Day 2: Geography, Civil Rights, Political Cartoons, Data and Excel
Today was wet again. But fortunately, I did not forget my umbrella.
We began with a lesson on the five themes of geography. I've taught this topic before but it was good to get a refresher and some new ideas.
Two fundamental questions of geography:
"Where are things located? Why are they located there?"
We then went back over to the library for a primer on Excel. This could potentially be a very helpful tool in more ways than one. Link: http://guides.library.msstate.edu/
We also did an exercise using inflatable globes, a kinesthetic activity demonstrating how the earth revolves around the sun. We also had a diversionary conversation about flat-earther celebrities and their influence on students. You can pretty much shut it down asking by asking them where the edge of the earth is located.
We did an exercise using colored paper (blue, purple and red) to show climate zones and how hot air wants to expand while cold air wants to contract.
We were shown several map sites and other demographic informational sites:
https://www.populationpyramid.net/
https://www.undispatch.com/tag/map-of-the-day/
https://www.citylab.com/posts/maps/
We did a data-taking exercise and analyzed what we may or may not have done wrong. My survey discovered that of my 14 colleagues, 7 were born within 25 miles of where they live now, and 6 were born over 100 miles from where they live now. I kept the data on an Excel spreadsheet.
There was a lecture by Michael Murphy of the History department about teaching the Civil Rights movement.
They have put together this site:
http://starkvillecivilrights.msstate.edu/wordpress/
We finished up with an exercise in political cartoons:
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/activities/political-cartoon/
And so my watch has ended...for today. Now I go home, where my watch begins again.
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