell Us?

EXIT TICKETS:

1. Write one thing you learned today.

2. Rate your understanding of today’s topic on a scale of 1 - 10. What can you do to improve your understanding?

3. Discuss one way today’s lesson could be used in the real world.

4. Describe one topic we learned today that you would like to learn more about.

5. One thing I didn’t understand.

6. Of the two strategies we learned today, which one did you find most useful? Why?