Taking the Spence Ridge Trail has always been a joy of mine. My best friend I met in college and who will be my best man at my wedding meet up and go camping every year on our annual reunion camping trip. We began this yearly adventure of camping for a week over Thanksgiving since we were 18. There are about 10-15 of us who attend every year. Drop everything you're doing and get to Spence Ridge. That has always been the destination. Weeks before this journey, I began collecting my camping essentials and begin to dream about my days of fishing, hiking, and enjoying the company of those I only get to see a few times a year. Relishing the moments, the memories are countless. It is certainly the best week of my year. Looking forward to camping out in the cold and cooking a turkey in a propane deep fryer is just an experience that the senses can't get enough of. Waking up and smelling coffee roasting in over the fire is something you only should experience in the mountains. There is nothing to stop you from experiencing the beauty of nature, going out into the woods to cut firewood for the day. Tromping through dense brush, hauling mammoth-sized logs from felled trees and throwing them into the back of truck seems arduous, but you bring yourself back to times where this was the norm and everyday ritual of many that lived in the NC Piedmont and mountain areas.
The Pisgah National Forest is such a breathtaking wonder full of wild beauty. The elevated emotions and heightened senses stem from an eagerness, excitement, as well as a sense of awe and fear. While the trails, scenic views, sharp drops overlooking miles of peaks and rushing water, and wildlife evoke awe-inspiring feelings, one knows that he or she is playing with a force of nature that has to be reckoned with. Hundreds have gotten lost, been unprepared for the environmental conditions, and subsequently gotten themselves lost in this huge expanse of nature. One of my best friends was lost here in Linville Gorge. There was a huge search party where helicopters with infrared heat-seeking elements were looking for Andrew. It was all over the news. When one cannot make it out of the Gorge at night, the winds are fierce and howling, and everything gets wet from the dense fog and river that thunders down from Tennessee into North Carolina. The chances of making it through the night without appropriate gear is slim-to-none.
This map is historically connected to my personal experiences in life. Every year, I look forward to pulling out this trusty map (GPS does not work very well down the Gorge, unfortunately) and using it to guide my way. The adventure starts with everyone separate, coming from Florida, South Carolina, NC, and Virginia. Somehow, even the dead and dark of night, every single person comes trekking down the trail, gears in tow. It's amazing to the amount of effort one takes to create the experience. I reminisce to the times of the trailblazers and hope that I can recreate the same feelings, experiences, and emotions that they did as they created new trails to discover new parts of the world.
Lester’s approach to learning, visualizing, writing eloquently about maps can be described a new literacy in itself. When approaching a map with historical significance, Lester shows readers and historians alike how a simple snapshot into a map can be sufficient at pulling the ephemeral knowledge, yet one must dig deeper if one wants to make deeper connections from the content. Lester’s journey to show how Europeans developed through his investigation into the historiography of the map itself is a great way to create a backdrop or personal narrative about a map. Lester shows us that performing additional research will allow students to create connections that perhaps no one has ever did before. You can take a map at its face value, or you can ask yourself the important questions. Why was this map created? Why does it look like it does? Can I find any maps from earlier or later time periods that show progression of historical thinking and ways of viewing the world? Why did the elements of the map change over time? Why is this map important?
Addendum
Lesson Title:
Creating Chronological Connections with Mapping
Standards / Objectives:
SWBAT to demonstrate analysis of using world maps of different time periods to create understanding of accessibility, religions, occupations, and language by comparing and contrasting maps in a graphic organizer, storyboard, blog, or wiki creation.
Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to get students to look at a specific historical map and find maps that relate to the main ideas yet differ chronologically. Thus, this will allow the students to look at two distinct maps purporting the same themes and create a comparative analysis of the two. Students will be able to describe the differences and similarities in an effort to reach the goal of students creating connections and meaning in order to visualize the development, change, and progression of people, places, and ideas as the world changes in time.
Anticipatory Set:
Students will asked how they think movement and the migration of people, places, and idea through technology has changed the world. Students will list examples and teacher will write examples on board. (ie. Communication-deliverance methods of horses to telegraph to telephone to email to text message to Twitter).
This set of introductory questions and oral response will get students thinking about the lesson and how to create connections visualizing change and progress.
Activities Planned (Methods):
1. Students will be given original map entitled “Accessibility. Religions. Occupations. Language.” Created in 1948.
2. Students will be divided into groups of four.
a. Each student will pick a role and division of labor that interests them.
i. (ie. Scribe, formatter, researcher, visual technician)
1. Students will be asked to find a world map that references one of the topics addressed by the map.
a. Students will research bookmarked websites to find maps that other world maps that relate to one of the themes of the original map.
i. For example, student could find a world map showing the connecting lines of email transmissions across the world that shows the flow of information and ideas and compare the map to the original map’s feature of accessibility.
ii. Another example, students could find a map relating to the differentiation of occupations in the 21st century and compare to the map of 1948.
2. Upon finding their unique comparative map, the group will decide on a presentation format.
a. The format is differentiated to include learners of all types and styles.
i. Groups can create a PP, Blog, Wiki Page, Graphical organizer through Prezi or Glogster, iMovie, etc.
ii. The only condition is a form of technology has to be used in the creation of the visual presentation.
3. Once the group has created the visual presentation, they will review and present to class.
4. Once all groups have presented, the teacher should create a group Wiki page to present all the students projects for public display.
Closure:
Students will present projects to class in 10 minute presentation following group presentation rubric.
Materials Needed:
· Access to Internet and Computer
o If school does not have 1:1 computing initiative, then teacher will schedule Media Center/Computer Lab or 4-5 class periods.
o Bookmarked websites for student access to research potential maps, obtain statistics and facts. (ie. WorldFactBook…historical maps…national archives, etc.).
o Projector, SmartBoard
o Pens, paper, writing tools.
Assessment Strategy:
Students will be assessed through three items.
1. Group evaluation rubric.
2. Group Presentation rubric.
3. Self-evaluation rubric.
The Group Presentation Rubric should be presented to the students before the onset of the project. Show the students how they can achieve a “5” ie. Excellent for each category and model examples. This will allow them to know what they have to do to create a high quality presentation.
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