History
Daily news stories measure the merits of geography. And yet, this subject is ignored in our schools and Americans between the ages of 18-24 receive the lowest marks in geography according to the National Geographic-Roper Geographic Literacy Study conducted in 2003 and 2006.
The impetus for Global Wizards dates back to the results of the 2003 study when participants failed to locate Iraq on a world map weeks before marching to war. Launched that fall of 2003, the first Global Wizards program met at Rosemont Elementary School with about a dozen students and four curious and intrepid volunteers. Each volunteer worked with several students and together each small group explored Africa.
Each year another continent was added by funding made available from the Mead Family Foundation for three consecutive years. With complete curricula for the remaining six continents, each curriculum follows the National Geography Standards, a benchmark established in 1994 to teach geography. Also, the material for Wizards is closely aligned with the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) guidelines for teaching social studies/geography in Montgomery County Public Schools. |
Goals
News events around the world have a huge impact on our daily lives. If we read about drought and starvation in African countries or nuclear developments in Iran and North Korea, we need to know where these events take place. Geography is not a static subject.
Wizards challenges students to look for geographic subjects in their daily lives. The goals of Wizards are to teach students how to use a map, to plan a trip, to find countries far away, learn the value, importance and preservation of natural resources. Students have written letters to environmental groups about endangered species and destructions of habitats, and raised money to purchase a goat and beehives to a needy village in Ghana.
Objectives:
*Teach cardinal directions and uses of maps and globes
*Show different landforms of continents
*Examine the distribution and uses of natural resources
*Create charts to show distribution of different environments and animals
*Write letters on conservation issues
*Play geography games with maps and globe balls
Evaluations
Students in Global Wizards have demonstrated that a lot can be accomplished in eight weeks. Each school year, mentor evaluations and surveys show improved results in students’ grasps for geographic concepts such as locations, use of natural resources, the different geographic regions and climate, and use of maps with different symbols. Mentors also comment on each student’s ability to work with peers and completion of tasks. |
Participating Schools, Winter 2008
Flower Hill Elementary School
18425 Flower Hill Way
Gaithersburg, MD 20876
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Laytonsville Elementary School
21401 Laytonsville Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20882
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Glenallan Elementary School
12520 Heurich Road
Silver Spring, MD 20902 |
Montgomery Knolls Elementary School
807 Daleview Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20901 |
For more information please contact Sara Cartmill at 301-949-3551 ext. 19 or at cartmill@interagesmd.org
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