Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Cartography: Time and Space

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The objectives stage is essential to guide subsequent activities of the lesson, ensuring that both the teacher and the students maintain a clear focus on the expected learning outcomes. By establishing clear and specific objectives, it facilitates the assessment of students' progress and the effectiveness of the pedagogical strategies used.

Main Objectives:

1. Develop students' ability to interpret and use different types of maps and cartographic products, such as charts, plans, and sketches.

2. Enable students to understand the importance of maps in representing geographic space and their evolution throughout history.

Side Objectives:

1. Encourage critical thinking and students' spatial analysis skills by using practical and contextual examples.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The Introduction stage serves to engage students with the content they have already studied, providing a rich environment of questioning that encourages the practical application of prior knowledge. Furthermore, by contextualizing the relevance of cartography with real-world situations and curiosities, students can perceive the importance of the topic across different areas of knowledge and in their daily lives.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Imagine you are an archaeologist and discover an ancient map at a dig. How could you use your knowledge of cartography to interpret and locate possible treasures or archaeological sites?

2. Suppose you are an urban planner tasked with redesigning a city's layout to improve public transportation efficiency. What types of maps and cartographic information would be crucial for this task?

Contextualization

Cartography is not just a tool for geographers, but an essential skill in many professions and everyday situations. For example, in urban planning, maps are used to decide where to build roads, parks, and hospitals. Additionally, the history of maps reveals how societies viewed the world in different eras, influenced by cultural, technological, and political factors. Curiosities such as the first printed world map, made around 1507, demonstrate the evolution and importance of maps in understanding and exploring the world.

Development

Duration: (75 - 85 minutes)

The Development section is designed to allow students to apply their prior knowledge of cartography practically and engagingly. The proposed activities aim to consolidate students' understanding of interpreting maps and other cartographic products, as well as to develop teamwork, critical thinking, and creativity. This section is crucial for deepening learning and ensuring that theoretical concepts are internalized through playful and contextualized practices.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - Expedition to the Past: Ancient Maps and Archaeological Discoveries

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop cartographic interpretation skills and spatial reasoning, as well as promote teamwork and creativity.

- Description: Students are divided into groups of up to 5 people, and each group receives a replica of an ancient map, previously prepared by the teacher. The maps contain fictional details, such as navigation routes, lost cities, and possible treasure locations. Students must use their understanding of cartography to interpret the map, discuss, and decide where they might find the treasures or archaeological sites based on the geographic features presented.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Distribute the ancient maps to each group.

• Ask each group to analyze the map, identify geographic features that may be relevant to the treasure's location.

• Each group must discuss and draw a sketch of the possible treasure location on the current city map.

• At the end, each group presents their findings and explains the reasoning used to arrive at that location.

Activity 2 - Maps of the Future: Planning the Smart City

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Apply cartography concepts in the development of an urban planning project, stimulating critical thinking and innovation.

- Description: In this activity, students, organized into groups, are challenged to plan the expansion of a fictional city considering aspects of sustainability and technology. They will need to use current maps and demographic information to create plans and maps of proposals for the new urban planning, including green areas, smart transport systems, and residential and commercial zones.

- Instructions:

• Form groups of up to 5 students.

• Provide demographic and economic data for the fictional city.

• Distribute current maps and plans of the city to serve as the basis for planning.

• Guide students to use drawing software or physical materials to redesign the city's map, considering the new proposed elements.

• Each group presents its plan to the class, justifying the decisions made.

Activity 3 - The Mystery of the Stolen Map: A Cartographic Adventure

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop map interpretation skills and teamwork, while also introducing the idea that cartography can be used to solve practical and fun problems.

- Description: Students, organized into groups, receive the task of solving a mystery using a stolen map as a clue. The map, prepared by the teacher, contains different types of cartographic information that students need to decipher to unravel the mystery and find a 'treasure' hidden in the school.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Give each group a copy of the stolen map and some 'clues' to decipher it.

• Guide students to analyze the map in search of landmarks that may be in the school.

• Groups must follow the clues and use the map to reach the treasure, which may be an object hidden by the teacher.

• Each group that finds the 'treasure' must explain the reasoning and cartographic techniques used.

Feedback

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The purpose of this stage is to consolidate students' learning, allowing them to articulate and reflect on what they have learned, as well as to hear different perspectives and approaches from their peers. This discussion helps to reinforce acquired knowledge, deepens understanding of the topics covered, and promotes communication and argumentation skills. Additionally, it provides the teacher with valuable insights into students' understanding, facilitating future adjustments to teaching methods.

Group Discussion

To start the group discussion, promote a brief review moment by asking each group to share a summary of the discoveries made during the activities. Encourage them to discuss the strategies used, the challenges faced, and how cartography was fundamental to their solutions. Then, open the floor for other groups to share insights and questions, creating an environment of exchange and mutual learning.

Key Questions

1. What were the main challenges in interpreting the maps, and how did you overcome them?

2. How can the application of cartographic concepts be useful in other subjects or everyday situations?

3. What skills did you develop while working with maps that you believe are important for the study of geography?

Conclusion

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The Conclusion stage aims to consolidate learning, ensuring that students have a clear and integrated understanding of the concepts discussed. Furthermore, it seeks to highlight the practical and theoretical importance of cartography, linking the content learned with real and everyday applications. This final reflection helps reinforce the connection between theory and practice, preparing students for future applications of their knowledge in different contexts.

Summary

In the conclusion of the lesson, the teacher should summarize and recap the main concepts covered about cartography, reinforcing students' understanding of maps, plans, sketches, and charts. It is important to emphasize the skills developed by students in interpreting and applying these cartographic instruments in different contexts.

Theory Connection

Today's lesson connected the theory of cartography with concrete practices, such as interpreting ancient maps and creating urban plans. This practical approach allowed students to visualize the applicability of theoretical concepts in real and fictional situations, solidifying theoretical understanding through concrete examples and engaging activities.

Closing

Finally, it is crucial to highlight the relevance of cartography in daily life. Maps and cartographic products are essential in various fields, such as navigation, archaeology, urban planning, and even in simple activities like finding an address. Understanding and being able to use these tools enriches academic knowledge as well as empowers individuals to be more effective in their personal and professional lives.