{"id":2811,"date":"2019-12-11T18:50:01","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T18:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/?p=2811"},"modified":"2024-04-20T21:59:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T21:59:50","slug":"using-maps-in-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2019\/12\/11\/using-maps-in-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Maps in Class"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"146\" width=\"702\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS16.jpg?resize=702%2C146&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When I began learning Japanese in the early 80s, it was imperative that I learn how to ask for directions from the get-go &#8211; especially in Tokyo. Not only did I have to deal with my lacking sense of direction, I was also functionally illiterate as I didn&#8217;t know <em>any<\/em> Japanese when I first arrived.  A guide book and a paper train map were always in my bag.  I also remember the huge city map on the kitchen wall in the foreigner&#8217;s house where I lived; an invaluable reference for fresh-off-the-boat travelers like me.  To whatever train station I might be going, I regularly stopped at the local police box to ask directions &#8211; <em>even if I already knew where I was going<\/em>.  Why?  It was excellent language practice and I milked it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking back, I was lucky.  I was in the real world, immersed in a new language, and learning daily.  Because we teach in a box, we have to find inventive ways to bring meaningful, real-world language into the classroom.  Maps offer a visual opportunity for building language skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my own book publications, I created maps and activities that are included in the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/books-esl-textbooks-kinney-brothers-publishing.html#atoz\">Phonics &amp; Spelling<\/a><\/em> series, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/books-esl-textbooks-kinney-brothers-publishing.html#qanda\">Q&amp;A<\/a><\/em> worksheets, and referenced for nearly every story in the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/books-esl-textbooks-kinney-brothers-publishing.html#sfyrbk1\">Stories For Young Readers<\/a><\/em> textbooks.  I wanted my kids to know where they are in the world,  learn about someplace new, and not be afraid to ask for directions or offer help to someone in need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Store\/Donalds-English-Classroom\/Category\/ESL-Readings-Exercises-12597\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"130\" width=\"702\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS13.jpg?resize=702%2C130&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Stories For Young Readers Lesson Packs  Kinney Brothers Publishing\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p> Consider all the language used when dealing with maps: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>geographical vocabulary &#8211; rivers, lakes, mountains<\/li><li>community places, cities, capitals, countries<\/li><li>prepositions of place &#8211; in, on, in front of, behind<\/li><li>directionals &#8211; north, south, right, left, forward, back, around<\/li><li>ordinal numbers<\/li><li>grammar tenses &#8211; past, present, and future<\/li><li>map vocabulary &#8211; legends, icons, scales<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Community-Places-Flash-Card-Set-3059934\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"172\" width=\"702\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS6.jpg?resize=702%2C172&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Donald's English Classroom Community Places\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Starting early&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As my kids get older and catch on to the fact that I don&#8217;t <em>really<\/em> swim from the U.S. to Japan every day, we start learning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Community-Places-Flash-Card-Set-3059934\">community places<\/a>, easy country names, and playing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Store\/Donalds-English-Classroom\/Category\/Maps-Flags-284044\">games with flags<\/a>.  Flags are already familiar to many sports-minded kids and there&#8217;s no reason to be ignorant about your favorite team&#8217;s home turf.  In preparation for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eiken.or.jp\/eiken\/en\/jr_step\/\">Jidou Eiken<\/a> tests, community place names and geographic vocabulary are a regular part of my <a href=\"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2017\/06\/27\/41-flash-card-activities\/\">flashcard activities<\/a>.  Keep in mind, these kinds of exercises can be just as informative and entertaining in your adult ESL classes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"284\" width=\"702\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS8.jpg?resize=702%2C284&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Worksheets Kinney Brothers Publishing\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When students begin moving about in their community and become aware that some people come from other places, like me, we start working with maps.  Map activities pull together a variety of language skills &#8212; language you&#8217;ve probably been teaching your kids since they were little!  It begins with prepositions of place and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Store\/Donalds-English-Classroom\/Category\/-Sight-Words-323483\">sight words<\/a> like <em>at<\/em>, <em>in<\/em>, <em>on<\/em>, <em>next to<\/em>, and <em>in front of<\/em>.  Interrogatives like <em>where<\/em>, <em>what<\/em>, and <em>how<\/em> come early on when asking the most rudimentary questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"196\" width=\"702\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS18.jpg?resize=702%2C196&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once students develop informational reading skills, we look at town maps and tackle exercises in asking for and giving directions.  We start with simple commands like <em>Turn right!<\/em> <em>Turn left!<\/em> and <em>Go straight!<\/em>  Similar to community flashcard exercises in the past, students express where they are or want to go on the maps, e.g., <em>I want to go to the station<\/em>, or <em>I&#8217;m at the library<\/em>.  Especially with large classes, big wall maps are essential for leading students through these types of activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Map making&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I went out in search of maps for my classroom many times and in many places around Tokyo.  I could never find what I was looking for!  Available maps were the wrong language, too expensive, too complicated, too big, too small, and so on.  Yes, I&#8217;m picky, and I&#8217;m not going to have something in my classroom simply for decoration.  What I wanted were easy-to-read and colorful wall maps appropriate for upper-elementary ESL kids in English.  Simple to find, right?  Nope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Store\/Donalds-English-Classroom\/Category\/Maps-Flags-284044\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"231\" width=\"702\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS4.jpg?resize=702%2C231&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Donald's English Classroom Wall Maps 2\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I started creating my own.  