LOCAL STUDIES & MAPPING RESOURCES

also called "FINDING YOUR WAY"

Click the AQUA3 LOGO to find out how to buy OS Maps at a 10% discount and FREE P&P

Local to me at the moment is the North Norfolk coast: an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and an excellent place to pass a summer afternoon. If you have access to OS 1: 50 000 Sheet 133, there are some OS MAPSKILLS questions here for you to have a go at. Anyone in a school in the area will of course get their free map courtesy of the Ordnance Survey at the start of September 2002. Although at the time of writing (October 17th) they still haven't arrived....

Need an outline map ? Go to - the best...

• Local Studies starts with local mapping. You can now get excellent free maps from a number of Internet sources which can then be printed out and used in projects. These are increasingly appearing in GCSE projects, although not as yet with a great deal of imagination. Try MULTIMAP (front page is a bit 'crowded', but head straight for the search box) for a free map which you can print out. The advanced search is useful if you know the postcode of the map that you want. It also covers the whole of Europe and is remarkably useful. Recommended.
• Try as well: all you need is the name of the place you want, or a postcode. There are lots of possibilities for route-planning exercises here.

THE ORDNANCE SURVEY

The home of mapping is of course the ORDNANCE SURVEY, who have downloadable activities on mapskills suitable for Key Stage 3 pupils. They also offer free maps down to 1:250 000 scale, and you can purchase anything after that. For activities try the new MAPZONE site which they run. This includes the new OUR FAVOURITE PLACES area. They produce an excellent publication called 'Mapping News'. See later for some other useful pages.  The site has recently been added to (January 2003). This is well worth a visit now for the improved area:

Other areas are GAMES: try the RUSH HOUR GAME which is rather good. These take a while to download, but it's worth the wait. To practice your Grid References, play the PAPER ROUND GAME.

There's also a downloadable MAP BUILDER application. This is well worth downloading too. There are 3 different levels of software to download: a UK version (3.5 Mb) a EUROPE version (3.7Mb) or a WORLD version (3.4Mb) - They also offer a MAC version for those with a coloured computer. This allows you to create your own map by dragging symbols to particular places, and adding text labels which can be formatted in different ways. Recommended.

Map projections are also covered at THIS SITE. You can see maps of the world using a range of different map projections including MERCATOR, AZIMUTHAL, EQUAL AREA/CYLINDRICAL, MOLLEWEIDE and TRIANGULAR projections. The maps can be scaled and drawn from various viewpoints. Have a play!

Well done to the Ordnance Survey for their most recent initiative. All UK secondary schools have the chance to order a 1:25 000 explorer map for each of their Year 7 intake. Watch out for the next time round...

MAPWORK RESOURCES 2

• Roadmaps of Europe and the USA are available via Microsoft's own EXPEDIA site.
• For those who want an online version of Autoroute Express (which I use frequently), there's a Europe wide planning service available at MAPPY and another step-by-step route finder is produced by Shell at GEOSTAR. I recently tried most of these when a colleague had a query and was let down.
• Maps for major world conurbations are available from MAPBLAST.
• For small, free downloadable GIFs for Websites and such, try WORLD MAPS at THEODORA. Good outline maps are often needed when you least expect them. In my current school I get frequent requests from the music department for maps of areas where they are studying the local musical styles e.g Caribbean.
• There's an excellent collection of maps at all scales at the PCL MAP COLLECTION.
• In a recent article in the good value Webuser magazine, the best online mapping and route planning facility was apparently supposed to be MAPORAMA.
• For local maps of the area, perhaps for a project in Humanities, and wider coverage, there's a collection of over 80 000 OLD MAPS here.
• For free downloadable .pdf format maps: a recent addition is one of New York City, and one of Afghanistan/Pakistan, visit EDUPLACE: an American site: strip off the address and explore for more 'social studies' links.
• Try the RAINCLIFFE School, Scarborough site for a good exercise. Follow the Pupils' door into the school and choose the Geography Department and Year 7 work. This will then allow you to do an exercise identifying features in the landscape via digital camera photos and working out the OS Map symbol for each one. They also have lots of picture of Scarborough's CBD if you want a comparative location with your own town.
• Useful FREE DOWNLOADABLE OS MAPS from the Ordnance Survey - some of these are large files. There is a choice of formats: GB with or without county boundaries. The PDF format ones can be resized, but there are versions for web pages too.
• For maps and satellite images of the earth, useful for all levels, go to EARTH AND MOON VIEWER. from Fourmilab. Recommended.

• Maps often include some amusing names, such as the hamlet (or smaller) called Cat's Bottom which is near to King's Lynn. I mentioned this on a forum recently, and GEOEXPLORER produced a good list of amusing place-names from the UK, USA and Canada.

• The AA always used to produce good maps, and salute their members too. The AA site has useful mapping capability. Click on ROUTES AND MAPS for more. There's also GREEN FLAG.

• If you're using the UK's motorway network you may want to stop off for a break but not necessarily at a motorway service station, which don't have the best of reputations for catering. The 5 MINUTES AWAY site lists places that you can get to within 5 minutes of the major motorway junctions. These may or may not be a better alternative.

