The 2020 An Atlas of Virginia Teachers’ Edition and Interactive Digital Atlas site license now available

The 2020  3rd edition of An Atlas of Virginia Teachers’ Edition and Interactive Digital Atlas 1-year site license is now available for purchase at $200 per school. A vital resource for H/SS (K-3, VS, USI-II), Science (Gr. 4-8 & Earth Science), and ELA (Gr. 4-8) with content vocabulary and informational text. The Teachers’ Guide and Atlas include 100+ pages of color maps, access to interactive maps, content reading excerpts, images, graphs, charts, and interactive activities that promote the VDOE H/SS, ELA, and Science skills with an emphasis on the 5Cs.

Consider partnering with your school PTA/ PTO, and other civics organizations for funding. Many of the Atlas pages are already aligned with the recommendations of the AAHEC so this resource will be an excellent instructional tool as textbook publishers won’t catch up to these changes for quite a while.

We are hosting a 3 part series starting next month via VDOE on how to use the Atlas in both remote and face to face instruction. (Register via VDOE for  10/8, 11/5, and 12/10.)

Single School order form (note: this will link to a force copy to complete for individual school orders).

Multi-School order form (note: this will link to a force copy spreadsheet to complete for all schools you are purchasing for – You will need to complete a new one if adding more schools later in a separate order.)

We are still planning to make paper atlases available for sale soon. We appreciate the support of Virginia Tech, Longwood University, University of Richmond,  New American History, the Moton Museum, and the VDOE.

VGA Floor maps are also still available !!

National Geographic Society awards grant of nearly $50,000 to a team of Albemarle County Public Schools educators

According to an Albemarle County Public Schools news release, “the grant awarded to ACPS will put Charlottesville at the center of understanding how to use geography to solve modern challenges. Project Leader Chris Bunin, who teaches geography at Albemarle High School, said his team will design and develop a curriculum using field experiences and geographic inquiry, matched with geospatial intelligence….Teachers and students from two high schools, Albemarle and Monticello, and the division’s charter middle school will collaborate on the project. Joining Bunin as faculty advisors are Mae Craddock, a library media specialist from the charter school; Adam Seipel, a learning technology integrator from Albemarle; John Skelton, who teaches human geography at Monticello; and Julie Stavitski, the charter middle school’s lead teacher.” To read full description of project go to: https://www.k12albemarle.org/our-departments/communications/news-board/~board/newsroom/post/national-geographic-society-grant-awarded-to-acps

 

 

Asia for Educators

Asia for Educators is a program for K-12 educators offered by Columbia University. They are announcing a new geography unit online to support teachers.

East Asia in Geographic Perspective
Online materials on East Asian Geography specially formatted for AP-Human Geography, Pre-AP Geography, National Geography Standards, and 5 Themes of Geography

Additional information may be found at http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/announcements/2020/GeographyFall20.html

The Where of Why: GIS in the Humanities Classroom. Next Session Starts September 14, 2020

Humanities in Class Online Courses from the National Humanities Center
Earn Professional Development Credits

Often, when teaching about historical events, there is an over-emphasis on chronology without strong enough consideration given to geography. “GIS in the Humanities Classroom” will teach participants how to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools to develop a deeper understanding of humanities subjects. The use of geospatial technologies allows interactions of place, space, time, and scale to be more obvious, allowing students to develop the ability to answer not only “where?” but “why there?”

Sample Course Content:

  • Mapping the Fate of the Titanic
  • Geography, GIS, and Medical Geography
  • Mapping The American Civil War
  • Querying the Reach of Jim Crow Laws Using ArcGIS

Register and find more information here 

Newly available resource: African-Americans in the Atlantic world of the 1700s

Liberty, Race and Slavery in British North America in the Age of the Enlightenment

In the light of the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, Europe and around the world today, this three-to-five lesson unit seeks to elaborate on the context of African-Americans in the Atlantic world of the 1700s, by focusing on the roles and voices – the agency – of African-Americans during this period. Many of these lessons focus on geographic connections – especially to Virginia. These lesson plans are designed for AP  History/Geography classes. They were written by Colin Baker, AP European History, World History II, Blacksburg High School; and participant in the VGA-sponsored When We Were British Project.

