Mapping

While in Oaxaca on an NEH Seminar exploring the cultures and histories of the region, I collaborated with a great teacher who shared this activity with me. Its a great opening project for students to integrate themselves into the history classroom as they familiarize themselves with cartography .

Mapping Activity

Students create a map of their family by marking birthplaces and paths of movement of their own as well as that of their parents, grandparents and older ancestors on a world map. 

Class discussion:

Discuss the difference between migrating to a place and or living in one place for a long time.

Homework:

Students should take maps home and discuss their family history to make sure their maps are accurate. Students should also write a reflection about interesting stories or bits of information that they already knew of that they learned as they completed this mapping assignment.

Mapping Your History

(*adapted from A Archer’s Zine project)

 Step 1: On a world map students willl label the following continents and bodies of water: 

1. North America / Central America *

2. Caribbean Sea

3. South America*

4. Africa*

5. Europe*

6. Asia / Mideast / Southeast Asia / India*

7. Australia*

8. Antarctica*

9. Pacific Ocean

10. Atlantic Ocean

11. Mediterranean Sea

12. Indian Ocean

Step 2:  Students should chose 4 dark colors to use to mark the following on their map:

Color 1: Their birthplace; Color 2: Their Mother and Father’s birthplace; Color 3: Grandparents (maternal and paternal) birthplace; Color 4: Other Ancestors birthplace, they can approximate locations if they do not have exact information

Step 3: Students should create a legend or a key on the bottom left corner of their map indicating which colors represent which categories.

Step 4: Students should draw different colored lines with arrows (to show direction) that join the dots, first from ancestors to grandparents, from grandparents to parents, from parents to you. Then they should add line colors to the legend.

Step 5: Finally, students should write a short explanation of your family’s journey, noting any interesting details they can find out from relatives.  For example, students have written about African ancestors married to Native Americans. Many students with Caribbean heritage explore their mixed European, Taino and African heritages etc.