Looking for ways to incorporate geography in your classes? These are some ideas that you could bring to your classes right away!
Money Basket
Over several years of teaching Spanish I have collected coins and bills from different Spanish speaking countries. Either someone brings them to me or I collect them during my own travels. I got to a point where I didn’t know what to do with them. It occurred to me that I could use them for a center in my class. I also printed some images and laminated them for students to manipulate easily and placed them with the coins in a basket. I printed and laminated maps where all the Spanish speaking countries are listed. My students really enjoy looking at the different bills and coins, comparing them to the United States bills, and locating the countries on the map.
Guess The Temperature
Create a slide with a world map and numbers on it. Choose a country, then a city and locate it on the map. If possible use Google Earth to take a quick virtual trip. Talk about the general weather and seasons. Ask your students to guess the temperature in that city. Record their answers on a paper or board. Use the Chrome extension “UV Weather” to check the temperature and find who guessed it right or came close!
Play Your Favorite Music
Create a slide with a world map and insert a video or audio to your slide. Add a flag of the country the songs belongs to. Locate the country on the map and talk about the colors on the flag. Then, make it a game! Have an object for your students to pass around. In my case I use a plush toy monster. Play the music and ask your students to pass it around. Stop the music and whoever has the object will have to answer questions. You and your class decide when to stop the game.
Have fun!
