Mashups

Good afternoon 2nd grade students! Today we will be learning about our community, East Lansing, MI. Please start by choosing the "blue" placemark listed on "East Lansing." This will tell you how to navigate through the site. Enjoy!


View East Lansing Community in a larger map'>http://
View East Lansing Community in a larger map


This map is geared towards a 2nd grade classroom because this is about the time when students learn about their community and what types of goods and services are in their community.

This map will help students identify places in their East Lansing Community that provide goods and services. These goods and services consist of shopping malls (restaurants, grocery stores, fitness centers, toy stores, etc.), local parks, libraries, recycling centers, and the MSU campus. The MSU campus was included because of the large population and the fact that many people in the East Lansing community are students and faculty members. Many elementary schools visit MSU campus throughout the year; therefore, students will have an idea where the campus is as well as what the campus provides for the community.

When using this map with the students, I would project the map on a screen as a tool to help students follow directions and understand how to navigate through the site. I would use the cardinal directions and ask the students, "If you go northwest of MSU campus, what placemark will you find?" This will help with navigation skills as well as listening and following the directions. Once the students have gathered their information from the map, I would have lessons that address each placemark, in which students would fully grasp the importance of each placemark in relation to their community.

The information provided on the map is not only useful for the students, but for the parents, too. I would post this map on the class website for parents to view and to learn more about the places in their community as well as store office hours (Frandor Placemark), recycling, and when the events are held in East Lansing.