Deepwater Horizon: Analyzing Maps that Document an Oil Spill
Learn how maps can help students learn more about the impact of an oil spill.
Search Results for: maps (136 posts)
Using Primary Sources to Explore Historic Events: Library of Congress Story Maps
What is a story map? Learn how staff from the Library of Congress are using them to help connect the Library’s collection to provide information about events in a unique way.
That’s Just Hysterical: The Lindgren Brothers’ Tourist Maps
Explore the Lindgren Brothers’ maps and consider how maps are more than a representation of geographical facts.
Verba Incognita: A Guide to Deciphering Latin on Maps
Explore the use of Latin in historic maps and learn some basic Latin terms used in maps.
Strategies for Planning and Selecting Maps for Exhibits, Displays and Workshops
What do museums and libraries consider when displaying maps? This post from the Geography and Maps Division blog provides some suggestions.
Using Literary Maps in the Classroom
Have you ever considered using a literary map with your students? In the May/June 2018 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our “Sources and Strategies” article features literary maps for the humanities classroom.
Learning Beyond the Original Purpose with Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
In the November/December 2017 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our “Sources and Strategies” article features a 1910 map of South San Francisco, San Mateo County, California. The map was created for the unique purpose of documenting estimated fire hazards, and resides in the Sanborn Map Collection, part of an ongoing digitization project at the Library of Congress.
The Mind of the Mapmaker: Purpose and Point of View in Maps
In the January/February 2016 “Sources and Strategies” article in Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, Cheryl Lederle and I focus on helping students understand cartographers’ purpose through comparing two 16th century maps: Americae sive quartae orbis partis nova et exactissima descriptio by Diego Gutierrez and page 18 of Theatrum orbis terrarium by Abraham Ortelius.
Engaging Students with Primary Source Maps
One way to engage students with the wealth of maps available from the Library of Congress is to discuss their value as sources of information as well as means to find a location or plan a route.
Maps: More Than Just a Tool for Navigation
Most students think of maps as wayfinders, resources to help find their way from point “A” to point “B.” However, maps have been created for a variety of different reasons, and studying maps from the Library of Congress can show students how maps can do more than provide directions.