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Scaling it Down: Caves Have Maps, Too
Measurement and map skills are the focus of this lesson, where students crawl through a "cave" made out of boxes, desks and chairs, observing the dimensions. Your young geographers measure various aspects of the cave and practice math...
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Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map
Second and third graders practice with basic map skills. They create their own map including a legend and a compass rose. This fabulous plan has many excellent websites linked which allow learners to explore maps of all kinds; including...
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Mapping a Garden
Students study the components of a map, particularly the legend, the key, the symbols and the area. They develop their own map of a garden that they can plant in a future science lesson.
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United States Map- Map Legend/City Symbols
Students investigate the United States map. In this map skills geography lesson, students explore city symbols on the map legend and identify them. Students use post-it notes to mark various symbols.
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What Do Maps Show?
This teaching packet is for grades five through eight, and it is organized around geographic themes: location, place, relationships, movement, and regions. There are four full lessons that are complete with posters, weblinks, and...
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Mapping the News
Students explore cartography. In this map skills and map making lesson, Students work in groups to create wall size world maps including legends, compass roses, latitude and longitude, and physical features. Students collect current...
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U.S. Political Map
Learners explore the symbols found in a map legend. In this map skills lesson, students locate the legend on a political map and explain what each of the symbols mean. Learners locate and identify several symbols on the map.
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Countries of the World
Young scholars define the meaning of the word country. For this countries of the world map lesson, students identify boundaries, countries, and symbols within countries on the map. Young scholars distinguish the words country and continent.
Institute for Geophysics
Understanding Maps of Earth
Here is your go-to student resource on primary geography concepts, including facts about the surface of the earth and its hemispheres, latitude and longitude, globes, types of maps, and identifying continents and oceans.
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Political Legends and Map Symbols
Students identify the legend and map symbols. For this map skills lesson, students use a world map to find various locations using a map key.
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United States Map- State Capitals
Learners explore map skills. In this state capital instructional activity, students view a United States Political Map and identify and use post-it notes to label the state capitals.
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Reading a Local and National Weather Map
Students investigate weather maps. For this weather lesson, students discover the meaning of different weather icons and symbols. Working independently, students use the local forecast to correctly label a state map.
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United States Map
Students describe cities they are familiar with. In this United States Map lesson, students understand how cities are listed on a map. Students become aware of a map legend and the information in it.
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Where Am I: How to Read a Map
Third graders develop an understanding of maps. They explore what a map is, who uses maps, and how to use maps. Students investigate the compas rose. They create a compose rose which illustrates the cardinal directions. Students practice...
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Archaeology- State Map
Students study state maps. In this map skills lesson, students identify the states' location and how to use a legend. Students complete photocopies of the state map.
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Map Making/Floor Plans/Map Reading
Learners apply their knowledge of scale when mapping the classroom. They determine the use of a map legend and orient a map using a compass. They create the classroom maps using transfer graph paper.
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As the Kids Come and Go: Mapping a Classroom
Map the classroom with your kids to help them understand how maps work and how to read them. The activity starts off with a story about animals living and moving around the globe, and then kids create maps of their classroom to show how...
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A Walk Around the School: Mapping Places Near and Far
After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Students discuss and define folklore, locate town of Sleepy Hollow, NY, on map, calculate distance from Sleepy Hollow to their school, if applicable, review vocabulary list from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, read story aloud, and write...
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Map Adventures
Students explore the relationship between a scale drawing and actual distance. In this mapping lesson plan, students use an amusement park map to determine distances and what they would be like in real life.
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Mapping the Census
Students learn why the census makes a difference. For this U.S. Census lesson plan, students learn the key elements of cartography, examine the difference between data and their representation, and create a map using census data.
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Transportation and Mapping
Students view murals that depict various modes of transportation. They discuss the importance of maps to navigation and create a map. They compare and contrast transportation of the past with modes of transportation used today.
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Map Exploration
Are you looking for a terrific lesson on map activities for your second graders? Then, this resource is for you! The activities range from decoding, to fill-in-the-blank, to read-and-search. There is a website activity related to maps...
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Map Scale
Third and fourth graders are introduced to the concept of map scale. Using an illustration, they discuss if it shows the actual size of the object and why scale is used to represent areas. They use some items in the illustration to...