November 2013 Announcement

Announcement

November 2013 Announcement

Colorado Geographic Alliance
November Monthly Announcement
Geography Awareness Week Special Edition

Celebrate Geography and The New Age of Exploration this year from November 17th through the 23rd in 2013. Celebrated in conjunction with the National Geographic Society's 125th Birthday the week's theme focuses on how geography enables us all to be intrepid explorers in our own way.

The Colorado Geographic Alliance wants to help you plan and promote this great week throughout the state! See below for details on activities you can do in your school, district, or community to spread the word of geography. 

Already planning an activity? - Share it!

Schools and communities across the state hold activities for Geography Awareness Week, but often these are unknown outside of the local community. It's time to change that!  COGA has created an online map where you can share you're doing to help promote geo-literacy in the state and beyond! Follow this link to see the map of what's already being planned!

To share your event email us with the location and what you're doing to spread geo-literacy. Whether you're hosting an event, teaching a class, or just watching a geo-movie, we'd love to hear about it.

GeoQuiz Night at UCCS

The GeoClub at UCCS is hosting a geography trivia night at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. If you're in Colorado Springs, this is not an event to miss. Prizes will be given out for correctly answering geo-trivia, and there will be free food provided by the Flying Carrot and the UCCS Green Action Fund. Bring your whole family or your whole geography class! 

Where: 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs. Berger Hall
When: Tuesday, November 19th. 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

For details contact Vanessa Ferona, GeoClub Chair

Be a GeoWeek Campus Representative

If you're a college student, professor, or administrator, then this is for you! National Geographic has launched a new program for college students to help spread the word of geography on college campuses.  Students can earn points for completing activities like blogging about geography or hosting geography events. 500 points earns you a letter of thanks and certificate from National Geographic! Check out the full program details here.

Not sure what you can do? Do you know you want to do SOMETHING for Geography Awareness Week, but aren't sure what you can do? There are lots of options available, and COGA is here to help! Check out these ideas for events and activities you can do in your classroom or community to let everyone know how important geography is - and don't forget to send us an email of what you're doing so we can put it on the map!
  • Plan a geography lesson with your class.
  • Have a geography movie night with your family.
  • Coordinate a geography quiz (like UCCS!)
  • Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.
  • Have your city official declare Geography Awareness Week.
  • Play the Global Closet Calculator.
  • Post to social media like Facebook or Twitter about GAW.
Have an idea you want to share?  Need help putting together a plan? Email Josh Hendrickson at coga@uccs.edu!
Geography Awareness Week Bookmarks and Maps Available Last year for Geography Awareness Week, COGA held a bookmark contest.  Kathy Vo of Beacon Middle School created a phenomenal bookmark that this year is being provided FREE to anyone in Colorado interested in using them. All you need to do is send us an email to get these to you by GAW!
COGA also has maps from National Geographic available to teachers, librarians, or anyone planning a GAW event to use as prizes.  Just contact us to see what maps are available and we can ship them to you before the big week!
Teacher Professional Development Workshop - Engaging your students in Earth Systems Science and ArcGIS - December 14th

As part of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Area Conference, the Colorado Geographic Alliance (COGA) and The GLOBE Program would like to invite K-12 teachers from rural school districts in Colorado to a Teacher Professional Development Workshop, as part of a National Girls Collaborative Project mini-grant. Teachers will learn how to use and implement COGA resources, ArcGIS, GLOBE resources, activities, protocols, and tools that can help teachers address the Next Generation Science Standards with their students. A $100 stipend is being offered, and the workshop can be used for license renewal, but space is limited.  
 
To sign up, search for trainings in "United States" and then "Colorado" here:  https://www.globe.gov/get-trained/workshops  
Colorado Geographic Alliance Logo

COGA Webpage

Geography Awareness Week

GeographyAwarenessWeek.org

NatGeo Education