Journeys of the Imagination Follow-Up

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION How have developments in map making influenced how the world is seen and shown on maps?
How do cartographers use symbols to convey their perspective about a place?
How does a map differ from a photograph of a geographic place? What accounts for these differences?
Can maps be wrong?
All of the maps in the Journeys of the Imagination Exhibit cover the same territory. Why are no two the same?
What do maps teach you about the past that other historical documents (letters, newspapers, diaries, pictures, etc.) might not?
What did the people who made these maps know about their world? What do you now know about their world from seeing these maps?

PROJECT PROMPTS

Scavenger Hunt Through the Virtual Tour
Elementary to Middle School/Beginner to Moderate Research Skills

Use one of the following map pairs from the JOTI virtual tour:
Heinrich Bunting, 1581 and Andreas Cellarius, 1661
Antonio Salamanca, 1550 and Wright and Moxon, 1599
Maclure and Co, Map of the British Empire, 1886 and
Jungmen Chen, Universal Map of China, mid-19th century
Franciscus Verhaer, 1618 and Catharine Sargent, 1791
Claudius Ptolemy, 1482 and Petrus Apianus, 1520

For each map pair, compare:
Orientation
Symbols
Scale
Legend
Projection
Purpose

Related Educational Activities At The NBLMC Website
General Map Activities — Maps in Context
General Map Activities — Interview with a Cartographer
General Map Activities — The Stories of Maps