Maps and Globes
(3 to 7 days)
Common Core Standards
W.1.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from
experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
SL.1.1b Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of
others through multiple exchanges.
C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards
D2.Geo.1.K–2. Construct maps, graphs, and other representations of familiar
places.
D2.Geo.2.K–2. Use maps, graphs, photographs, and other representations to
describe places and the relationships and interactions that shape them.
Objectives
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Understand how globes and maps are alike and different.
Identify the key elements of a map such as the map title, map
key, symbols, and compass rose.
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Identify the direction words.
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Understand how to use directions on a map.
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Discuss maps and globes through the
Thinking Like a Citizen lenses.
Resources
Resources for this lesson can be found in
the Social Studies Express! section of the
Online Learning Exchange, Grade 1.
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Interactive Whiteboard Activity
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Video
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Web Site
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Hands-on Activities
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Interactive Journal
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5–10
minutes
Review Key Concepts
Listed below are some key concepts that children will learn in this lesson
about maps and globes. As you proceed with the lesson, focus your
discussions toward the development of these concepts:
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10–15
minutes
A map key or legend tells what the symbols on a map mean.
A direction is the way to go or a place to look. Examples of
direction words are left, right, behind, and in front of.
The cardinal directions are north, south, east, and west.
We can use elements of a map such as the map title, compass
rose, and map key to use and read maps.
Understanding how to use maps helps us learn about where
places and things are located.
To activate children’s prior knowledge about maps and globes, show children
a map and a globe and ask them when they have seen people use them.
Explain to the children that people often use maps to find their way when
they are lost or to find a location or place. For example, children might have
seen one of the following situations:
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A map is a drawing that shows where something is and shows
large and small places.
Activate Prior Knowledge
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15–20
minutes
A globe is a round model of earth.
a person who is from out of town using a map at a gas station
to find a route.
a person using a GPS in a car or on a phone to find a place.
a bus driver following a map to pick up people at bus stops
around town.
Make Connections
Connect the concept of maps and globes to the location of familiar objects
in the classroom. Ask children to describe the location of your desk or the
door to the classroom. Point out that children should use words to describe
the location but also use the location of other objects to help them. Share
an example such as the following with children: My chair is behind my desk.
The flag is near the ceiling. Then invite children to use direction words to
describe the location of other objects in the classroom. Lead the children to
see the connection between using direction words to describe the location of
something and using maps to find a location or place.
Journal: Have children use direction words to describe the location of their desk
or chair in the classroom.
Watch and Discuss a Video
20–30
minutes
Explain to the children that a map is a drawing of a place, and a globe is a
round model of Earth. Explain to the children that they will watch a video
about maps and globes. Go to OLE. Link to video titled “Finding Places on
Maps and Globes.” Watch the video first before showing it to the children.
Point out to children that globes can also show the distance between locations,
while maps can show more detailed information about locations that cannot be
seen on a globe. Also, because they are flat, maps can show the whole world.
Review concepts that are introduced in the video. Show the children a
map of North America and ask them to point out California (as shown
in the video). Then point out your state on the map. Ask children what
was shown on that map (the capital and some cities). Then show children a
simple map of your state. Help children identify the capital of the state and
the symbol that represents the capital. Locate other major cities, as well
as your city or town. Point out the map title. Invite a volunteer to read it.
Explain to the children that a map title is a map element that lets us know
what the map shows.
Explain to the children that there are a variety of maps, including a world
map, a state map, and a town or city map. Point out that maps can show
small areas such as your bedroom or neighborhood, or large areas such as a
capital city, state, or even the world.
Journal: Have children draw a map of their bedroom in their journals. Have
them describe the location of an object in their bedroom.
Find Your Way!
15–30
minutes
Label the walls of your classroom with the cardinal directions. Show children
a map and a globe and explain that the directions north, south, east, and west
help us figure out where we are. Point out that on both a globe and a map
north is always at the top and south is at the bottom. On a map, east is always
to the right, and west is always to the left. Explain to the children that the
cardinal directions never change: north is always the opposite direction from
south; east is always the opposite direction from west; and east and west are
always between north and south.
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Engage children in a directions game by asking them to identify items in
the classroom using the cardinal directions. For example, ask: “What wall is
my desk near?” (the north wall) or “What wall are the windows on?” (the west
wall). Take the children to another part of the school such as the cafeteria or
gym and have them identify the cardinal directions in those spaces.
If possible, take the children outside and point out the sun. Explain that
the sun rises in the east every day and sets every day in the west. If the day
is sunny, they can use the position of the sun to figure out the cardinal
directions. Call out a direction and have the children turn in that direction.
Interactive Whiteboard Activity
20–30
minutes
Review with the children the four cardinal directions. Then go to OLE. Link
to the interactive whiteboard activity on Making a Map Interactive Practice:
Using Maps. Discuss with the children what the map shows. Point out the
compass rose and map legend (key) on the map. Explain to the children that
they can find the cardinal directions on a compass rose.
