After the eighth graders had started their South American map projects, I presented the project to the seventh graders. Then, I had an idea. And I said it out loud before I thought about it. I asked them if they wanted to do the BIGGEST map. Five of my more adventuresome students chimed, "Yes!" So, I printed out the biggest map available (64 pages!), and we got to work.
Here is how we completed this project.
1. We printed out the map, put the puzzle together, and then taped it. (This took us awhile.)
2. Over Thanksgiving break, I got my son, who also happens to be a teacher, to get the 4' x 8' sheet of OSB (and the 4' x 8' piece of insulation) into his truck and help me get them into my classroom.
3. To save time and trouble, I painted the OSB black.
4. The students put the paper map onto the OSB, taped it down, and began hammering the nails on the country lines.
5. Next, they worked on the stringing. This took way longer than anyone thought it would, and they ended up working on it during lunch, study halls, and a music class (after the program was over.) We can blame that on Brazil. I had to go back to Good's Store twice for more nails and three times for more purple embroidery thread after my thrift shop stash was exhausted.
They even stringed the Amazon River.
The biggest string art map now decorates the all-purpose room.
