One of the tools that is key to the success of this unit is the map. Each of the students will keep his/her map attached inside the travel journal. As stated before, how large and complex that map will be depends on the teacher. First and second graders making a map will create something quite different from high school seniors. I expect my eighth graders to create a map that is both accurate and creative. The map will need to cover almost all of Asia since the journey begins in Beijing and continues all the way to St. Petersburg, Russia. Most of China, Mongolia and practically all of Russia will have to be on the map. The map section of the project is what makes it very “inter-disciplinary.” Social studies teachers could spend a month on this section. Math teachers could help with scales, miles and kilometers, distances between cities; science teachers could discuss weather patterns, plant and animal life. The map gives this the potential to become a huge and fascinating project.
Do the maps have to be perfect? No, not at all. I will spend about one week on the maps with my students and I will be focusing more on creativity than the exact scale of mileage/km on the map. I will encourage students to be artistic on these maps. Once again, a social studies teacher might choose to spend more time on this section of the project. Students will need to use sources such as globes, wall maps, geography books, the Internet and atlases at this point of the project. The teacher should spend some time making his/her own map first, so that students know that it can be done and what the teacher expects from them. Point out that your map is an individual effort and that every map will be different. Students should use 8 1/2X11 or 8 1/2X14 size paper for the project. Remember the maps will be folded and inserted inside their travel journals.
The labeling of the map is again something that will vary from project to project. I will ask student to label major cities and of course the cities that we will be stopping in on our journey. The itinerary will help students know what should be on the map. I will ask students to label the following cities: in China; Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing; in Mongolia; Ulan Bator; in Russia; Irkutsk, Omsk, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Borders between China, Mongolia and Russia will be needed. Major water areas will have to be labeled; the South China Sea, Taiwan Straits, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Lake Baikal in Russia, the Gulf of Finland. A more detailed map might include longitudinal and latitudinal lines, mountain ranges and rivers, provincial borders and smaller cities. Students can learn about different type sizes for different sized cities, landforms and bodies of water. Don’t put on the railroad at this point. Students can do it as they travel their journey. Once the map has been completed in pencil and checked by the teacher, students should be encouraged to add color and creativity to the maps.
