We all (or most of us) know about the concept of persuasive writing, as this is one of the major focuses in our Language Arts curriculum. Getting students to understand the power that words have to influence and sway opinion one way or another or to reinforce already held beliefs. But what about visual representations of the same concepts?
This is where Persuasive Cartography, or map making, comes into play. These are not your typical maps that would be found in an atlas or even used to teach basic geography, but are rather intended to send a message to the viewer. The PJ Mode Collection at Cornell University is an open source collection of 800+ of these maps that cover a variety of topics and time periods and is fully searchable and easy to browse:
What’s also nice is each map in the collection is able to be downloaded for use in the classroom, made into a poster or handout for tabletop activities, and fully sourced for citation purposes.
For more information, OpenCulture published an article detailing the collection and persuasive mapmaking as a whole that you might find informative.
Potential use in the classroom: As a warm-up or discussion activity around historical events in your course, or as a discussion kickstarter for the topic of persuasion and propaganda.
There are state flags, state mottos, state birds, state quarters, so why not take a look at state mammals too? From dogs to whales, and even squirrels and raccoons, the mammals that each state chooses as being representative of them are as unique as the states themselves. [VIA]
Taking a turn to the dark side today, we look at serial killers, or mass murderers. If you’ve ever seen, or heard of, Criminal Minds, then you know that at any time there is suspected to be a bevy of killers roaming the country. Not to say that everyone you meet is a potential serial killer, but there is a great deal of evil running around out there, and as today’s infographic shows — no state is immune! [VIA]
On Friday, we posted an infographic on funeral and burial customs — half of Ben Franklin’s death and taxes. Well, it’s jsut fair that we look at the other half — taxes. Today’s infographic takes a brief look at the history of income taxes in the United States. [VIA]
…in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes. — Benjamin Franklin
Death is inevitable and, as Franklin states, so are taxes. Here in the US we’re a little over a month away from tax day, but rather than dwell on that, today’s infographic takes a look at the other side of the certainty coin – death. It’s unavoidable and we all deal with it in different ways, from our grieving process to the cultural norms and rituals that surround it. Take a look at 42 different funeral and burial rituals from around the world to see many of these different expressions. [VIA]
If you have ever wondered what single business or entity employed the most people in your state, here’s a great map made by reddit user /u/iliadmusic in conjunction with Olivet Nazerene University. Each employer is shown, and where there is no single employer with more workers than active military personnel in the state, that is shown as well. Just look how Wal-Mart absolutely dominates the South!! [VIA]
We all speak at least one, and some of us know dozens — even if you’re not aware of it! Language, and communication in general, is a key to learning, living, and working in the world. Today’s infographic gives several fun facts you may not have considered about the languages we know and speak. [VIA]
From the Numberphile YouTube Channel, this video looks at statistics, probability, and game theory as well as human behavior to provide you an almost(?) unbeatable strategy for winning at Rock-Paper-Scissors. (No mention about Lizard & Spock)
All videos are owned by their respective YouTube channels and users and are embedded here for your benefit to use in class in compliance with the appropriate copyright provisions.
International borders can be quite interesting. Some are defined by natural formations like rivers and mountain ranges, while others have been set by latitude or longitude. This variety makes some of these borders rather unique and today’s infographic highlights ten of these. No matter where you go and how you cross though, make sure you have all your identification handy. [VIA]
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