I've started the children on this great project in which I have challenged them to draw a perfect map of the United States, including outlines of each individual state, from memory, by the end of the quarter. I can't even come close to doing this, but I am confident that the kids will be able to. It's an idea I adapted from a Ted Sizemore book--his version was to have high school kids draw a map of the world from memory.

So far the project is going well. I began by giving them each a blank sheet of paper and telling them to just see what they could come up with. The variation among children was fascinating: Ernest's map was all straight lines and angles, remarkably accurate for the Western states, but a bit confused for the curvy states in the East. Several children placed Washington, DC where Washington state actually is. (That's the sort of thing kids come away with when all they're exposed to is badly-done rote learning activities.) Alexus wouldn't even try...my friend/mentor Ms. Brill advises me that this sort of child is a strong whole-to-part learner, unable to do bits of things until the whole can be confidently visualized.

Anyway we labled these first attempts "Attempt #1." After a couple of days spent tracing the US map, we embarked on Attempt #2 and the difference was so striking that all the kids commented on it. I wish I had time to practice with them, so I could do it too!