Learner Challenges, Speech Editing, and Civic Debates on Ethics in Mapmaking (Session 6, Week 5)

Welcome to week 5! It's hard to believe, but the year is almost over. 

Since the quest was done last week, each learner created individual challenges for the quest time. Some learners chose to focus on compiling their badges, while others made progress in math, and still others focused on their deep books. It was an excellent opportunity for everyone to lock in and try to finish as much as possible before the end of the year. 

For the genre, the learners focused on getting feedback and editing their speech. It was beautiful to watch pieces of writing coming together, and everyone is almost ready to share them next week. The learners also planned their costumes and props, ensuring they had everything available for Tuesday. 

The last two civ discussions for this session were focused on Prince Venry, the navigator, and the challenge of being a mapmaker. One of the questions the Falcons enjoyed debating was:

 As Gerardus Mercator, the famous 16th-century cartographer, you have been commissioned to create a map of Flanders that obscures some important borders as a political peace offering to an angry Charles V. Do you:

Comply, because borders are a political issue, not a part of the land itself, and you don’t want to start a war; or

Ignore the request because you have an ethical obligation to create the most accurate map possible, even if it leads to the deaths of thousands of innocent people?

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