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Ask Me Anything about using geography to teach history with Rachel Hansen // November 2023

Kathy Hays

We are honored to have  join us this week for to answer your questions on using geography to help students understand history and the world around us. A Distinguished AP Human Geography educator and National Geographic Explorer, she is passionate about designing learning experiences that compel students to engage in meaningful, authentic projects in their communities, where they can build relationships that produce sustainable change the world. Rachel leads her students in using geography to take action in their own community.

As a Big History educator, Rachel has included geography in her instruction to help students understand the impact of both human and physical geography on world history.  In honor of Geography Awareness Week this month, she will answer your questions on incorporating geography skills into your history instruction.

To help get started, Rachel recommends checking out the following resources:

What questions do you have for Rachel? Here are some ideas you may want to consider:

  • What are the best ways to incorporate geography into a history course?
  • Why is it important to use geography when teaching history?
  • How can I make geography engaging for students?

Share your questions in the comments below. We look forward to exploring the world with you!

Want to learn even more about incorporating geography into your history instruction? Check out the recording of our recent OER Project Skills Clinic - Mapping History.

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  • in reply to Gwen Duralek

    Hi,  ! There are so many great layers on the Mapmaker site! It seems like every time I go back, they've added something new that sidetracks me. Slight smile

    I love your question about visual scrapbooks! I'm trying something new as a culminating project this year. *insert nervous laughter here* I'm going to have students create an ArcGIS StoryMap highlighting important geographic advantages/disadvantages and the geographic significance of the regions we've studied. StoryMaps are a way to tell a geographic story in a visually appealing way - within a pre-built website structure. StoryMaps makes it easy to embed maps as part of the storytelling process. 

    Here is a sample StoryMap that I created on air quality in the community where I live, just to give you an idea of what you can do with the tool. 

    Wish me luck on my StoryMap scrapbook adventure - and keep your fingers crossed! I'll share our results once we tackle the project later in December. Slight smile

  • in reply to Rachel Hansen

       I like the possibilities that ArcGis Story Maps offers. I use one on world population that was designed by other users but I never came up with one by myself. I created an account and it seems to be free but I am not sure if this is a trial period and then you have to pay a subscription. I would like to ask my students to create a story (they’ve done it using Google Maps).Do you know if its use is free? Do your students have an account for free?

  • in reply to Rachel Hansen

     Wow  !That study on air quality in Muscatine is impressive. I read that it is part of your Master in Geography. I like the statistical tools you applied in your research. StoryMaps have extraordinary applications and I would like to assign a student group research project based on a local phenomenon. It would be a comprehensive end-of-the-year project.

  • in reply to Laura Massa

    Hi,  ! Yes, you (and students) can create free public accounts; however, they have limited functionality compared to the professional account. The good news is, all K-12 students in the USA have FREE access to the professional account. You can request a free account for your school here.

    You can do quite a bit on the free account, so perhaps that will suffice for your needs. We have the professional account, which also allows students to use the mapping software, ArcGIS Online. I hope this helps!

  • in reply to Laura Massa

    I took a class this summer from a local university on StoryMaps and used the data from my M.A. advanced GIS/programming final project. The possibilities of student projects on StoryMaps are endless. It seems like a great tool for sharing stories about local phenomenon!

  • in reply to Rachel Hansen

    Thank you  I requested an account and they will respond to me in a week. 

  • in reply to Laura Massa

    Amazing! Happy to help if you have any questions about the setup process!