Guide Entry to 25.04.03
This interdisciplinary unit uses maps—past, present, and imagined—to help students understand how geography shapes lives, communities, and futures. Rooted in Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources (AFNR) education, the unit introduces students to foundational geographic literacy through hands-on, analog experiences like cognitive mapping, walk audits, and 3D topographic model-making. Students analyze historical maps of Philadelphia to trace how land use, redlining, food access, and infrastructure have contributed to current environmental and social conditions. They explore GIS tools, after gaining fluency with map conventions, scale, and spatial reasoning. The unit bridges AFNR with social studies, science, and civic engagement, guiding students to investigate real-world issues like food justice, air quality, and climate change. Students curate a personal Atlas for the Future—a multimedia portfolio including annotated maps, community data, and original visions for a just, sustainable Philadelphia. Built on the belief that stories are place-based and maps are tools for change, this unit centers students’ agency and helps them see their neighborhoods as part of a larger historical and ecological narrative. It culminates in the use of Esri StoryMaps to share student research, reflections, and future-focused plans with a wider audience.
(Developed for Organize-Social Studies, grade 11, and AFNR-CTE, grade 12; recommended for Social Studies, World Cultures, and Civics, grades 10-12; and Environmental Sciences, grades 9-12)
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