Title – Cartography – Mystic Isles

By – Kathleen Glielmi

Primary Subject – Art

Secondary Subjects – Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Computers / Internet

Grade Level – 3-5+

Title: Cartography — Mystic Isles

Materials: Pencil, eraser, colored pencils, rulers, graph paper, markers/Sharpies, computers

Resources: student worksheets, student resource folders, pictures/postcards, maps/atlas, globe, internet, books on plants & animals, architecture, clothing, landmarks, PowerPoint on landforms, Smithsonian American Art Museum, landforms set (science), computer with Internet access

Vocabulary: Cartography, symbols, atlas, bay, canyon, chart, coast, contours, cove, cultural features, delta, direction, compass points/compass rose, fjord, harbor, island, key/legend, lake, plain, plateau, river, scale, sea, sound, terrain/topography, latitude, longitude, landmarks, elevation, mountains/range, valley, vegetation, fauna/animals, volcano, mesa, hills, cliffs, bluff, roads, towns/cities, capitol city, forest, point of view — bird’s eye view

Learner Objectives:These are visual arts standards written for the Dept. of Defense Schools (Dodea). They are based on the National Arts Standards

Grade 3
VA1b: The student describes how different materials, media, technology, techniques, and processes cause different results.

VA2c: The student uses elements of art and principles of design to communicate specific ideas.

VA3c: The student examines, discusses, and creates compositions of visual images using selected criteria.

VA6b: The student identifies and explains how the visual arts are used throughout the world.

Grade 4

VA1b: The student describes how different materials, media, technology, techniques, and processes cause different results

VA2c: The student uses elements of art and principles of design to communicate specific ideas.

VA3c: The student examines, discusses, and creates compositions of visual images using selected criteria.

VA6b: The student identifies and explains how the visual arts are used throughout the world.

Grade 5

VA1b: The student demonstrates how different materials, media, technology, techniques, and processes cause different results

VA2c: The student selects and uses the elements of art and principles of design to improve communication of ideas.

VA3a: The student incorporates personal ideas and symbols in works of art.

VA3c: The student considers, compares, and applies subject matter, symbols and ideas from different sources in works of art.

VA6c: The student creates works of art that extend knowledge to other curricular areas to include the performing arts

Students will work with a partner.

Concepts:

1. Elements of Art – line, shape, space, form, color, texture, value & Principles of Design — contrast, balance, movement, unity, emphasis. Why are the elements & principles necessary for mapmaking?

2. Maps are not only tools for navigation, science information etc., but are also considered works of art. Maps from certain time periods are valuable and collectible. Early mapmakers often included images of unknown perils such as sea serpents, mermaids etc. Early maps used visual landmarks to guide travelers/mariners as longitude and latitude and the tools to determine them were not invented until much later.

3. Maps can show us the elevation/height of landforms. Contour lines mark the height increments/feet high the landform is above sea level. In the case of the Netherlands, these numbers might be negative numbers i.e. -10″ Why?

4. Mapmakers used a compass rose to indicate which way was north. What direction axis will your island have?

5. Scale is a devise to tell you how many miles = an inch on the map. How wide and how long is your island going to be? _____miles wide X _____miles long. Write the dimensions of your island in your journal.

6. A key/legend is a box on your map that shows what different symbols or colors you have used to represent areas of interest or importance, i.e. hospital, landmarks, sites of interest on the map

7. Consider what and how your island was formed — shifting of tectonic plates, glacier, earthquake, upheaval, volcano — this will determine what kinds of landforms you might have. Geomorphologists study earth/land formation.

8. What kinds of rocks and minerals form the island? Geologists study rocks and minerals. If your island has come up from the ocean depths, the coastline will probably consist of limestone. As this is a softer rock, the wave action will cut into the limestone creating cliffs, ocean caves, interesting rock formations. Along the Northern coast of Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway is made from basalt, England has the White Cliffs of Dover

9. What is your map going to highlight? Landforms, landmarks, castles & fortresses, animal life, plant life, historic sites or a bit of everything. In journal, write what kind of a map you will be making.

10. Make a list in your journal of five of the kinds of coastline, your island will have. Will it include beaches, sharp towering cliffs, fjords, deltas, estuaries, marshes, protected harbors, smaller islands etc.?

Skills:

1. On the internet, look up size of several islands and write the name of three islands and sizes in your journal.: Manhattan Island (N.Y.), Long Island(N.Y.), Sicily (Italy), Crete (Greece), Minos(Greece), Jamaica, Bermuda, St. Thomas, Mackinac Island (Michigan), Hawaii, Oahu, Molokai, Japan, Diego Garcia

2. Create a scale for your map. How many miles do each box on the graph paper. In the bottom right corner, draw a line that represents your scale, how many boxes does that equal? Using a ruler, find the middle of your paper. Divide the length of your island in ½. Measure up from the mid point and mark the distance for ½ your island. Repeat, measuring and marking DOWN from the midpoint. The distance between the two marks should equal the length of your island.

