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South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Mapping Your Way Around (Grade 1)

Master Teacher

Windy A. Mack

Time Allotment

40-50 minutes

Overview

An important part of the social studies standards is teaching students basic skills of maps and globes. These skills help create a foundation that will be used throughout one's life. Maps are tools people use to identify locations. There are many different kinds of maps. Maps contain symbols that represent real places. As learning takes place, students will be able to use their map skills to better understand other units of study and make connections with the world.

Subject Matter

Social Studies

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• identify a map
• identify symbols on a map
• locate places on a map
• construct a map

South Carolina Standards

These Standards can be found online at Office of Curriculum Standards.

III. People, Places, and Environment: Geography

1.5 The learner will demonstrate an under- standing of the world in spatial terms.

The learner will be able to:

1.5.1 describe the purposes, characteristics, and uses of geographic representations such as maps, globes, and graphs;

1.5.2 locate places within his or her

community and in nearby communities;

1.5.3 explain connections among places; and

1.5.4 construct a simple map of a familiar area, incorporating cardinal direction and map symbols.

Media Components

Video

Math Monsters, Lesson 7: "Mapping" is a wonderful story of a group of monsters who are having a party. The monsters are trying to give their friend Binary Bill directions to their castle so that he can come to the party. The monsters encounter some problems as they try to create a map for Binary Bill.

Web Site

Go to Map Quest. In the "Find a Map" section, enter the address that you want to find (e.g., your school's address). Click the "map it" icon to view the map.

Materials

• pencil
• crayons
• writing/drawing paper
• maps (different kinds)
• makers (different colors)
• chart paper
• tape
• transparency sheet

Equipment

• computer with Internet access
• TV
• VCR
• AverKey
• overhead projector

Prep for Teacher

Prior to the lesson:

• Ask a local travel agent for different kinds of maps.
• Gather all materials: chart paper, markers, tape, writing/drawing paper, white poster board, maps.
• Check equipment: TV, VCR, overhead projector.
• Bookmark the Web site at http://www.mapquest.com.
• Make sure students have some knowledge of maps.
• Make a KWL chart on chart paper (K-what the students already know; W-what the students want to know; L-what the students learned after the lesson). Tape chart paper on board. Have markers nearby.
• Draw and color a map of your school with symbols that identify each place. Be sure to include a map key. (A map of your school may already exist, e.g., fire drill plan.)
• Make copies of your school's map for each student in your class.
• Make a copy of your school map on a transparency sheet.
• Make copies of Activity Sheet 1 for each student in your class.
• Preview the video to familiarize yourself with the pausing points. Cue the video to the first segment.

When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other media elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Find out what the students know about maps. Ask the students what the word map brings to their minds. Make a list of their ideas on the KWL chart. Discussion points for KWL chart: What is a map used for? Why are there different colors on a map? How can you make a map? What are some different kinds of maps? Why are there symbols on maps? Why are maps flat if the Earth is round?

Step 2: Tell the students that you are going to search for maps on the Internet. Allow students to gather around the computer monitor for viewing or connect the AverKey to the TV and computer for viewing. Also, you can bring in real maps for students to observe. Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by telling the students that as they look at the maps, you want them to be able to answer the following questions: What symbols are on the map? What do the symbols stand for? What kind of map is it? What is the map used for? (Note to Teacher: As you tell the students the questions, you may want to write the questions on the board or overhead.)

Step 3: Display a teacher made map of your school. Distribute a smaller version of the teacher made map of your school to each student. Ask discovery questions: What is the symbol for the office; the cafeteria; the library; the gym; the playground; the nurse; the art room; the music room; etc. . . . How do you get to your classroom from the office? How do you get from the playground to the nurse? etc. . .

Learning Activity

Step 1: Tell students that they will be viewing a video on the Math Monsters. Tell them that they need to listen very closely because you will be pausing the tape and asking questions about the video. Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking the students to see what the monsters can do to help Binary Bill get to their castle for the party as they watch the first clip from Math Monsters. START the video at the beginning and PAUSE when you see a big question mark (?) on the screen. Provide students an opportunity to respond to your question.

Step 2: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking the students what the problem is with the map the monsters gave Binary Bill. How can the monsters create a map that will help Binary Bill understand the way to get to the castle? RESUME playing tape and PAUSE the tape when you see a big question mark (?). Provide students an opportunity to respond to your questions.

Step 3: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking the students what should the monsters do to make the map better for Binary Bill to understand how to get to the castle. RESUME playing the tape and PAUSE the tape when you see a big question mark (?). Provide students an opportunity to respond to your question.

Step 4: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking the students: What must the monsters do to figure out how to help Binary Bill go down the right streets in the right direction and see the landmarks in the right places so that he won't get lost on his way to the party? RESUME playing the tape and PAUSE the tape when you see the big question mark (?). Provide students an opportunity to respond to your question.

Step 5: RESUME playing the remainder of the tape. STOP at the end of the tape.

Culminating Activity

Step 1: Provide each student with paper, pencils, crayons, and rulers. Direct students to write their name and date first.

Step 2: Direct students to construct a map of an environment they are familiar with such as school, home, playground, park, classroom, neighborhood, supermarket, department store, etc. (Note to Teacher: Remind students to use their pencils first and than color in the pictures.)

Step 3: Show the students how to use symbols to represent places/things/items. Show the students how to put the symbols on a map key/legend.

Assessment

As a final assessment, give each student a copy of the Activity Sheet, pencil, and crayons. Go over the directions for completion of the activity sheet.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Literature: Read stories and draw a map of the route a character took in the story.

Recommended books:

As the Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps by Gail Hartman. (1991). New York: Macmillan

Little Red Riding Hood: a pop-up book. (1988). New York: Derrydale Books

Hansel & Gretel by James Marshall. (1994). New York: Penguin

The Cows are Going to Paris by David Kirby (1991)

Flamboyan by Arnold Adoff (1988). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Delphine by Molly Bang. (1988). New York: Morrow

Writing: Have students write letters to other students at their school, another school nearby, or a distant school to help the students locate where their school/class is.

Directions for Activity Sheet

1. Draw a circle around the Fire Station with a red crayon.
2. Draw a square around the Police Station with a blue crayon.
3. Draw a triangle around the Airport with an orange crayon.
4. Draw an X on the School with a green crayon.
5. Draw a circle around the Park with a green crayon.
6. Draw a route from the Supermarket to the Hospital.
7. Draw a route from the Service Station to the Bank.

Activity Sheets (PDF)

• Activity Sheet 1