With a million data points, the Asia Society’s interactive “Mapping the Nation” tool can help visually demonstrate for students the changing face of our country and our states in the face of globalization.

Within the map features, you can drill down to state- and county-level data to reveal surprising demographics that create a compelling story of the world at our doorstep. Using inquiry and the “How to create a story from Mapping the Nation” worksheet, students or teachers can pose questions and use the data as reference points to begin or deepen research into content areas like economics, population shifts, workforce demands, global competence, education and resources.

The Mapping the Nation toolkit has lesson ideas and questions that cover these and other content areas and suggestions about the use of the map in classrooms. Blending the use of the interactive tool with student inquiry allows students to become more fluid at reading and interpreting visual data. Visual literacy, inquiry, questioning, finding and evaluating resources and communicating are all skills, along with global knowledge, that benefit students.