Building Spatial Thinking with National Geographic MapMaker
How do you help students understand not just where places are, but how places relate to one another?
For seventh-grade global studies teacher Jess Winkelaar, National Geographic MapMaker has become a way for students to explore those relationships and build spatial thinking skills in a way that feels relevant to them.
We spoke with Jess at the 2026 Esri Education Summit about how she uses MapMaker with her students and what she has seen in the classroom.
Getting students started
Jess begins with what she wants her students to accomplish and then determines which MapMaker skills they will need. Often, she focuses on tools such as Sketch and Layers.
She has found that students do not need much instruction before they can begin exploring on their own.
“Most students just [find that] it's very intuitive,” Jess said. With some modeling and practice, students quickly begin working independently. Students who pick it up faster will often help classmates who need a little more support.
By the end of a single class period, Jess said, all of her students are able to access and use MapMaker in some way.
Starting with the familiar
One of the ways Jess builds spatial thinking is by starting with a place students already know.
Their own school.
Students look at their school, then their neighborhood, their school district, the surrounding region, and eventually their state and the world.
As they move between scales, students can add layers, compare locations, and begin identifying patterns and relationships.
“MapMaker absolutely helps students think spatially,” Jess said.
She has found that students can move into meaningful spatial analysis with only a few clicks because they are exploring places and relationships that connect to their own experiences.
Connecting global topics to the local community
Jess also uses MapMaker to connect larger global topics with the communities students see around them.
In one activity, students explore the journeys of people who came to Minnesota's Twin Cities through different diasporas. They follow an individual journey and then map locations in their community today that represent those communities, including places of worship, restaurants, and grocery stores.
Students can then look for patterns and connect what they are learning about migration to the community around them.
Jess sees opportunities to use MapMaker across grade levels and subject areas. Younger students might begin by exploring Earth in 3D and learning about continents and hemispheres. Older students can investigate regions, add layers, and analyze geographic patterns.
“Any subject area, any grade level can find some way to connect with MapMaker,” Jess said.
Watch the video to hear more from Jess about how she is using National Geographic MapMaker to help students explore their community and the world around them.
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