As a kid, you probably came across magazines and newspapers, and you grew up looking for inspiration from them. You were enthralled by picture books and prepared a list of places and people you wished to meet all around the world. What drives us to do all this as children is a need to feel culturally related to areas we have never visited before or people we have never met. 

With ArcGIS Story Maps, you can combine texts, photos, and videos together with custom maps to help you create a narrative that informs and inspires. You are also able to publish and distribute your story to your organization and the entire world.  

In a classroom setting, a story map may be a way of teaching students the aspects of a book or story using graphics. ArcGIS Story Maps has simplified the learning process for most students. Today, students can read carefully to absorb the specifics by recognizing the story characters, storyline, setting, problem, and solution. 

How Story Maps simplify the learning process 

There are multiple variations of story maps that can be adapted by teachers to fit the needs of their students. For example: 

• Using story maps as a pre-reading tool can draw the attention of the students to the elements of the story and the text organization. 
• Story maps can promote discussion that would help develop connections and define the purpose for reading.  
• When story maps are used as a pre-reading tool, there will be an increase in inferential and literal comprehension.  
• Story map boxes can be modified to fit the teacher and student needs so that they can work to help students comprehend the story through these story elements.  
• Story maps have setting, plot, mood, and theme within the story. These graphic organizers provide students with a visual path that leads them through the story. 

Importance of story maps in the learning process 

• Give students a fun, interactive way to learn. 
• Story Maps develop critical and spatial thinking skills. 
• Develop organizational, ethical abilities. 
• Develop digital, writing, and oral communication abilities. 
• Instruments for evaluation. 
• Research-supporting tools. 
• They help students understand more on a given topic. 
• They give students a framework to use when recognizing story aspects. 
• They assist pupils and students of various capacities in effectively organizing information and concepts. 

ArcGIS Story Maps are used to teach students how to work with the structure of a story to improve comprehension. By reading actively and with purpose, Students can comprehend the meaning of the text.  

Whatever your message may be, whoever your audience is, everything you need to create remarkable stories with maps is here. Wrap your data and information into a story that resonates. 

Visit our online store to make your ArcGIS Story Maps purchase https://ea-store.esri.com/en-ke/store/overview.