Subjects

Social Studies, Geography

Grades

7

Brief Description

The face of the earth is constantly changing, and ever the same. This mapping activity invites students to consider how ancient and modern peoples change the earth through urbanization and adapt to earthquakes and living with vulcanism. Through the use of archival photographs, Yahoo! Maps and atlases, the students will locate specific regions of interest in the museum image database, describe the images, then compare the images to contemporary images available on the internet. Students will learn basic geography and mapping skills.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Gain an understanding of the continuity of 'place' throughout time
• Gain an understanding of the effects of catastrophism, particularly with regard to volcanoes and earthquakes
• Gain an understanding of the effects of urbanization on landforms and archaeological sites

Keywords

Mexico, Andes, archaeology, cultural resource management, geography, mapping, urbanization

Materials needed

• access to the ¡Hola Canada! The Latin-American Collections at the Simon Fraser University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology web site
• access to Yahoo! Maps on the internet
• Atlas of Central and South America, either in published book form or from
  • Infoplease.com
  • Worldatlas.com
• mapping tools - ruler, pencil

Evaluation

Students are graded on the accuracy of their observations on the photographs. These should be detailed and precise. They should also be evaluated on the quality of their report. Have they understood how the sites change over time and attributed these changes to a reasonable causative agent? Do they make suitable recommendations for site protection or development?