Through a generous sponsorship by Humanities Tennessee, the Tennessee Geographic Alliance will be hosting a free workshop for Tennessee teachers at Discovery Park of America on Dec. 4, 2021. The workshop, lead by Brian Smith, is open to the first 30 registrants and will include a selection of lectures and activities pertaining to cartography, including making a globe and touring Discovery Park’s temporary exhibit, “The Fascinating World of Murray Hudson’s Globes and Maps,” which will open just two days before the event. This workshop will incorporate various hands-on activities that students will enjoy doing in the classroom to enhance their geographic understanding of map and globe making. The day will be mostly geared to 3-7 grade social studies courses.

Brian Smith, a social studies and GIS teacher at Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, Tenn. has designed and facilitated geospatial technologies teacher professional development programs for the Tennessee Geographic Alliance. Many of these have been in partnership with the UT Department of Geography. His unique skillset combines an ever-expanding understanding of geospatial software, how it can effectively be used in the K-12 classroom, and an engaging teaching style that highlights equal parts pedagogy and patience.

Schedule:

10:00 Introduction

10:30 Tear the Continents

11:00 Get your feet on the map! (Tennessee Giant Map)

11:30 Renaissance Project: Make a model globe kit

12:00 Lunch (provided)

12:30 A History of Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Era Maps

1:00 Drawing Worlds (book provided)

1:30-3:30 Museum Time: Explore the Maps and Globes Exhibit

3:30 Teacher Pedagogical Implementation Discussion

4:00 Workshop Evaluation