Into the Curriculum

VOLUME XXI, NUMBER 5/JANUARY 2005

Social Studies: Maps, Finding Our Way

by Mary L. Vartabedian

Library Media Skills Objective:

The student will experience a variety of maps and view an assortment of atlases available in the library media center.

The student will determine the purpose of a map and user. The student will experience maps through hands-on activities and through literature. The student will consider and discuss characteristics of maps. The student will use information to create a map of his or her room.

Curriculum (subject area) Objectives:

The student will learn about and develop familiarity with maps and atlases. The student will consider maps and how they are used. The student will practice logical sorting, spatial math, and spelling for labels and title.
Grade Levels: K–3

Resources:

• Books
  • Leedy, Loreen. Mapping Penny's World. Holt, 2000.
  • Sweeney, Joan. Me on the Map. Crown Publishers/Dragonfly Books, 1996. Hartman, Gail. As the Crow Flies. Aladdin, 1993.
• Maps, atlases, and globes from the library media center
  • Charts of local waterways
  • Poster with theme boldly stated
  • Smaller posters with characters, one each: Pirate, Red Riding Hood, Berenstein Bears in car
  • Materials for student-made maps
  • Construction paper, geometric cutouts, list of words to spell on board, glue sticks, crayons

Instructional Roles:

The teacher provides background information for students and identifies the final product or project. The teacher works with the library media specialist to manage students and support activities. The teacher provides materials for project. The lesson takes place in the classroom. The library media specialist provides books, maps, atlases, and lessons with collaboration of the teacher.
The lessons will require two forty-minute class periods.

Activity and Procedures for Completion:

The first lesson is given on the reading rug in order to invite interaction and involvement. Interest is initially created when the topic is introduced and students are asked to identify three familiar characters (a pirate, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Berenstein Bears in a car). Students consider what the characters might have in common—a need for a map. Let children look at several maps, charts, and atlases for familiar places. This introduction and initial immersion in maps creates the focus. Discuss the different types of maps and their users by sorting the maps to the familiar character users, thus creating links. Introduce children to map construction and characteristics by reading and carefully assessing the maps in Mapping Penny's World. Ask students to think about the maps and to identify some of the things they saw.

In this lesson, students are focusing on maps and creating links to map characteristics by identification with the characters and the familiar. Allow children to touch, look at, and ask questions throughout the lesson. Encourage connections like, "My mom has one of those," "There's a map of the school on the wall," "That's a compass and tells us what way we are going," "That's a sidewalk," etc. Students should recognize that maps are for different each workstation. This lesson is of such broad scope that children of all abilities will be able to participate. The final project will be a titled, labeled map of the student's room. Any students completing early may look at maps or books that are available.

Special Needs:

This lesson is very general and has a broad scope. It will accommodate all or most abilities. There will be supportive scaffolding with sample maps, words spelled on board, and cut-outs for manipulation already prepared for the project map.

Evaluation:

Students are assessed based on completed projects and an assessment sheet that asks them to circle what they would see on a map and to circle a happy face of what they learned about maps.