HGA | Lesson Index | Literature & Geography Lessons

Me on the Map

Bernice Kihara and Mary Frances Higuchi

October 1999

Purpose: Students should see maps, like the written word, as a source of information about their world. They should be given opportunities using various media. Subsequent experiences in map reading and map making should become more sophisticated and abstract as students develop a more comprehensive understanding of the knowledge, skills, and perspectives involved in maps and mapping activities. Students must be able to organize information about people, places, and environments in appropriate spatial contexts. "Mental maps" are used to create maps about locations and characteristics to read and interpret different kinds of maps and to create maps of their classroom, school, and neighborhood of places at a variety of scales, from local to global. These maps in the mind provide students with an essential means of making sense of the world, and of storing and recalling information on Earth. (Geography for Life, pg. 63-64)

This unit gives students a chance to create mental maps that represent their world using a variety of scales, from local to global.

Focus Question: How can geographic representations of my place in space be displayed, from local to global?

National Geography Standards: The geographically informed person knows and understands 1) how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective and 2) how to use mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context.

HCPSII Students use geographic representations to organize, analyze, and present information on people, places, and environments.

K-3 Benchmark: Read and make geographic representation (i.e., maps, globes, graphs, charts, models) to locate and describe locations, distances, and directions and scale.

Essential Element/Theme: The World in Spatial Terms/Location

Knowledge: The student knows and understands:

1a) The characteristics and purposes of geographic representations - such as maps and globes

1b) How to display spatial information on maps

2a) The locations of places within the local community and in nearby communities

2b) The location of Earth's continents and oceans in relation to each other and to principal parallels and medians

2c) The location of major physical and human features in the school, community, United States and on Earth

Objectives: Students will be able to:

· Identify and describe the characteristics and purposes of geographic representations, tools, and techniques

· Show spatial information on geographic representations

· Identify major physical and human features at a variety of scales using maps, globes, and other sources of graphic information

· Use a mental map to identify the locations of places

· Sketch an "accurate" map to answer questions about the locations of physical and human features

· Describe selected geographic features using mental maps

Materials:

· Variety of maps (world, U.S., state, island, community, school, classroom)

· Post-It Notes with labels written

· If available, use a floor map. A bedsheet map with puzzle pieces and labels for the oceans and continents are excellent to use. Ask M.F. Higuchi on "how-to" make a bedsheet map.

· Me On the Map, by Joan Sweeney

· Supplies

Extension Activity: Continent's Song

Vocabulary:

legend, title of map, cardinal directions (N.E,W,S), compass rose, symbols

*extra -- intermediate directions (NW,SE,NE,SW), author, date, scale

Activities: PART I

1. What are the characteristics and purposes of maps?

a. Acquire information - Examine a variety of maps to see how maps are used and what basic elements are included on the maps.

Assessment: Observe oral responses from students

b. Acquire information - What similar characteristics does each map have? Discuss Legend, cardinal directions, and title of map.

Assessment: Given labels, can the students match the words Legend, title, symbols, compass rose, cardinal directions, with the parts of a map?

c. Acquiring, Organizing: Use symbols to locate, identify, and mark features of the local school and community (i.e., shopping areas, restaurants, fire stations, schools, post offices) on a prepared based map.

Assessment: Are students able to differentiate between the different kinds of symbols on a map?

d. Acquiring: Use a map grid (alphanumeric system for local maps) to find locations in your map of your community and state map.

Assessment: Students are able to find their school and other sites when given alphanumeric coordinates on a local map.

e. Acquiring and organizing information: Use a world map to find the continents and oceans.

Assessment: Given labels, students match names of continents and oceans on a world map. (The floor map is an excellent map to use for younger students.)

f. Acquire information - Categorize maps by World, United States, State, and Community.

Assessment: Are students able to differentiate the different kinds of maps?

g. Analyzing Geographic Information - Lay maps on the table. Ask students questions like:

· If I want to go to Georgia, which map would I use?

· If I want to go to Waiau School, which map will I use?

Assessment: Are students able to use the correct map?

h. Answering Geographic Questions - Generalize by writing or dictating what the purpose of maps are.

Assessment:

Rubrics:

Exceeding - Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the purpose of maps and gives an example

At Standard - Demonstrates a substantial understanding

of the purpose of maps.

Working Toward Standard - Demonstrates a partial understanding of purposes of maps.

Not Scorable - Demonstrates misunderstanding of

the purpose of maps.

Part 2:

1. How does my classroom look like? my school? my community? state? country? world?

a. Acquiring, Organizing, Analyzing: Draw a sketch map from memory of the classroom showing important landmarks. Mark and label the locations of places that are significant. Do the same for the school, communities, etc.

Assessment: Check for accuracy (Maps become increasingly abstract with each succeeding grade, reflecting the developmental changes in students' abilities to represent spatial and symbolic information. However, students still need to be given opportunities to create and interpret maps.)

3. How does our state look like? the world?

a. Acquiring, Organizing, Analyzing: Draw a sketch map from memory of the island, state, and world showing important physical and human characteristics. Note: Younger students may need to look at a map.

Assessment: Check for accuracy (see #2)

Part 3:

1. Organizing and analyzing information: Put a class book together. Or students can make their own book. Students may begin with their name, move on to the teacher, classroom, school, community, island, state, country, world. See the words to the song "Me on the Map." It is sung to the tune of Bingo.

When constructing the book, include students' work and actual pictures or maps. For example, the first page will include the student's drawing of him/herself and an actual photograph of him/herself.

a. Assessment: Check the application of the mental maps. Give students oral questions about where they are in space. Do they know the location of the different places? Do they know the names of the different places? Could they give significant landmarks of places from the different maps? Can the students address the question, "How can geographic representations of my place in space be displayed, from local to global?" How well did their maps represent the different places?

Rubrics:

Advanced: Information on mental maps are thoroughly organized. It shows different land marks of places (classroom, community, state, country, and world).

Proficient: Information on mental maps show substantial information of different places.

Minimal: Information on mental maps are incomplete.

Inadequate: Mental maps don't resemble the actual maps.