Get Creative! A Review on "103 Creatively Simple Ways to Teach Geography"

Teachers are constantly looking for ways to engage their students in the lessons. Geography is a subject where teachers can get really creative and create lessons that are fun and interactive for the students. Experienced educators have created a PowerPoint, "103 Creatively Simple Ways to Teach Geography," in order to share with teachers from around the world some creative and effective techniques that can be used to teach geography lessons. Here are just a few of the many activities and teaching strategies that can be used to create effective geography lessons:

#1. "Idea 2- Mystery Boxes"

 

This is a great idea to use when introducing a topic for geography. The students are given boxes with mystery objects inside related to the topic that is to be introduced. The students are given a time limit (suggested 10 seconds) to feel around the box to identify the objects and figure out what the topic is. This is a great activity to use in the beginning of the lesson. It helps keep the students engaged and excited about what they are going to learn. Students would also have the chance to use their prior knowledge on the objects in the box and communicate to their peers their thoughts and ideas.

#2. "Idea 16- Can of Worms"

This activity goes with the expression "opening a can of worms" which in this case is experienced when discussing a controversial topic. The students each write a statement relating to the controversial topic on a pink slip of paper and put the statements together into a tin can. Each student pulls out one of the pink slips of paper and must discuss the statement that they picked out to their peers. This is a great activity that will get students to gain a better understanding of the opinions and ideas of their peers.

#3. "Idea 22- Mystery VoiceThread"

A great educational tool to use in the classroom is VoiceThread. . With this activity, you will log into your account and upload a mysterious picture on the topic and have each student comment what they think the picture is and how it relates to the mystery topic by answering using their own VoiceThread accounts. Students can respond by either video, audio, or text. VoiceThread is free, simple, and easy to use. It is a great way for students to respond with technology and for them to access their peers ideas in order to build onto what they think the mystery picture and topic is.

#4. “Idea 23- Bingo!"

This is a fun game that many students are familiar with. In this activity, the teacher will hand out the key terminology on separate worksheets with the bingo boards. As the teacher reads off the definitions, the students must find which term it is on the bingo board sheet with the help of their classmates. This is a great way for students to learn the important vocabulary used in the geography lessons while getting them excited about learning.

#5. “Idea 33- Become a Poet"

This is a great way for students to practice their critical thinking and creative writing skills. In this activity, before starting the topic, the teacher will introduce a PowerPoint or movie with images relating to the topic. The students will record their thoughts based on what they are shown. The students will then transfer these thoughts into a poem. This is a great way for students to really think about what it is they are learning. It will help the students be engaged in the lesson that is to be introduced.

#6. “Idea 51a & b- Landscape in a Box”

 

A creative and artistic way to get students involved in geography is by getting them to create their own landscape in burger boxes. On the top of the box, the students will put a map and mark the location of their landscape. When you open the box, the landscape will be modeled inside. For example, a student created a café in Spain that she went to. She placed pictures around the walls of the box and made little tables and menus out of construction paper. This is a great activity to get students excited about geography, especially for students with artistic talent.

#7. “Idea 56- Show Me the Links!”

This is a great activity to get students to use their prior knowledge of social studies and build on it with their peers. The teacher will give the students a certain amount of time and ask them to write down everything that they know about a topic. This could also be done as a group activity on the board. The students will compare their brainstorming ideas with one another and draw conclusions based on the connections. This activity can be used to easily lead into a new topic. It also gives students the chance to practice their brainstorming skills and putting their thoughts down on paper.

#8. “Idea 84- Whereabouts is that?”

This is an interactive activity that will have the students out of their desks and exploring in school. Students will go around in their groups and take pictures of various places throughout the school. Students will be encouraged to take whole pictures of settings and weird angles to make it hard to identify. The students will then number each picture and swap their pictures to another group. Each group will have to figure out where the pictures were taken using their blank maps and memories of the school. This is a great way for students to practice their observation skills and map making skills.

#9. “Idea 36- Wordle Stereotypes”

This is a great way to introduce your topic and it gives you an understanding of the students’ impressions of the topic. The students would share word that sums up their view on the place, people, or organization. Using the Woordle website, the words would be put together with all the words describing what the topic means to the students. This is a great thinking activity that will give students a chance to share what they think about the topic.

#10. “Idea 12- 60 Second Films”

An interactive and engaging way to get students to gain a better understanding of a concept while having fun can definitely be found with this activity. Students have the chance to make their own mini movie to showcase their understanding of the concept in a dramatized performance relating to the concept. This is a great way to get students to be creative and work together to create a fun mini film.

This PowerPoint presentation has numerous amounts of great ideas and activities that can be used in the classroom to teach geography. I will definitely hold onto these ideas for my future classroom!