I had my students pair up and chose one of the explorers that we would be studying this year. Together, they had to research the explorer's life and his discovery. This included finding a picture of the explorer's flag, making a time line of important events, and creating a map of the route.
Later, I challenged by students to make a salt map showing their explorer's "discovery." The salt map and all of the information was placed inside a pizza box which was decorated and labeled.
The beginning stages of creating the salt maps required learning how to read contour maps and drawing an outline of the land's elevation. This was followed with the application of the dough mixture to the cardboard. We then allowed one week for drying before giving the final touches with paint. (The recipe to make the salt map is printed at the bottom of the page.)
Once the boxes were completed, the students displayed them for other students to view. Below are a few samples.
Verrazano
Magellan
· 3 cups flour
· 1 ˝ cups of salt
· 3 cups boiling water
· ˝ tablespoon Alum or Cream of Tartar
· ˝tablespoon vegetable oil
Place Flour, Salt, and Alum (Cream of Tartar) in a large bowl. Add the 3 cups of boiling water all at one time. Cool 10 minutes. BE CAREFUL! It will be very HOT! Stir with spoon to begin and then knead by hand once cooled. Add ˝ tablespoon of vegetable oil. Mix again by hand.