Review with children the meaning of the term symbols, and discuss what
symbols are used in different maps. Point to the map legend and explain
to the children that symbols are located here. Ask the children what map
symbols are shown on the map (mountain, river, lake, hill, tree). Work through
each question with the children the first time. Then invite volunteers to come
to the whiteboard and have them answer the questions on their own.
Journal: Have children draw a map of their classroom with a compass rose and
key, and label it with the cardinal directions.
Interactive Whiteboard Activity
15–20
minutes
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Tell the children that they will practice direction words by doing an
interactive whiteboard activity. Review directional words with the children
such as left, right, behind, and in front. Consider having the children practice
using directional words with a partner using the following commands:
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stand in front of the table
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move the pencil to the left of the paper
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walk behind the chair
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sit down on the right side of the carpet or floor mat
Then go to OLE. Link to the activity on Where Things Are Located. Invite
children to take turns coming to the whiteboard to draw themselves to the left
of the bus stop sign. If children have difficulty figuring out which direction is
left, encourage them to hold up their left hand and make an L-shape with their
thumb and index finger. Point out to them that their fingers can make an “L”
and how this can remind them which side is left and which is right.
Create an Imaginary Place
45–60
minutes
Have the class work together to create a map of an imaginary place. Explain to
them that imaginary means “pretend” or “make-believe.”
To complete the activity, you will need:
●● markers
●● large paper
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crayons
Review the steps for creating an imaginary place before children begin the
activity.
Steps:
1.Think about what your imaginary place could be and what it will show.
2.Write a map title for your map.
3.Ask questions such as “Do we want mountains?”, “Do we want
forests?”, and “Are there roads and buildings?” Draw mountains,
trees, rivers, roads, and buildings on your map.
4.Draw a map key on your map. Draw symbols or pictures to show
that a tree stands for a forest, a blue line stands for a river, and so on.
5.Draw a compass rose. Write N, S, E, and W on it.
You may choose to make one large map and have children work on different
parts of the map or divide the class into small groups to make several maps.
Then, tape each section of the map to make a large map of an imaginary
place. Display the map or maps in the classroom.
Journal: Have children write about what they liked most about making the map.
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Read About It
45–60
minutes
Have children read one of the following leveled readers to help them learn
more about reading and understanding maps and globes:
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People and Places Content Reader A: Find It!
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People and Places Content Reader B: Maps and Globes
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People and Places Content Reader C: Reading Maps and Globes
Thinking Like a Citizen Connection
Ask children to think about maps and globes through the five lenses:
10–20
minutes
Rules: What is one difference between a globe and a map?
Stuff: How do computers help us use maps?
People: What are some reasons that people use maps and
globes?
Space: How can a map or a globe help us see the distance
between two places or see how places are near or far from each
other?
Time: Do maps change over time? Why or why not?
Work with children to answer the questions above. Guide children to think
about how maps and globes help us see and describe places in our world.
Journal: Have children choose one of the above questions to write about in their
journals. Have them copy the question they chose and then write their answer.
Interactive Whiteboard Activity
15–20
minutes
Review the types of maps that the children had viewed in the lesson. Remind
the children of the map of the United States they saw in the video. Ask them
how cities were shown on the map in the video (with circles) and how capitals
were shown (with stars).
Go to OLE. Link to the interactive whiteboard activity on Maps and Globes.
Ask the children to identify what the screen shows (a map of the United States).
Select a child to come to the whiteboard to underline the name of your
state. Ask another child to describe, using cardinal directions, where in the
United States your state is located. For example, a child might say, “Our state
is located in the south and the east of the country.” Select another child to
come to the whiteboard to circle the country’s capital. Encourage children to
explain their answers. For example, the child might say, “I know that capitals
are marked by stars, so I circled the star on the map.” Have another child
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describe, using cardinal directions, where the country’s capital is located such
as, “The capital is located in the east.”
Journal: Have children write about the location of your state in our country.
Keep Learning: Map My Way
30–60
minutes
To help children transfer what they have learned to a real-world situation,
have them draw maps showing a route that is familiar to them such as from
their home to school or their home to the park. Tell the children to make a
map for a new friend who has just moved into their neighborhood. Remind
the children to include any markers or landmarks such as trees, stop signs, or
buildings along the route and to use a key and compass rose to show cardinal
directions.
Journal: Have children draw the route they drew on their map.
Connect to Reading
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Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer.
Written and illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray.
This story portrays the adventures of explorer John Wesley Powell in the American
West.
How I Learned Geography.
Written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz.
The author tells how a map helps a child imagine a better life when his family is
forced to move because of war.
Follow That Map! A First Book of Mapping Skills.
Written and illustrated by Scot Ritchie.
This book teaches geographic concepts and mapping skills through the backyard,
neighborhood, city, world, and space.
Our World: A Child’s First Picture Atlas.
National Geographic Children’s Books.
This atlas features pictures, text, maps, and activities about each of the continents
and their countries.
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