Storymaps

I recently learned about storymaps and how they can be used to create great content for teaching students.  For my first attempt at creating one of my own I used the website www.arcgis.com.  For anyone who would like to learn more about storymaps or how to create one I would definitely suggest giving this site a try.  There are many different templates to choose from and each one has a tutorial that walks you through the process one step at a time.  

For my first attempt at a storymap I created a mini lesson on the five geographic regions of Virginia.  This would go along with VDOE standard "VS2. b) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau," (VDOE, 2015). Basically, I thought that this storymap could be used as an introduction to a lesson on the five geographic regions of Virginia.  In the storymap I have added maps of each of the five geographic regions of the state as well as some of the high level characteristics that make each of the regions unique from one another.  In addition to being an introduction to the topic that will be covered, I think that the storymap could be used as a reference tool that the students can go back to if they can't remember something that was covered about one or all of the regions.  As a continuation off of this lesson, I thought a future lesson could include a storymap for VDOE standard "VS3. c) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by locating and identifying water features important to the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp)," (VDOE, 2015). 

I look forward to continuing to practice creating storymaps so that I will feel confident using them when I become a teacher next year.

References:

Virginia Department of Education. (2015) History and Social Science Standards of Learning for Virginia Department of Education (Virginia Studies).  Retrieved from https://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/history_socialscience/index.shtml