Hi Reader,

Fall is the perfect time to remind students that seasons don’t look the same everywhere. While we may be watching leaves change colors here at home, other parts of the world are experiencing completely different seasonal changes.

This week, take your students on a Fall Around the World adventure! Start by showing students a world map and asking: Where do you think trees are changing colors right now? Have students make predictions and place a sticky note, marker, or digital pin on the map.

Then, explore different regions together. Students might discover that colorful fall foliage is most common in places farther from the equator, particularly across parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. As you move closer to the equator, seasonal changes in temperature and daylight are less dramatic, so many tropical forests stay green throughout the year.

🌎 So, where does the fall color change stop?

Explain to your students there isn't one exact line around the world where trees suddenly stop changing colors. Instead, the transition is gradual. Latitude, temperature, daylight, and the types of trees growing in an area all play a role.

You can turn this into a geography investigation by giving students a map of the world and having them mark regions where fall colors are beginning, already happening, or not typically seen.

For a little science connection, explain that deciduous trees respond to changes in daylight and temperature. As days get shorter, trees begin to slow down their food-making process and the green chlorophyll in their leaves breaks down. This allows yellow, orange, and red colors that were already present in the leaves to become visible.

🗺️ Try This With Your Students

Give each student or group a world map and have them choose several locations to investigate. Ask:

• What season is this place experiencing right now?
• Are trees changing colors there?
• How far is the location from the equator?
• What is the climate like?
• What do you notice when you compare it to our location?

This is a simple way to combine geography, culture, seasons, climate, and a little science into one lesson. And to really mix it up a bit, explain that places in the southern hemisphere are experiencing spring right now!

💻 A Free Teacher Tool I’ve Been Using

If you’ve been looking for an easy way to get students interacting with ideas and sharing their opinions, I’ve been using Figma’s FigJam in my classroom.

Figma offers free access for educators, and FigJam is its collaborative online whiteboard. Think of it like a giant digital canvas where students can move sticky notes, vote, sort ideas, add images, and interact with premade templates.

I recently used FigJam for a “This or That?” activity to learn more about what my students are most interested in learning about this year. I gave them different choices and let them make their selections right on the digital board. It was such a simple way to give my students a voice while also helping me learn more about the topics that spark their curiosity.

I made a reel showing how I used it with my students. You can watch it here.

I love activities like this because they aren't just about getting students to participate. They give us a chance to listen to our students and use their interests to help shape our learning throughout the year.

🌎 Keep Bringing the World Into Your Classroom

One of my favorite things about teaching geography is showing children that the world is constantly changing. When students can look at a map, make predictions, compare places, and discover that children in another part of the world may be experiencing something completely different, geography becomes much more than memorizing locations.

It becomes a way to understand our world.

Have a wonderful week!

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