Giant map brings Pacific Ocean to Alaska schools
March 5, 2012
907-474-5042
3/5/12
Students across Alaska will dive into the wonders of the Pacific Ocean with one of the largest maps of the world’s largest ocean.
The map, measuring 26 feet by 35 feet, will give students an interactive experience through content and activities that enliven the study of geography. Designed for kindergarten through eighth grade, the map will be on loan to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Alaska Geographic Alliance in March and April via National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program, which is managed by National Geographic Live, the public programming division of the National Geographic Society. The UA Geography Program will bring the map to more than 20 Alaska schools.
The brightly colored, smooth vinyl surface of the map will allow students to explore some of the geography at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean: from the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench, to the world’s tallest mountain, Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, which has its base on the ocean floor. Students will experience the Pacific as a living entity, with active volcanoes giving birth to new islands, deep-sea vents supporting new life forms, phytoplankton blooms providing over half of the planet’s fresh air and the Great Barrier Reef, the largest living structure in the world.
The program provides teachers with a set of activities to help students interact with the map. “Cities in the Sea” invites students to explore the biodiversity of four reef ecosystems. “The Deep & the Dark” simulates the depth of the Mariana Trench and 15 other ocean floor trenches. “Ocean Commotion” guides students as they travel along the paths of eight major ocean currents, finishing in the middle of the Pacific garbage patch, where they learn about how humans affect ocean health. Lavish photo cards of animals and plants, hand-held models of volcanoes and colorful coral reef replicas also accompany the maps.
National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program was introduced in 2006 with a map of Africa. Since then the program has expanded to include maps of North America, Asia, South America and the Pacific Ocean. The maps reinforce National Geographic’s commitment to increasing geo-literacy through teacher professional development, K-12 curriculum, live events and academic competitions.
Following is a schedule of schools the map will be visiting:
Wednesday March 7, Nenana City Public School, Nenana
Monday, March 12, Kongiginak School, Kongiginak
Tuesday, March 13, Gladys Jung Elementary, Bethel
Wednesday, March 14, Gladys Jung Elementary, Bethel
Thursday, March 15, Unspecified school in Bethel
Tuesday, March 20, Larson Elementary, Wasilla
Wednesday, March 21 Palmer Junior Middle School, Palmer
Thursday, March 22, Machetanz Elementary, Wasilla
Tuesday, March 27, Goldenview Middle, Anchorage
Wednesday, March 28, Ravenwood Elementary, Eagle River
Thursday, March 29, Eagle River Elementary, Eagle River
Friday, March 30, Alaska State Geographic Bee, Egan Center, Anchorage
Wednesday, April 4, Family Geography Night, Immaculate Conception School, Fairbanks, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Monday, April 9, Montessori Borealis, Juneau
Tuesday, April 10, Montessori Borealis, Juneau
Wednesday, April 11 Harborview Elementary, Juneau
Monday, April 16, Kaleidoscope School, Kenai
Tuesday, April 17, Soldotna Elementary, Soldotna
Monday, April 23, Kenny Lake School, Kenny Lake
Tuesday April 24, Glennallen School, Glennallen
Wednesday, April 25, Glennallen School, Glennallen
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Wanda Tangermann, UA Geography administrative assistant, at 907-474-7494 or via email at wrtangermann@alaska.edu.
ON THE WEB:
Giant Traveling Map project: www.nationalgeographic.com/giantmaps
UA Geography Program: www.uaf.edu/snras/departments/geography/
NT/3-5-12/180-12