I first saw the Invisible Map lesson presented by Joe Neilson at the Stand up, Sit Down, Then What? Conference in Issaquah Washington in 1993…this was before Google maps. Joe could teach the geography of Spain including: capital, major cities, bodies of water and more by pretending that he had an invisible map. He would lower the map using an invisible switch and use sound effects, gestures, humor, and comprehensible input to make the invisible map come alive. It was amazing!

Now adays we can do this with google maps while staying 100% in the target language. I recently saw the amazing Benjamin Tinsley do a map talk at CI Reboot 2023 and I was blown away by the possibilities. For more information check out the post at the Comprehensible Classroom or Ben’s website https://www.afrofranco.com/. Ben has a free Haiti map talk script and other videos on his website. C’est fantastique!

To get started go to Google maps.com and click on the three lines in the upper left hand corner to change the map to your target language. Ben advises start from home, with your community. Help the students to realize that they have culture before they start making comparisons to other cultures.

To introduce a new word with out direct translation give them an either/or option that has an obvious choice. Seattle est une ville ou un océan? Teach the word city through your city. Establish meaning for words like river, country, mountains, capital, town, island, state, continent, coast, interior, north, south, east, and west while activating prior knowledge with places the students are familiar before investigating those places in the target cultures.

So I decided to start from home. I live near Seattle and right now we are getting ready to celebrate Seafair. This will be a great place to start with my students.

Here is a sample map talk script in English:

The United States is on what continent?

The United States is in North America or South America?

The United States is located in North America.

Is North America a continent or a country?

North America is a continent. It is not a country.

There are how many countries in North America?

Are there three, four, five or more?

There are three: Canada, the United States, and Mexico, is that correct?

The United States is in North America.

The United States is divided into states, right?

New York is a state, California is a state, Texas..

There are how many states in the United States?

Are there 48, 50, 60?

Washington is a state in the United States of America.

Is Washington a state or a country?

Washington is a state, it is not a country. The United States is a country.

Seattle is in the state of Washington.

Is Seattle a city or a state?

Seattle is a city, is is not a state. Washington is a state.

Is Seattle a big city or a little city?

Seattle is a big city.

Seattle is in the state of California? No, Seattle is not in the state of Californina. Seattle is in the state of Washington.

Seattle is a city or the capital of Washington?

Seattle is not the capital of Washington. Olympia is the capital of Washington State.

Washington state is not Washington D.C.

Washington D. C. is the capital of the United States.

Seattle is not the capital of Washington state or the United States.

I live in Bothell. Bothell is to the north of Seattle.

Bothell is a small city near Seattle.

Bothell is near Lake Washington.

Lake Washington is a body of water near Seattle.

Is Lake Washington big or little? Lake Washington is big.

Is Bothell a big city or a little city?

Bothell is a little city in the state of Washington.

Where is Seattle?

Is Seattle on the west coast or the east coast?

Seattle is on the west coast, it is not on the east coast.

Seattle is near the water, Puget Sound and Lake Washington.

Seafair takes place each year on Lake Washington

Seafair is a festival that takes place the first week in August each year in Seattle.

Seafair is an important celebration in Seattle each year?

What other celebrations are important in our culture?