NOAA publishes Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) Community Resilience Education Theory of Change

Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) Community Resilience Education Theory of Change

This publication outlines the conceptual framework for the ways in which community resilience education can lead to increased community engagement and civic action, ultimately leading to a healthier, more resilient, and equitable society. The beautifully illustrated report containing the theory of change describes the overarching philosophy that guides our grants and provides best practices for this emerging field. This publication represents a significant step forward and plants a “stake in the ground” for the Environmental Literacy Program’s investments in community resilience.

The report is a rich resource that integrates research on environmental literacy, social learning, citizen science, civic engagement, youth empowerment, climate justice, equitable resilience, and more. In the theory of change itself, we lay out the education and community engagement pathways (including over 100 outcomes) that lead to community resilience. We also provide a first-ever definition of “community resilience education.” We hope this resource will guide similar efforts and serve as a model for how environmental literacy contributes to resilience that others working in the field of community resilience might use.

This theory of change is not final; it will be managed as a “living document”. We are open to feedback and will make modifications regularly. If you have any feedback or suggestions now, please email us at oed.grants@noaa.gov.

Texas State University announces online Masters and PhD programs in Geographic Education

The following programs are scheduled to begin in Fall 2020. Scholarships are available.

Masters in Applied Geography (Geographic Education)

Hybrid PhD Program in Geographic Education (Proposed for Fall 2020)

Podcast on legacy of pandemics in the Americas

Dr. W. George Lovell, Professor of Geography at Queens University in Ontario, Canada and Visiting Professor in Latin American History at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Seville, Spain, joins the American Geographical Society Podcast to discuss his research on epidemics in the Columbian-era Americas. We discuss Columbus’ arrival in the New World – and the impact of disease that came with him – marking the beginning of globalization…does COVID-19 mark the end?

The American Geographical Society has done several podcasts related to Covid-19 and Geography in general. To see others go to https://americangeo.org/the-american-geographical-society-podcast/.

 

FREE PD – #YouCanMapThat: Using GIS to Enhance the Classroom

The Virginia Geographic Alliance is excited to offer the online, 8-hour professional development workshop, #YouCanMapThat: Using GIS to Enhance the Classroom.  It is open to grades K-12 faculty and pre-service teachers and is limited to 30 participants.  Register here

Location:  Online via Zoom

Dates:  June 2nd and June 3rd 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM (with optional homework assignment)

#YouCanMapThat! is a FREE Online Instructor-led  Professional Development Program that will teach you to:

Access and utilize 100+ classroom ready 15-Minute GeoInquiries for US History, Human Geography, World History, US Government, Mathematics, Language Arts, and Earth Science

  • Use web maps as a bell-ringer, a lesson plan, and/or a classroom discussion tool
  • Create customized Web Maps that embed text, primary source Images, YouTube videos, and much more.  To access a sample map on the Louisiana Purchase go to: http://arcg.is/1xvC7Pg
  • Register your school for a free site-license for Esri’s ArcGIS Online software (Up to 500 accounts).

Other benefits include:

  • 8 Continuing Education/Recertification Points
  • free supplemental workbook and lesson plans
  • access to an online Professional Learning Community
  • $35.00 Amazon Gift Card for successfully participating in the workshop.

REGISTRATION IS ON A FIRST COME BASIS & IS LIMITED TO 30 PARTICIPANTS.

 Register by 12:00 PM May 31, 2020

 

 

Online Course: The Where of Why: GIS in the Humanities Classroom

VGA members Chris Bunin and Christine Esposito are working with the National Humanities Center to offer professional development that carries 35 professional development hours. The course runs May 26 – June 30, 2020. For more information and registration form, visit https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/education-programs/courses/. VGA members should use the promotional discount code VGA20, which is good for 30% off the registration fee.

Flyer as PDF