ESS103 Story Map
Autumn 2025
ESS103 Term Assignment Part IV-due before end of day 17th November 2025
WARNING - story maps are auto-saved. You must close the browser tab after you finish editing it, and publish it, and share it-otherwise when you go back to that browser tab your "date last edited" will be adjusted and you will be marked late. You cannot open your story map again in edit mode until after the marks have been published so be certain to close those browser tabs please. Also, when sharing to the class group, ensure that you are sharing the STORY MAP (versus sharing a template for it or the theme for it or something). Share the story map itself.
This assignment is intended to increase your skills in scientific literacy, the ability to use evidence and data in order to evaluate scientific information. Your job is to take a complicated topic and make it both simple and interesting for your audience. Consider your audience as your peers , these are all non-science students. This is an individual assignment, not group work.This assignment is intended to increase your skills in scientific literacy, the ability to use evidence and data in order to evaluate scientific information. Your job is to take a complicated topic and make it both simple and interesting for your audience. Consider your audience as your peers, these are all non-science students. This is an individual assignment, not group work.
Here is where you get to reap the benefits of having worked hard all semester long. The Story Map will contain your improved Individual Map and the text from your improved Rough Draft in addition to new images and videos that help to tell your story. If you did not do the rough draft and/or individual maps you will need to go and read those assignment handouts now for important information about what your story map must contain. Note: if you did your Rough Draft in Google Docs please download it to your machine (computer) before you attempt to copy and paste into the Story Map or your work won't save properly. You will need to add new text to introduce those images, maps, audio, and videos within the body of your text. So for instance, when you go to discuss something that is related to your first map or image, simply put (Fig 1) in brackets at the end of that sentence-that is how you tell the reader it is time to go and look at the map/figure etc now. Figure/video/map/audio captions will also be required, each caption needs to contain the main point of the figure/video/map/audio as well as the in-text citation for its source. Here is a sample image that I have put with a proper figure caption for you to see what I mean (Fig 1):
Fig 1: This is the newest available map of the tectonic plates, note that it includes the traditional rigid plates as well as microplates and deformation zones (Hasterok et al, 2022).
I would also have to add in a matching end reference in my end refs list for that figure as follows:
Hasterok, D., Halpin, J. A., Collins, A. S., Hand, M., Kreemer, C., Gard, M. G., & Glorie, S. (2022). New maps of global geological provinces and tectonic plates. Earth-Science Reviews, 231, 104069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104069
Do the same citation style. for images/video/audio as you would for any other in-text citation and end ref, APA 7th edition format. Your Story Map needs to contain your references, both in-text and end references, in the APA format. It will once again contain the Ulrichs Web screenshots. Wondering how to cite images or videos in the APA format?
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/ap a_formatting_and_style_guide/reference list_audiovisual_media.h tml
Remember how important it is to use a SYNTHESIS style. versus a SUMMARY style. when you are writing. You are intending to convince your reader of something, to tell them about something not just present a series of semi-related facts.
The top skills that you will be assessed upon include: choosing and using peer reviewed sources, citing properly both in-text and in the end references in the APA 7th Edition format, and your inclusion of geoscientific content- properly paraphrased - from those scientific sources. As with your rough draft, you need to include the Ulrichs Web screenshots directly following each peer reviewed journal reference entry. You must include your individual map(s) in your Story Map. As always, there is a marking rubric on Quercus.
Helpful tips from Lisa: remember to NOT copy and paste directly from Google docs-download it to your own machine first, remember to publish your story map, remember to share your story map to the class group, don't use the built in references section-because you can't add your Ulrichs screenshots in. Just use regular add text and add image to build your own ref section.
Realistically, most of you have not made a lot of Story Maps before! You have seen them though, this assignment handout and each of the other assignment handouts this semester has been a Story Map:) And you did make two practice story maps for the map tutorials assignment. Watch this video for help with creating your own Story Map (Fig 2).
Fig 2: ArcGIS StoryMaps: Getting Started with the New Story Builder.
Here is a gallery of Story Maps for you to look through for style. inspiration: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis storymaps/stories
Here is a link to an optional training exercise for how to make a fabulous Story Map
- https://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/tell-an-interactive-story using-map-actions/
A second optional training exercise in making a Story Map https://www.esri.com/training/catalog/5d2dfc826b9c17664bae. a1b6/get-started-with-arcgis-storymaps/
A third optional training exercise in making a Story Map www.esri.com/training/catalog/57630436851d31e02a43f0e3/
Remember-do not create any other GIS accounts, you must use your UofT GIS account so sign in at utoronto.maps.arcgis.com rather than creating a new account. Watch me doing it properly here (Fig 3).
Fig 3: Here l am showing you how to properly log in on the Story Maps website.
You make your own Story Map here using text from your revised rough draft and using your individual map(s):
storymaps.arcgis.com/stories
Just click on organization then type in UTORONTO to be brought to the correct sign in
Remember, it is YOUR responsibility to ensure that your Story Map is shared to the class group. This is NOT the same thing as sharing to everyone/public/organization. So after you publish your Story Map, you need to share it to the class group. Recall that you can check to ensure that this has been done by going to utoronto.maps.arcgis.com and then to your CONTENT tab, and looking at the symbols beside each item in the list. Ensure that the class group symbol is found beside your Story Map. Check carefully, share the story map itself to the group, not the template for one. A 10% per day late penalty will be applied to your work until you submit it (published and shared) to the class group, no matter when you "finished" it. Remember not to leave the browser tab with your story map in "edit" mode open because it auto-saves, and if this occurs after the due date/time it would cause you to get a late penalty.