Fold-A-Map
Understanding spatial associations can be difficult for learners of all ages. The concept of scale proves especially problematic for younger students. Our world is arranged in a number of spatial hierarchies, some physical, some social, and most certainly political.
The South Carolina Geographic Alliance has developed the following resource to help students understand location and political scale. This simple front-back sheet of paper allows students to understand how their home fits with counties, states, countries, continents, and the world.
To use: Fold the paper in half four times. Beginning with Community, the student will open the sheet to find a map of South Carolina. Then South Carolina is referenced within the United States, then the United States in North America, and so on. Students will be able to locate themselves within this 'nesting' of geographic political units.
Click here to download this resource. This two-page PDF file will need to be printed on both sides of a single sheet of paper, or similarly constructed on a photocopy machine.