Miss Rollins' Class Blog: Topographical Map Project (Salt Dough Maps)

Throughout our IB Unit of Inquiry - "Where We Are In Place And Time", we have been learning about various different geographic and chronological tools. The culminating project of this unit was the creation of individual salt dough maps by the students. These maps depict the landforms and structures built by people on the students' imaginary islands.

The students also created travel brochures to provide information about their imaginary island countries. The six sections of the travel brochure are:

Front Cover - The students "advertised" their islands with eye-catching pictures and the name of their islands.
History of the Island - Using their creativity, the students detailed the history of their islands - who discovered them, when, and how.
Landforms/Structures Built By People - The students described the landforms and structures built by people that can be found on their island countries.
What To Pack - The students helped travelers prepare for a future trip to their island by suggesting what they should bring in their suitcases.
Activity - The students suggested an activity or two that could be enjoyed on their islands.
Location - The students plotted the location of their island countries on a world map and described the location using directional words and landmarks.

The final component to this project was an opinion writing piece. In their writing, the students stated their opinions (i.e. my island is the best or you should come visit my island), provided supporting reasons for their opinions, and provided a conclusion.

Check out the students' salt dough maps (currently on display outside of our classroom):