Zoom Maps: A Very Simple, Very Effective Tool For Teaching Small to Large Geography or Science Relationships

I am currently working on a unit resources page about geography. In 5th grade I teach United States geography, states and capitals, and map skills, but also briefly touch on world geography. I've noticed a disturbing trend over my career. Students in the 5th grade don't often know the difference between countries, states, and continents. They have no concept of distance (they think China is next to Mexico, etc.), and think that major cities are states (countless students have called Los Angeles a state, or California a city, or thought that Los Angeles was California). I like to include this very simple activity I call Zoom Maps. All you need for this activity is a sheet of paper, and something to write with. This is obviously an activity that can be done with much younger students, but I've found success with it in both social studies and science. I do this same foldable to "zoom in" to an atom.

Check out this example I drew up. It's very crude, but it is easy to follow. I hope to upload some student examples once school starts (August 15th here in Las Cruces). CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF DOCUMENT. Enjoy!

Also, here is an animated gif of my very simple and crude example. I made this at Picasion.

5th Grade Science Unit on Atoms & Molecules

Underneath my subject static pages here on my blog, I have just completed a science unit on atoms & molecules.

I've been focusing on making sure that these unit pages are full of information that I can use to assist in my own planning, and making sure that it's a service to other teachers. There are links to the content, some activities, many pdf documents that are freely available for printing, and some great videos that I use in this unit. Let me know if you have any other suggestions.

SCIENCE UNIT: ATOMS & MOLECULES

Teaching the Tiny World of Atoms and Molecules Using Zoom, the Picture Book

Zoom, by Istvan Banyai, is a great picture book that teaches students the concept of zooming. Many reading teachers use it as a simple activity in which students look at the concept of moving into a picture, and it induces some neat discussions, even in smaller kids. I use this book in science, when teaching about atoms and molecules. I normally use it during my initial lesson, as it shows simply the concept of objects within objects. I have my students view the book, then make their own "zoom book" afterwards, using a simple flip book made out of three sheets of construction paper folded into fourths, cut, and stapled together.

If you don't have access to the book, you're in luck, because you can view the entire book HERE on Slideshare or at the bottom of this post. Trust me, it's great stuff. Take a look!

Zoom

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