3. Divide the width of your island in ½. From the midpoint measure, to the right, and mark ½ the width of your island. Repeat from the left of the midpoint and mark ½ width of island. The distance between the two marks should equal the width of the island. You will have four guide dots on your paper.

4. On graph paper, lightly draw the outline of the island. Connect the four marks you have on your paper, to keep the island the length and width you decided on. Include the five coastal features you listed in your journal. Make the coastline and island shape interesting.

5. Draw the different environmental regions and landforms found on your island. You should have a minimum of six different landforms. Landforms can be repeated in various parts of the island.

6. Draw the objects, your map is featuring. Objects can be drawn directly on the map or a shape & color can symbolize them and you can draw their meaning in the key/legend.

7. Add other objects important to your map. Cities, towns, capitol city, landmarks, historical sites, main roads, parks, wilderness preserves, wildlife refuges etc.

8. Remember the negative space around your island is also important. You can add imaginative and decorative drawings and designs along the edges of map and in the water spaces.

9. Computer and clipart can be used for objects on map as long as they are proportionate.

Motivation:

1. Look at examples of maps. Discuss key/legend, scale, important features of map.

2. What kinds of people live, visit, invade and settle on your island? Pirates, Vikings/invaders, tribes/clans

3. Discuss how some cities & towns were settled and grew. Trade cities – location – on sea shore with good harbor, river with access to sea, central area Cities/towns – built-up for trade, needed services for local people, protection from near-by castle/fortress

4. Look at student folders, worksheets and examples of old and new maps.

5. Discuss the rubric.

6. Look at landform set. Watch Power Point on Landforms.

7. Look at examples of map coastlines – Atlas

8. Demo measuring the length and width of island – Find the midpoint, divide in ½ and measure up and down from midpoint. Measure left & right of midpoint for the width of island.

9. Demo drawing coastline to connect the four guide dots.

10. Demo key/legend

11. Demo use of texture boards, colored pencil

Closure & Evaluation:

1. In journal, write about your island and fill in worksheets. Who discovered it? When was it discovered? Was there any native peoples/clans living there? What kind of a government did they have? Chief, king, queen, group of elders/wise men & women. Tell us about their culture. How do they live? Hunters, gathers, farmers, herdsmen, fishermen, traders, craftsmen (jewelry, woven cloth, leather ornamentation, blacksmiths, armourers, wood & stone carvers) Why is your island important? Is it famous for its wildlife, landforms, forests, architecture, ruins of ancient civilizations etc?

2. You and your partner present your map and the important information about your island to the class.

Multiple Intelligence Connections:

Visual/spatial, verbal/linguistic, math/logical, body/kinesthetic, inter & intrapersonal

Student resource sheet – Gives unit expectations and rubric

Mystic Isle – Cartography

Grades: 3-5+

Vocabulary: Cartography, Symbols, atlas, bay, canyon, chart, coast, contours, cove, cultural features, delta, direction, compass points/compass rose, fjord, harbor, island, key/legend, lake, plain, plateau, river, scale, sea, sound, terrain/topography, latitude, longitude, landmarks, elevation, mountains/range, valley, vegetation, fauna/animals, volcano, mesa, hills, cliffs, bluff, roads, towns/cities, capitol city, forest, point of view — bird’s eye view

Concepts: What you need to understand

1. Elements of Art – line, shape, space, form, color, texture, value & Principles of Design — contrast, balance, movement, unity, emphasis. Why are the elements & principles necessary for map making?

2. Maps are not only tools for navigation, science information etc. but are also considered works of art. Maps from certain time periods are valuable and collectible. Early mapmakers often included images of unknown perils such as sea serpents, mermaids etc. Early maps used visual landmarks to guide travelers/mariners as longitude and latitude and the tools to determine them were not invented until much later.

3. Maps can show us the elevation/height of landforms. Contour lines mark the height increments/feet high the landform is above sea level. In the case of the Netherlands, these numbers might be negative numbers i.e. -10″ Why?

4. Mapmakers used a compass rose to indicate which way was north. What direction axis will your island have?

5. Scale is a devise to tell you how many miles = an inch on the map. How wide and how long is your island going to be? _____miles wide X _____miles long. Write the dimensions of your island in your journal.

