Name _______________________________
Texas Community Studies Weekly
Date _______________________________
Week 1, 1st Quarter
Interpreting a Map of Places
(5C vii, 5D iv, v, xv, 17E xii)
Maps can have different elements, just like story elements in your favorite fiction books. Map
elements may include scales and grid systems. Most maps cannot show things the size they really are.
Instead, maps are smaller and use a scale. Drawing something to scale means showing it at a different
size or distance than what it is in real life. For example, your school may be two miles from where you
live. If you looked at a map, the distance between your school and where you live may be only one inch
on paper. On that map, one inch is equal to two miles. To understand the distance between places on a
map, look for the map’s scale.
A grid system is a set of imaginary lines that we use to identify the absolute location of any point.
For example, if you look at a map with a grid system and see your school near vertical line B and
horizontal line 5, you could tell someone that your school is found at B5.
A place is a location on a map that has physical characteristics, such as climate, landforms and
plant and/or animal life. The location may also have human characteristics, such as highways, airports,
railroads or cities. Places are labeled on a map to show where they are located. Have you ever told a
story and made a map to show something? You were probably trying to show how something looked or
where a place was.
Below is a map showing important places in Texas. Answer the questions on the next page, using map
elements to interpret the map.
Places in Texas
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
continued...
Name _______________________________
Date _______________________________
Texas Community Studies Weekly
Week 1, 1st Quarter
continued...
Interpreting a Map of Places
(5D iv, v, xv)
Use the map to answer the following questions.
1. What are the coordinates of Amarillo? __________________________________________________
2. What are the coordinates of Lubbock? __________________________________________________
3. Which place is located at the coordinates E3? _____________________________________________
4. About how far is El Paso from Dallas? __________________________________________________
5. About how far is Brownsville from Houston? ____________________________________________
6. Use the compass rose to determine which direction you would travel if you were going from Houston
to San Antonio? ______________________________________________________________________
7. What is the title of this map? __________________________________________________________
continued...
Name _______________________________
Texas Community Studies Weekly
Date _______________________________
Week 1, 1st Quarter
Creating a Map of Places
Use the space provided below to draw a map of your classroom. Then draw and label 10 areas or
places on your map. When you are finished, complete the map by adding a title, map scale, compass rose
and grid system.
Answer Key
Interpreting a Map of Places
1. C7
2. C6
3. San Antonio
4. 400 miles
5. 100 miles
6. west
7. Places in Texas