NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GIANT TRAVELING MAP OF PACIFIC OCEAN COMING TO CHARLOTTE SCHOOLS HOSTED BY BARRY J. O’REILLY



Charlotte, North Carolina—Students at CMS schools throughout Charlotte will dive into the wonders of the Pacific Ocean with one of the world’s largest maps of the world’s largest ocean. The map, measuring 26 feet by 35 feet, will give these student explorers a fun, interactive experience through rich content and exciting activities that enliven the study of geography. Designed for grades K-8, the map will be on loan to Barry J. O’Reilly, a CMS parent and Geographic Education Advocate from January 30th to April 20th sponsored by Google through National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program, managed by National Geographic Live, the public programming division of the National Geographic Society. Mr. O’Reilly volunteers his time to host the Giant Traveling Map program in the Charlotte area. The Pacific Ocean maps and curriculum were developed and funded by two $1 million Oracle Commitment Grants, awarded to National Geographic.

CMS schools that will receive the Giant Traveling Map include Winget Park ES, River Gate ES, Huntingtowne Farms ES, Lake Wylie ES, Endhaven ES, Mckee Road ES, Highland Creek ES, and Thomasboro Academy. The Giant Map will also visit schools in Rock Hill, SC and the Geography Department at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

The brightly colored, smooth vinyl surface of the map will introduce CMS students to explore some of the unexpected geography at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean: from the deepest place on earth, the Mariana Trench, to the world’s tallest mountain, Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, which has its base on the ocean floor. Most of all, students will experience the Pacific as a living entity, with active volcanoes giving birth to new islands, deep sea vents supporting new life forms, phytoplankton blooms providing over half of the planet’s fresh air, and the Great Barrier Reef, the largest living structure in the world.

CMS teachers are also provided with a set of fun, content-rich activities to help students interact with the map: “Cities in the Sea” invites students to explore the extraordinary biodiversity of four reef ecosystems; “The Deep & the Dark” simulates for students the depth of the Mariana Trench and fifteen other ocean floor trenches; and “Ocean Commotion” allows students to travel the ocean surface along the paths of eight major currents, finishing in the middle of the Pacific garbage patch, where they learn about human impacts on ocean health. Also accompanying the maps are lavish photo cards of animals and plants, hand-held models of volcanoes, and colorful coral reef replicas.

“We are excited to share this new map with audiences around the United States. Maps of this size are a powerful medium for helping young people relate to the world,” said Dan Beaupré, National Geographic’s director of education partnerships for National Geographic Live. “We believe these giant Pacific maps will be an effective tool for creating responsible stewards of our planet.”

National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program was introduced in 2006 with a map of Africa created after National Geographic magazine’s 2005 special issue devoted entirely to that continent. Since then the program has expanded to include maps of North America, Asia and South America and now the Pacific Ocean. It is estimated that more than 400,000 students will interact with one of these maps in the 2011-2012 school year. In addition to school venues, the maps appear at museums, festivals, fairs, and corporate and educational conferences. The maps also reinforce National Geographic’s commitment to increasing geo-literacy through teacher professional development, K-12 curriculum, live events, and academic competitions.

To learn more about the Giant Traveling Map project, for borrowing information or to download map activities, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/giantmaps.

 

 

Elijah Smith is the Lake Wylie Spelling Bee Champion!  Although the competition was tough Elijah showed perseverance and won.  What an accomplishment!  Elijah now has the opportunity to represent Lake Wylie at the Southwest Zone Spelling Bee on December 9, 2011 at AG Middle School at 9:00 AM.  Let's all wish him good luck.  Congratulations Elijah, we are all proud of you!