6. A key/legend is a box on your map that shows what different symbols or colors you have used to represent areas of interest or importance, i.e. hospital on the map

7. Consider what and how your island was formed — shifting of tectonic plates, glacier, earthquake, upheaval, volcano — this will determine what kinds of landforms you might have. Geomorphologists study earth/land formation.

8. What kinds of rocks and minerals form the island? Geologists study rocks and minerals. If your island has come up from the ocean depths, the coastline will probably consist of limestone. As this is a softer rock, the wave action will cut into the limestone creating cliffs, ocean caves, interesting rock formations. Along the Northern coast of Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway is made from basalt, England — the White Cliffs of Dover

9. What is your map going to highlight? Landforms, landmarks, castles & fortresses, animal life, plant life, historic sites or a bit of everything. In journal, write what kind of a map you will be making.

10. Make a list in your journal of five of the kinds of coastline, your island will have. Will it include beaches, sharp, towering cliffs, fjords, deltas, estuaries, marshes, protected harbors, smaller islands etc.?

Skills: How you use the materials, mediums, techniques and processes in making your ideas into art.

1. On the internet, look up size of several islands and write the name of three islands and sizes in your journal.: Manhattan Island (N.Y.), Long Island (N.Y.), Sicily (Italy), Crete(Greece), Minos (Greece), Jamaica, Bermuda, St. Thomas, Mackinac Island(Michigan), Hawaii, Oahu, Molokai, Japan, Diego Garcia

2. Create a scale for your map. How many miles do each box on the graph paper. In the bottom right corner, draw a line that represents your scale, how many boxes does that equal? Using a ruler, find the middle of your paper. Divide the length of your island in ½. Measure up from the mid point and mark the distance for ½ your island. Repeat, measuring and marking DOWN from the midpoint. The distance between the two marks should equal the length of your island.

3. Divide the width of your island in ½. From the midpoint measure, to the right, and mark ½ the width of your island. Repeat from the left of the midpoint and mark ½ width of island. The distance between the two marks should equal the width of the island. You will have four guide dots on your paper.

4. On graph paper, lightly draw the outline of the island. Connect the four marks you have on your paper, to keep the island the length and width you decided on. Include the five coastal features you listed in your journal. Make the coastline and island shape interesting.

5. Draw the different environmental regions and landforms found on your island. You should have a minimum of six different landforms. Landforms can be repeated in various parts of the island.

6. Draw the objects, your map is featuring. Objects can be drawn directly on the map or a shape & color can symbolize them and you can draw their meaning in the key/legend.

7. Add other objects important to your map. Cities, towns, capitol city, landmarks, historical sites, main roads, parks, wilderness preserves, wildlife refuges etc.

8. Remember the negative space around your island is also important. You can add imaginative and decorative drawings and designs along the edges of map and in the water spaces.

9. Computer and clipart can be used for objects on map as long as they are proportionate.

Other things to think about:

What kinds of people live, visit, invade and settle on your island? Pirates, Vikings/invaders, tribes/clans

Discuss how some cities & towns were settled and grew. Trade cities — location — on sea shore with good harbor, river with access to sea, central area Cities/towns — built-up for trade, needed services for local people, protection from near-by castle/fortress

Closure and Evaluation:

1. In journal, write about your island and fill in worksheets. Who discovered it? When was it discovered? Was there any native peoples/clans living there? What kind of a government did they have? Chief, king, queen, group of elders/wise men & women. Tell us about their culture. How do they live? Hunters, gathers, farmers, herdsmen, fishermen, traders, craftsmen (jewelry, woven cloth, leather ornamentation, blacksmiths, armourers, wood & stone carvers) Why is your island important? Is it famous for its wildlife, landforms, forests, architecture, ruins of ancient civilizations etc?

2. You and your partner present your map and the important information about your island to the class.

Grading Rubric:

4 = You have understood & demonstrated all ten of the concepts and all nine skills AND finished this project and the reflective writing, worksheet & sketches are neatly in journal. Finished work shows good craftsmanship. Name & room number are on paper and can be easily found & read by teacher

3 = You have understood and demonstrated no less than nine of the concepts and eight skills AND finished this project and reflective writing. Finished work shows good craftsmanship. Name & room number are on paper and can be easily found & read by teacher

2 = You have understood & demonstrated no less than eight of the concepts and seven skills AND finished this project and reflective writing, worksheet & sketches are neatly in journal. Finished work should show good craftsmanship — craftsmanship needs to be better. Name & room number are on paper and can be easily found & read by teacher

1 = You have understood and demonstrated less than eight of the concepts and less than seven skills or NOT finished this project. The reflective writing, worksheet & sketches are not neatly in journal. Name & room number are on paper and can be easily found & read by teacher.

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Kathleen Glielmi

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