"Mapping My New York" with the N-Y Historical Society

Our first graders are official cartographers, having learned all about mapping through our partnership with the N-Y Historical Society!

Over a series of weeks in March and April, an educator from the N-Y Historical Society joined Saint David's classroom teachers to lead the boys through a comprehensive hands-on study of maps.

Boys examined historical maps of New York from the N-YHS collection, noting how the city has changed over time, and they learned about a map's essential components: compass, scale, map key, and color.

They then set about creating their own maps of the neighborhood around Saint David's on the Upper East Side, incorporating stamp symbols they conceptualized designed, and printed, to mark the location of places of interest.

The exercise required the boys to think analytically and critically as they planned their maps.

The result? A collection of colorful and accurate maps, and a group of proud young cartographers with enhanced understanding of how maps "work."

This is the second year of our collaboration with N-YHS for the First Grade "Mapping My New York" unit. It is an example of several partnerships between Saint David's and a variety of premier historical, cultural, and scientific institutions that extend learning through exposure to great collections and experts.

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