Group+A+6-B-1+Workspace

= Home > Learning Activity 6-B-1: WWII Maps > Group A 6-B-1 Workspace= = Tricia = Red= = Christina = Purple=

SEA Record
Record your observations below for each stage of your primary source analysis.

Scan
At first observation I am not enjoying working with this map. I am struggling with zooming in and zooming out. However, I will keep plugging away:)

Ok, now I am getting better at zooming - however, there are a lot of symbols being used and it is kind of hard to follow. For example, I am not sure what "ss" or"AB" or "XX" mean.

I also notice that there is a heavy concentration of activity on the top of the map (towards the north).

I am really struggling with viewing the map and it is extremely frustrating! I am unable to open it in the MrSID viewer and so have tried in Irfanview- the image is not very clear or sharp and so I am able to zoom in, but it them becomes very fuzzy. AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

From what I can see, there are markers indicating which forces from which country are where in France. There are many groupings towards the north of the country along the coast and at one point it looks like there are a larger number at the mouth of one of the rivers.

Examine
Record observations from the Examine stage here.

Upon closer examination of the troop placements at the top of the map, I notice that the American troops are located mostly in the north west, the British troops are located mostly in the noth east and the enemy troops are located mostly south of the water.

Analyze
Record observations from the Analyze stage here. This map is showing part of the movements of the allied forces which began on D-Day (6 June 1944) and ended on 30 June 1944. By this time, the Allies had established a firm foothold in Normandy. OperationOverlord also began on D-Day, and continued until Allied forces crossed the river [|Seine] on 19 August 1944.

Discussion Area
Discuss and answer the following questions about the series of maps.

These maps can be used to promote critical thinking in our students. Instead of just reading about a series of events students can be challenged to analyze the maps and draw conclusions.
 * //How can this series of maps be used in the classroom?//**

Students can use these maps to track the movement and placement of forces during the Second World War. They can use

these maps to illustrate how leaders planned strategy and see evidence of those plans from maps that follow this one in the

succession of the war.

//**What prior information would be necessary for students to use these maps effectively?**// Discuss and answers here. My knowledge of the WWII battles is limited. Therefore, I had to do some research of my own to help clarify the meaning of the map. I am sure that students would need background knowledge as well. This should include the who, what, why, when and where.

Mine is limited as well. I think it would be great for them to research that exact day in the history of the war and see if they can come up with detailed context to support their understanding.

//**Would you use these maps in your classroom? Why or why not?**// Discuss and answer here. I would use these maps in my classroom as reinforcement of concepts.They definetly require critical thinking and a little bit of problem solving. I think that it would be beneficial to allow students to work in groups and promote discussions as they work with them.

I would definitely use maps in my classroom- these would be appropriate for older students. I would choose maps that would be a little clearer with a well defined key so students could at least read the map, even if they didn't have much background knowledge about the time period or what it applies to.

==Map Uses Brainstorming==


 * __ Just for my own clarificaiton of what can be found in the series of map - here is what I learned. The situation maps show troop positions between June 6, 1944 and July 26, 1945. There are both maps and reports and these were used by commanders of the U.S. forces in their evaluation of the campaigns and for planning future strategies. __
 * Because these were used for evaluating successes and planning for the future, I think that these maps may be a great opportunity for creating problem based activities for our students to engage in. For example. Students could create a new strategy plan for a fictional attack. They could work as a group and be required to use evidence from the maps to support their theories on why we should adopt their proposed strategy-
 * Tricia- I like your idea of coming up with new strategies and ideas based on the viewed maps, a great way for students to use problem solving skills and critical thinking!- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Hope you had a wonderful time.
 * I would use maps in many different ways. I think it would be so engaging for students to view a map of the Oregon Trail and plan a trip for themselves. I could integrate math, science, language arts, and even art into that type of lesson. It would be similar to the old computer game "Oregon Trail", but students would base all their work off of a historic map.
 * Thank you for the birthday wishes Christina....it has been a fun weekend :) Good idea on "re-inventing" the old Oregon Trail game. I think this is what we need to do with a lot of our curriculum. Instead of trying to throw out old ideas and invent new ones - much of what we used to use can still be used today - but for new purposes and in new ways.
 * I know that our article for this seciton highlighted how to use Lewis and Clark across the curriculum. Since this a concept that I teach - I have some ideas on how we have used it in our classrooms. This year we had students examine the challenges that faced Lewis and Clark. We had them view the following video from you tube : [] then we had them use Scribble Maps to plot out some of the challenges that the explorers faced.
 * That sounds so interesting! I read a historical fiction book about Lewis and Clark which was full of rich historical detail and information. This story would be something that could be used to integrate language arts into a history unit. Students could read the story (although it is quite long- maybe a summer read) and then compare and contrast the information in the story with maps and logs from their actual trip. I think it would give students a great idea on how people do research for historical fiction stories.
 * Enter ideas and resources here.
 * Enter ideas and resources here.
 * Enter ideas and resources here.
 * Enter ideas and resources here.
 * Enter ideas and resources here.
 * Enter ideas and resources here.