What do Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and The Wizard of OZ all have in common? All these stories have great maps! Imaginary worlds come alive when we give them a setting to take place in. This course is centered around pairing student creativity with concrete map-making skills. 

Geography meets art in this one-time map-making course.  Learners will study a variety of different map-making techniques, ranging from planning and drawing out entire continents and oceans, to placing cities, landmarks, and roads.  Learners will explore broad topics from how to draw map keys, scale, and land masses, then narrow in on more specific topics such as waterways, roads, and cities. 

Once the principals of map-making have been explored, we will then apply our understanding of geography in order to create our own world maps from imagination. Students can then use their maps creatively, from building Dungeons and Dragons worlds, to creating a universe for fantasy stories and creative writing.  

Class will begin with a brief round of introductions and time for students to share any art or projects they have been working on. After introductions we will jump straight into 10-15 minutes of direct instruction where the subject will be introduced and explored. During instructional time, there will be numerous opportunities for students to engage with content, ask questions, or share thoughts. After instruction, students will have the opportunity to apply what they've learned to create their own maps. 

I will be sharing slides and video content during instructional time, then when modeling drawing techniques, I will switch to photoshop where students can watch me draw in real-time. 

Each week we will be exploring a different aspect of map-making, working to create believable worlds from our imagination. Each class, students will have the option to build upon previous maps, or create something new from scratch. Topics covered in this course will be presented in an ongoing class format, so students will not be expected to have prior knowledge before moving into  each week. 

Below is a tentative schedule of what learners should expect each week, schedule is subject to change:

Week 1 - Continents and major land masses
Week 2 - Oceans and waterways
Week 3 -  Islands, and minor land masses
Week 4 -  Mountains, forests, and deserts
Week 5 -  Climate, poles, and weather
Week 6 - Landmarks and areas of interest
Week 7 - Cities and settlements
Week 8 - Trade and roads
Week 9 - Civilizations and Capitals
Week 10 - Politics and Borders