Day 2: Map Symbols
Objective:
The student will develop map skills by recognizing basic map symbols, including references to land, water, cities, and roads (1.4a)
Materials:
Giant Post-it notes
A map with a legend
Note Cards labelled with objects/centers in the classroom
Interactive Notebooks
A map with a legend
Note Cards labelled with objects/centers in the classroom
Interactive Notebooks
Events of Instruction
- Instruct students to use the giant sticky notes on their desks/tables to create a map of the classroom within their seating groups.
- Each group should present their map
- Gather students for whole-group instruction
- Review the purposes and uses of maps
- Ask students what differences and similarities they noticed between the different classroom maps- were desks represented the same way in each picture?
- Define symbols as pictures which represent something else. Use their classroom maps to provide examples of symbols.
- Refer to a map with a legend and discuss the purpose of symbols on a map.
- Distribute note cards labelled with areas/objects in the classroom.
- Instruct students to create a symbol to depict their assigned object or area in the classroom. Remind students that symbols should be simple and easily recognizable.
- Instruct students to take their note card and find their assigned object/center in the classroom.
- Ask students to share their symbol and the represented object
- The teacher should draw a copy of the symbol and write the corresponding object/area on the board.
- Instruct students to return to their desks and individually create a new map of the classroom using the assigned symbols as depicted by the "legend" on the board. These maps should be recorded in the students' interactive notebooks.
- Students can share and compare their maps within their seating groups.
Differentiation
- Take into account each student's reading level and ability when assigning objects/areas in the classroom for the Symbol Creation Activity. Students who may have difficulty can work with a partner.
- Students who finish early can be assigned another object/area in the classroom.
Assessment
- Students will develop the definitions of symbols and legends
- Students will create symbols to represent objects in the classroom
- Students will use a legend to construct a map of the classroom.