6th Grade Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 1:

How Can Maps Help Us Better

Understand the Earth?

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Alaska resident Aleasha Hohorst, 18, holds a basketball with ''Kesen Junior High'' printed on it on May 14, 2012. Hohorst found the ball on an island near her home in Craig, Alaska.

Where do you think the basketball came from?

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According to the school in Rikuzentakata, Japan, the ball belongs to its basketball team. Hohorst has said she wishes to visit the school and return the ball.

How do you think the basketball got from Japan to Alaska?

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1. Find Japan and Alaska on your map. If they are not there, add them.

2. Draw the route of the basketball’s route from Japan to Alaska.

3. Add as much detail and as many labels as you can.

Using your sketch maps from Unit 1:

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Tsunamis A tsunami (pronounced “soo-nah-mee”) is a series of ocean waves caused by any large, abrupt disturbance of the sea-surface. Earthquakes cause most tsunamis, but a tsunami can also be generated by landslides, volcanic activity, or rarely by meteor impact. If the disturbance is close to the coastline, a local tsunami can cause death and destruction among coastal communities within minutes. A very large disturbance, such as the magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the Japanese coast in 2011, can generate waves that cause local devastation and destruction thousands of miles away. . How did the basketball get from Japan to Alaska?

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What kind of maps could help us better understand the earthquake and resulting

tsunami?

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Remember….

• Every map serves a purpose.

• Every map advances an interest.

• Every map has a story to tell.

(Kaiser & Wood, 2001, Seeing Through Maps, p.4)

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All maps have a purpose….. All maps tell a story. Since all maps are created for a purpose, they show particular information about a geographic area. Examples:

• Political Information • Physical Geography • Economic /Agricultural Information • Social/Cultural Information

Thematic or Special Purpose Maps

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What types of maps could help us learn more about Japan and

the story of the basketball?

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Railroads and Airports

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Maps to help us learn more about the 2011 earthquake

and tsunami

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Tsunami 2011

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Could there be a tsunami on the Great Lakes?

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Has there ever been a tsunami on the Great Lakes?

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What ever happened to the basketball?

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