Because I don&#8217;t have a poster-size printer, I resized digital images and created wall maps out of regular sheets of paper.  The students and I glued them together as a class activity, and <em>viola!<\/em>  I have wall maps of each continent, a town map for practicing directions, and a U.S. map so I can talk about where I came from.  Each map is dedicated to the class that helped put it together with a picture of the students and the date.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Store\/Donalds-English-Classroom\/Category\/Maps-Flags-284044\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"243\" width=\"702\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS17.jpg?resize=702%2C243&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Doald's English Classroom Map Instructions\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I also wanted the maps to be an interactive resource in my lesson plans.  So, along with the wall maps, I created charts, worksheets, plus blank and numbered maps for classroom activities and handouts for students&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2019\/05\/09\/interactive-notebooks-inbs\/\">interactive notebooks<\/a>.  These are items not normally sold with maps you buy at a bookstore.  Importantly, all the student materials are congruent with the wall maps and I&#8217;m not hobbling together different resources to create a series of lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m pleased to say, these maps are now available in my online store.  Click on the images to learn more.  I hope you find these maps useful in your own classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"314\" width=\"702\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS12.jpg?resize=702%2C314&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Map Worksheets Kinney Brothers Publishing\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Playing with maps&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some map activities I&#8217;ve found particularly useful in class.  If you have some activities you especially enjoy, help a teacher out and let us know in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Create your own town!  With a blank town map and a list of community places, allow students to create their own towns!  Then have students ask and give directions based on their created maps.  Let students visit each other&#8217;s town or vote on their favorite town!<\/li><li>Give students a numbered or blank map.  Beginning with a labeled place, like a station, dictate directions and have students label the place of arrival on their own maps.  This works well as an assessment of lessons taught.<\/li><li>Ask students to imagine a country they&#8217;d like to travel to for vacation.  Create an outline of topics you would like them to research: weather, geography, food, history, etc.  This is great grammar practice for future conditionals.  With the online tools available for research, the possibilities are endless!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS14.jpg?w=702&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Historical maps Kinney Brothers Publishing\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For practice with past tense, display a historical map next to a current map.  This activity gets your students really scanning a map closely to discover the differences.<\/li><li>Teachers who teach from their home country are more likely to have students from a variety of places.  A map can be a wonderful springboard for enjoyable and informative language practice.  Pin the countries where students are from or have traveled to on a world map.  Students love to talk about what they know best: their home country and all its unique cultural differences!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, if you&#8217;re teaching about the United States and want your students to know their state names, capitals, and regions, check out my post on <a href=\"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2019\/01\/16\/u-s-a-map-puzzles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S.A. Maps<\/a> and download a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kinneybrothers.com\/DOWNLOADS\/USA_MAP_PUZZLE.zip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free map puzzle<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kinneybrothers.com\/DOWNLOADS\/USA_MAP_PUZZLE.zip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" data-attachment-id=\"7140\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/tpt_flash-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TPT_FLASH-1.jpg?fit=250%2C250&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"250,250\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"USA Map Puzzles Kinney Brothers Publishing\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TPT_FLASH-1.jpg?fit=250%2C250&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TPT_FLASH-1.jpg?fit=250%2C250&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TPT_FLASH-1.jpg?resize=250%2C250&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"free map puzzle\" class=\"wp-image-7140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TPT_FLASH-1.jpg?w=250&amp;ssl=1 250w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TPT_FLASH-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope this post encourages you to consider using maps more often in your ESL lessons.  I&#8217;ll finish with a favorite quote: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-light-green-cyan-background-color has-background\"><em>I was completely drawn to other lands. I discovered with time that it&#8217;s a thirst for other people, for otherness, for something fascinating and mysterious.<\/em>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainyquote.com\/authors\/robert-lepage-quotes\">Robert Lepage<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, best of luck in your classes!<br>Donald Kinney<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I began learning Japanese in the early 80s, it was imperative that I learn how to ask for directions from the get-go &#8211; especially in Tokyo. Not only did I have to deal with my lacking sense of direction, I was also functionally illiterate as I didn&#8217;t know any Japanese when I first arrived. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3003,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[417,1129,1387,20,1385,10,1388,1389,11,806,145,1386,766,232],"class_list":{"0":"post-2811","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kinney-brothers-publishing","8":"tag-classroom-activities","9":"tag-cultural-diversity","10":"tag-directions","11":"tag-donalds-english-classroom","12":"tag-english-as-a-second-language","13":"tag-esl","14":"tag-geography","15":"tag-interactive-materials","16":"tag-kinney-brothers-publishing","17":"tag-language-learning","18":"tag-maps","19":"tag-prepositions","20":"tag-teaching-resources","21":"tag-vocabulary","22":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/WALL_MAPS19.jpg?fit=1251%2C1250&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8GlQB-Jl","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2811"}],"version-history":[{"count":72,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11067,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2811\/revisions\/11067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}