Teacher Resources
Our purpose is the promotion and enhancement of geographic knowledge in the schools and among the general populace of Illinois. To achieve this purpose, the Alliance maintains a strong grassroots organization of geographic educators from schools and universities, participates in educational reform at the district, state, and national levels. We engage in an active program of preservice and inservice teacher education, develop curriculum materials based on the National Geography Standards, and foster public awareness of the importance of geography in our society.
StoryMap - Mapping the Thanksgiving Harvest
Mapping the Thanksgiving Harvest is a StoryMap developed by Esri's ArcGIS Storytelling team.
Millions of Americans gather each November to celebrate family solidarity and enjoy a calorie-laden feast. But have you ever contemplated the origins of the vegetables, fowl, and sweets that we pass around the table?
The maps presented here reveal a surprising diversity of patterns and concentrations. We hope that they'll elicit an appreciation for the farmers who nurture this cornucopia, and the distribution systems that bring them to your table.
Explore the Geography of Thanksgiving Dinner
Resources for exploring the geography of Thanksgiving dinner are available from Linda Zellmer, Government Information & Data Services Librarian at Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL).
Current maps and posters are available. Older editions are still available for comparison. (Note: If you do not have access to a plotter, you can print the poster on multiple sheets of 11 X 17 paper by selecting 11 x 17 Landscape in Page Setup. Then choose Custom Scale and enter 70%. The poster will print on multiple pages and can be pieced together for a bulletin board.)
Linda shares that one teacher that has used these resources would "teach nutrition and get the food ads for the grocery store during those weeks. The kids would plan a balanced menu, figure out how much food they need to feed the class (number of turkeys, pies, etc.), and then calculate how much it would cost to feed the class (you can get serving sizes from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/). Thus, they learned some geography, nutrition and math!"
Esri GeoInquiries
GeoInquiries™ are 15-minute instructional activities that use interactive maps (geographic) to enhance your academic instruction of standards-based topics. GeoInquiries are available for many subjects.
Celebrating the National Historic Preservation Act
In honor of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), teachers and classrooms can use the NHPA site to watch videos of each state's archaeological sites for the preservation and recording of historic places.
Since 1966, the NHPA has helped to preserve hundreds of thousands of archaeological sites and created scientific excavation sites all over the U.S. Find out how volunteer groups nationwide have created educational videos of their archaeological sites for storytelling. Currently there are 17 state videos that are each less than 30 minutes long, which is ideal for integrating into a classroom.
With every historical site and excavation site, the NHPA has helped to foster the good stewardship of historic places.
Statistics in Schools
Statistics in Schools is a free program from the U.S. Census Bureau offering data, tools, and activities that correspond with relevant education standards and guidelines and that use real-life census information for teachers to incorporate into their lesson plans. This is not just a math program--it includes geography, sociology, and history activities. Through this program, students can connect the world around them to what they are learning in the classroom.