Geographic Alliance of Iowa

Mapping the Lost World of Urassi -- By Hans Goettsch

Overview/Concept: Creating a mental map of Russia and its surrounding Republics

1. Ticket In the Door - communication tool to alert students to class activity requirements
2. Hand Out Materials
3. Explanation of what mental mapping is...
4. Remind students TODALSIGS (Map Element Keys)
5. Accomplish Exercise
6. Assessment
7. Ticket Out the Door - student communicates what was learned from activity
   

Process may be altered in a Middle school setting through an Interdisciplinary Unit. The math teacher might prepare the drawing #1 - 21 with the social studies teacher using the drawing to develop the mental mapping of the Russia and the new Republics.

The following activities are still works in progress and will be completed before their use in class. I have listed the general ideas as follows.

Extended Activities:

1. Gang of 14 - Identify Agricultural Region in Russia Using climagraphs to identify the agricultural regions of Russia and the new Republics
2. Cartogram to actual size of countries in mental map exercise The next step to this mental mapping exercise (location based) in having students deal with actual comparative size of Russia to the new Republics.
3. Loaf of Bread lesson - Chernobyl Loaf of bread representing Russian food productive capacity with students intuitively determining the decreased capacity effect to food production caused by nuclear accident at Chernobyl.
4. Time Zone Exercise Standard lesson asking students to determine times across Russia stressing 11 time zones Russia envelopes.

Read these directions while I read them aloud. You can work ahead if you like while I work on the overhead.

1. Fold your legal sized paper in half lengthwise and flatten back out.
2. Turn your paper on its side with the top of the paper to your left. Place a compass rose in the left-hand corner of the paper.
3. Count in eight (8) lines from the left and draw over the line, with your pencil, in its entirety from top to bottom of the paper. Label this line of longitude 30E at the top and bottom.
4. From 30E, count 12 lines to the east and lightly draw over the line top to bottom. Label this longitude180.
5. Lightly draw a line down the crease in the center of the paper. Label this latitude 60N on both sides of the paper
6. Draw a parallel line of latitude 1" north and label it 70N. (Reminder 1" is approximately the distance from the tip of the thumb to the first joint of the thumb)
7. Draw another parallel 1" north of 70N. It should be labeled_____N?
8. Draw two more parallels 1" south of 60 N and label the first ____N and the second _____N
9. Label the intersections of latitude and longitude as follows: 70N, 30E - A // 150 N, 30E - B // 50N, 180 - C // 70N,180 - D
10. Connect points A to B; B to C; C to D; and D to A with a bold dark pencil line
11. Number each space in the rectangle created from west to east 1 - 12 at the top of the paper
12. In the space west of#1, enclose the rectangle from 70N to 60N. Divide the rectangle into three boxes, number these boxes from top to bottom using Roman Numerals I, II, and III
13. In space one, enclose the rectangle from 60N to 50N. Divide it into three boxes labeled top to bottom IV, V, VI
14. Within the ABCD rectangle, find the line separating the 3rd and 4th spaces. On that line and within the rectangle, connect line segment AD to BC. Label the top intersection E and the bottom F
15. Connect E to B and A to F with dashed or broken lines. Where the dashed lines intersect with closest to 60N latitude place a star.
16. Find space 2, draw a rectangle from 40N to 50N and divide it into 3 boxes which should be numbered from top to bottom VII, VIII, IX
17. Locate spaces 4, 5, 6 and draw a square enclosing all three spaces from latitudes 40 N to 50 N.
18. Divide this square into two north/south rectangles. The line dividing the square would represent 45N. Label the north rectangle roman numeral X.
19. Divide the south rectangle into 4 boxes, east to west labeled XI, XII, XIII, XIV
20. Label the remains of rectangle CDEF - XV.
21. On line EF, draw 10 inverted (upside down) V from top to bottom
    

Legend should include:

Star = Moscow

Baltic Republics
I - Estonia
II - Latvia
III- Lithuania

Eastern Europe Republics
IV- Belarus
V - Ukraine
VI - Moldova

Transcaucusia Republics
VII - Georgia
VIII - Armenia
IX- Azerbaijan

XV- Russian Federation

1 - 12 spaces are Time Zones

A - Ural Mountains

ANSWER KEY is in PDF format.
In order to view the above resources, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
If you don't have it, you may download it free by clicking on this link: Adobe Acrobat Reader.