That’s a State, Right?
March 26, 2008
Can your students find New York on a map of the U.S.? The 2006 National Geographic-Roper Survey of Geographic Literacy found that half of young Americans could not. Even fewer could find Ohio.
On the other hand, the winner of the 2007 National Geographic Bee, an 8th grader, successfully answered the following question: “A city that is divided by a river of the same name was the imperial capital of Vietnam for more than a century. Name this city, which is still an important cultural center.” [Answer: Hue]
On which end of the spectrum, from can’t-find-a-large-U.S.-state to knows-rivers-in-small-East-Asian-countries, would you like your students to be?
National Geographic created My Wonderful World specifically to address the results of the 2006 survey. The “For Educators” page includes a list of ten ways to make students more geographically literate, with links to other excellent geographical resources. A separate page for students leads them to grade-level-appropriate resources, like online games of the “It’s-so-much-fun-I-forgot-I-was-learning” variety.
Could you be the next teacher to produce a Geography Bee champion? -EMILY JACK
Photo credit: woodleywonderworks on flickr
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