The Ordnance Survey has also recently introduced a site called ELECTION MAPS. This is ostensibly for political canvassers and other people, as it gives a chance to print out maps of constituencies, but the maps are of high quality.

• A useful site is WHAT IS THE CAPITAL OF.COM - this features a quiz on the theme of capital cities, not surprisingly, plus an alleged 3D map of the world. This has 2 pictures, which you need to look at from a distance and defocus your eyes, like a 'Magic Eye' picture, and a new 3D image will appear.

• An aside from an issue of the OS Mapping News (Winter 2002/3) regarding the atmosphere and the Coriolis Force.

The article describes a hotel which is being built on the equator in Uganda. The equator itself is apparently marked by a circle on either side of the road joined by a line.

"Whilst on the equator, the official carried out an experiment using some water, a sink and a twig. On the northern side of the equator the twig moved anticlockwise with the water; on the southern side it moved clockwise with the water. However, on the equator itself the twig moved straight down the sink with no movement at all."

• Interactive Games are also found at the site of MANCHESTER AIRPORT. This has activities for both Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 pupils which test UK, European and World Locational Knowledge. Uses simple drag and drop operation. Have a go!

• Try the SPAM Mapwork project hosted at the Slemish College site and put together by Tim Manson. The project involves some great resources which are well worth seeking out.

• Investigate MAP PROJECTIONS with some animations HERE.

• OK...Want a great mapping experience ? Try MAP 24. Click on an area of the UK and then press the + button to zoom in seamlessly as far down as street level. It's rather groovy, and there's also a good route planner. Recommended.

• A recent posting on SLN provided a link to the Dutch DEMIS map server site which allows you to access maps of various locations.

• Coming to the end of a section on basic mapskills ? Check out Simon Turton's quizzes at the BRIGSHAW High School site.

• I was contacted in early 2008 by Kathleen Braden from Seattle Pacific University, who told me about a project exploring American and Russian Geography. This was a joint project between academics from both countries. They produced a book: BEYOND BORDERS, and the distribution of the book was unfortunately delayed. The book is now available free of charge as a range of PDFs and Maps. Click HERE to visit the project website for more information and to view the maps.

WHY TEACH GEOGRAPHY ?

People often asked me why I became a Geography teacher. Apart from obviously being very good at the subject, and having a great form tutor/geography teacher in Mr. Hanstock, I think I can trace it back to a book I read when I was still at junior school. It was a book called 'THE MAP THAT CAME TO LIFE' and the front cover of the book is reproduced below:

The book was published by OUP in 1948, and was 'described by' H. J Deverson and drawn by RONALD LAMPITT (who I discovered on doing a little research - on the web of course - was responsible for a large number of illustrations for these types of books, and Ladybird books). I took this book out of the junior school library repeatedly and read it from cover to cover, following the journey of 2 children and a dog which was told through a map and a description and a picture so you could see the way that the map portrayed the landscape. A section of one page is shown below:

About 20 years after I'd last seen the book I came across a copy in the excellent second hand bookshop in Burnham Market for £4 and bought it. It's good old-fashioned stuff. Maybe it should be redone for the 21st century. At a time when the OS are even considering 'dumbing down' their maps to make them 'easier to read' by taking out the detail, clearly mapskills are still important. If you're interested in how Geography can be of use in your future career, the ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY have a free booklet on their website. The GA also publish documents from time to time looking at careers involving Geography.

There were other factors, as we explored recently at the GA Conference 2004 in a workshop with Professor Tim Burt from Durham University.

LOCAL INFORMATION

• For finding out information about any local area in Britain try UP MY STREET, which has useful comparative statistics. I recently read that the site is in financial difficulties and may soon close, so it may not be there when you go to take a look.

• Wanting to use map and compass to navigate ? - you'll need a compass. Here's some handy advice on HOW TO USE A COMPASS. 

• The NATIONAL STATISTICS site gives you the chance to investigate any 'neighbourhood' or area by entering the postcode or name. You can compare areas, and get a printout to suit your needs. Recommended. (Link updated October 2003)

LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES

1. TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE STATES OF THE USA

HERE - can you 'Pass the 3rd Grade' ?

There are lots of similar quizzes out there on the web....

2. CHECK OUT THE FUNBRAIN MAP QUIZZES

3. Download the MAP BUILDER software from MAPZONE.

4. Take your local OS map, and then write a story. Try to fit in words which are also places shown on the map. Instead of the word, put the 6 figure grid reference of the place.... an oldie but a goldie... Check that the extract you are using has some words that can easily fit into stories first though...

Some of the references will have to be cryptic, or you will have to provide a bit of context to help students identify the correct answer.

Discover a new perspective on the world! How does a globe become a map? And why do different map projections make the world look so different?  

Bring key geographical concepts to life with this free interactive online resource from Oxfam. Mapping our World helps pupils explore the difference 

between a map and a globe, and investigate how different map projections affect our perceptions of the world. A host of colourful characters guide 

pupils through the resource, including Holey Moley, Bob the Pirate, and aliens from the Planet Famox!

·     Designed for whole-class learning on an interactive whiteboard

·     Features nine structured activities and teachers' notes

·     Develops skills of enquiry and critical thinking

·     Suits all abilities and learning styles

·     For Key Stage 2 and above

Visit http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/

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