6B1+Group+A

Hey guys! I have wifi at my camp so I'll be able to work on the project this week. I will only be available to work between 1 and 5pm eastern. That is my kid's free time, but that should be fine! (Julie)

Week six guys! I've gone ahead and added citation information to the SEA Worksheet we're supposed to use in Part A of the assignment. Any thoughts on which other maps we should look at for Part B? I was thinking the "[|June 6, 1944, HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map]" to see how things were on D-Day and perhaps the "[|August 24, 1944, HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map]" to see how things looked at the very end of the battle. What are your thoughts? (Rob) __June 8, 1944:__

Hi guys! Rob, the maps you picked directly realte to what I teacher. So I vote for them. And Julie, isn't technology great? :) (Joe)

So technology was not so great this week. I got wifi on Monday and that was it :(. Like always, you guys have done a great job. I am adding to it now. Sorry about missing out this week. If you have any other suggestions for me, please let me know! I will be working on my SEA chart and I'll compile the final draft when I am finished. (Julie)

I had to make a minor adjustment to the SEA citation on the sheet I had posted. I also went ahead and posted SEA sheets for the other two maps (assuming that Julie likes these two maps as well). (Rob)

Rob, thanks for getting things started. Are you guys sure we have to complete SEA worksheets for part B? (Joe)

Joe, I was just looking over the assignment again and I think I was making it more difficult than it needs to be. It looks like the only SEA sheet we need to do is for the June 8, 1944 map. I've adjusted the page to reflect this and also added my discussion notes for part B and part C. (Rob)

Julie, welcome back from camp! Thanks for doing the final draft for this week. (Rob) Thanks! It will be done shortly! (Julie)

SEA Worksheets
Rob - Julie - Joe -
 * "June 8, 1944, HQ Twelfth Army group situation map"**
 * FINAL DRAFT - [[file:Final SEA Group A.pdf]]**

Part B Discussion
The “World War II Situation Maps” series is a very useful tool in analyzing the movements of troops during the invasion of Normandy. These maps require students to utilize the skill of map interpretation to analyze information about the military’s execution of D-Day. (Rob)
 * How can this series of maps be used in the classroom? **

Maps are essential in a history class and when learning about conflict/war. With some preparation, this series will definitely enahnce a WWII unit. In addition, it can be used to appeal to visual learners and those students who are motivated to learn more about the war and military decision making. (Joe)

For World War II I use 2 videos to show the Normandy invasion from air and sea. I use the scene of the drop from Band of Brothers, and the scene at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan, the land invasion. Using maps along with the videos would bring a greater sense of "real life" situations to the students. Students can look at the maps before and after watching the video to get a deeper understanding of the invasion. They can compare what they see on the maps to what they see in the two films. (Julie)

Prior to utilizing these maps, student should have a basic understanding of what D-Day was, why it was necessary, and what the expected outcome was. Students will obviously need to have map reading skills as well. (Rob)
 * What prior information would be necessary for students to use these maps effectively? **

These maps would be most useful in a WWII unit. Also, to build on Rob's comment about map reading skills, I would spend some time discussing the the similarities and differences between these maps and the textbook maps students are used to. (Joe)

The two videos I discussed, Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan could be used before giving the students the map. This way students will have a better idea of the context in which the invasion took place. Band of Brothers also has a map tool with each episode. Students could look at the map tool on the DVD prior to looking at a more complex map. (Julie)

I teach World War 2 to my students, so a map set such as this one is of great value to my classroom. I will definitely use these maps to better help my students understand how the troops moved off of the beaches of Normandy and deeper into France. (Rob)
 * Would you use these maps in your classroom? Why or why not? **

I will definitely incorporate some of these maps into my teaching of WWII. For the past few years, I've had a goal of using maps more effectively in my classroom. I've improved in this area, but this resource will help. I wonder if similar maps are available for WWI? I will also try to find maps created by other countries' governments during WWI and WWII. (Joe)

I would use the maps in my classroom in teaching WWII. I like to compare some of the movements and strategies that were used in both WWI and WWII and show similarities and differences. I have never used the maps along with the movies I mentioned, but I will definitely start doing so! I too am trying to use more maps in my classroom, so this will be a great opportunity. (Julie)

Part C Discussion

 * Brainstorm ideas with your group for using maps in multiple subject areas. **
 * Maps can be used in an art classroom to develop a flipbook that animates the movement of the troops across France. (Rob)
 * Maps can be used in a math classroom to supplement student learning on measurement. Student could be asked to determine distanced that were travelled in a single day, the area of territory that is under each side’s control on the map, and much more. (Rob)
 * Maps that show topographic features could be used in a science classroom where students are asked to identify soil, plant, and animal life that might be found, based on the topographic information. (Rob)
 * Maps can be used in an english class that is reading a novel that references various real-world destinations. (Joe)
 * Maps can be used in a health/nutrition class to illustrate how fruits and vegetables are often imported from many different destinations, both nationally and internationally. (Joe)
 * Maps can be used in a foreign language class so that students can learn about the geography and culture of the language they are studying. (Joe)
 * Maps can be used in a personal finance class assignment that has students plan a cross country trip on a limited budget. Who can plan the most interesting journey across the US for X dollars? (Joe)
 * Maps can be used to chart the movements and changes in religion throughout history. (Julie)
 * Maps can be used in a language art class to help teach prepositions. For example, where am I? Answers include behind, beneath, above, around, and other prepositions. (Julie)
 * Maps can be used in an environmental science class to track the world's leading countries in areas such as pollution and other carbon emissions, comparing those to the world's cleaner countries. Students can have a blank map of the world and color code it based on the level of pollution in each country. (Julie)